Chewing on her bottom lip, there’s a wave of hesitance that catches me off guard. Leah isn’t normally the type of person to hold back what’s on her mind.
“That’s true. You can’t go out and do something stupid if I keep you here.” Her hands lock around my neck, and her legshook around my waist. She’s carefully, barely tugging me toward the couch, but keeping me in place.
Fuck. If she keeps this up, I’m going to be convincing her to bend over this couch before I ask her about getting ready to leave. These shorts do nothing to hide the stirring happening down below.
If she figures out sex is a great way to keep me here, then maybe utilizing it to her advantage may not be so bad.
When she’s like this, clinging to me as if I’m all that matters, it’s no wonder I have to remind myself that none of this means what I want it to.
Leaning in, she sucks in a breath when only an inch of space remains between us. “I could do something stupid inside, too. You give me too much credit.”
Because I can’t tell myself no, I lean in and kiss her. Promising myself that it’s nothing more than scratching an itch, the little sigh that leaves her tells me all that I need to know.
Her lips are soft against mine, a familiar warmth I missed too much. The kiss is lazy with no sign of rush. Her mouth opens just enough, a silent invitation I accept without thought, tasting the faint sweetness of her morning coffee. I can feel the moment she sinks into it, her body going pliant against mine, the anxious grip around my neck softening into a caress.
She has that same glazed-over look she always gets when she needs to unwind. It’s a look that unspools something deep in my gut, a look that says she’s stopped thinking, stopped worrying, and is just… feeling. It’s my favorite look on her.
One kiss turns into two, then three, each one slower, deeper, more languid than the last. It’s so easy to get lost in her like this.
I’m so focused on the slow dance of her mouth that I almost forget about the other signal my body is sending, a blunt, gathering heat and weight behind the soft cotton of my shorts.
As her teeth scrape my bottom lip, I feel her fingers drifting down my chest. Past the bandages, lower,lower,until my hips are jerking against her touch. She doesn’t hesitate, gripping me through the fabric, squeezing me tight, just the way I like it.
I’m going to fuck her at this rate. This is no good. I’ll injure myself, and she’ll blame herself for an eternity.
With a reluctance that feels physical, I break the kiss. She makes a soft, protesting sound in the back of her throat that almost convinces me to push myself to continue this moment of ours.
Instead of going back to her mouth, I press my lips to the smooth curve of her cheek, feeling the warmth there. Lingering for only a greedy moment, I force myself to create space between us.
“I’m gonna take a quick shower,” I say, my voice rough. I run a thumb along her jaw, catching the dazed look in her eyes. “Then you should definitely join me.”
A slow, knowing smile touches her lips, and it’s everything I can do not to recapture them with mine.
“Or I’m gonna get lost,” I add, forcing a grin.
It’s a bald-faced lie. I was born and raised in this small town. I could walk every inch of it blindfolded, drunk, and backwards. There’s nowhere here for me to get lost but in her. And that’s the one place I can’t let myself wander for too long. Not when, for her, this is just a way to release some steam.
The shower is just an excuse to get this want out of my system. Now that we can’t just claw at each other every time we get this way, I need a way to deal it without worrying her even more.
Give me another week, and I’ll have her pressed beneath me in no time. Things can go back to normal.
“Remember, keep it short.” Catching her breath, she shoves her fingers through her hair to let out a frustrated sigh. “Don’t let the water hit it directly, and when you’re done, I’ll—”
Pecking her lips before she can go full doctor on me, she sighs against my mouth once more before unlocking her ankles and letting me go.
Giving her a wink, I try not to acknowledge the want in her eyes before I escape toward the bathroom.
If she were to ask if she could join, I have no doubt that I would fold over in an instant.
Thankfully, and unfortunately, she doesn’t.
* * *
Fresh air is exactly what I need. It’s a medicine in its own way.
By the time I carefully make my way down the flight of stairs, I realize that walking a far distance won’t be as easy as I hope it’ll be. Still, I don’t want to admit defeat before I can even make it out of the parking lot.
Hammer’s got a place here in this apartment complex, and so does Judge. Not spotting either of their bikes, I’m a little sad I can’t make a pit stop to see how things are going.
