Saliva pooled in his mouth and instinct took over, guiding his attention lower. Her H&H T-shirt was loose, but not loose enough to disguise the rapid rise and fall of her breasts.
He gripped his phone. As long as he held onto it, he wouldn’t do something stupid, like backing her up against the truck and kissing the daylights out of her.
Lifting his gaze, he met the heat in hers. No help there. If he made a move, she wouldn’t stop him.
A throbbing ache taunted him, tested him. Had it been this way before? Or had time added layers of need? “Querida….”
She gulped. “Goodbye, Luis.” Lowering her phone, she broke eye contact, disconnected and stepped away from the truck. “I don’t think… maybe I shouldn’t come in with you.”
He sucked in air. “Right. I have an umbrella table…” Breathe, boy, breathe. “On the patio.”
“I was gonna help.”
“Yeah. Not necessary.” He had no trouble picturing what would happen the minute they walked through his arched front doorway. They’d skip the kitchen entirely.
“You said the patio has a wall?”
“Waist-high.”
“Ah. Good.”
“We’ll be fine. Let’s go.” Easier said than done. Pocketing his phone would tighten the fit of his already painfully snug jeans so he held onto it. He winced as he took the first step.
“We don’t have to rush over there.”
He snorted. “Thanks. Appreciate it.” Clenching his jaw, he started off. Slowly.
“Believe me, if I’d known you were unattached….”
“You wouldn’t have come?”
“Tough call. The sanctuary tour and the book signing really appealed to me. But I would’ve?—”
“Prevented Fudge’s abscess?”
She sighed. “Good point.”
“You’d have ended up here one way or the other. Like I said. Inevitable.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re destined to end up in bed.”
“Totally up to you. You know what I think about it.”
“Was Monty trying to help things along?”
“Could be. He can’t imagine why we wouldn’t avail ourselves of the opportunity. I tend to agree with him. Riding in your truck brought back a ton of memories.”
“You used to reach over and squeeze my thigh.”
“Couldn’t keep my hands off you. Good thing the clinic was intense. No time for fooling around.”
“But we made up for it later.”
“Yes, ma’am. That’s why we’ll be eating lunch outside.”
“I see two casitas ahead. Which one is yours?
“The second one. Red umbrella. You might want to take note of that so you don’t walk in on Zay.”
