Shit or get off the pot.Brett’s words replayed in my head, and without a second thought, I pushed off that damn tree. Dressed in black, crossing the street, I knew I looked like some fucking predator about to pounce on its prey while I made my way up her driveway.
By the time I reached her door, I was almost fully expecting to be tackled by some neighborhood watch that kept an eye on our community.
But nothing moved.
Not a soul was outside. There wasn’t even a breeze. My chest rose and fell heavily with the heady anticipation of seeing her. I could knock, and she’d come to the door.
I knew she would.
She’d invite me right in, and the night would be nothing but a tangle of limbs with soft breathy moans as the soundtrack of an unforgettable night. But I didn’t knock. My palm wrapped around the cold metal knob, and when it turned, my eyes shut tightly. Overwhelming relief and disappointment rushed through me.
Relief I’d be able to walk into her place without having to pick a lock and disappointment she’d put herself in that kind of danger.Doesn’t she know there are all kinds of weirdos and freaks around?I turned the knob all the way and carefully opened the door, mindful of not stepping on the squeaky floorboard at the entrance I’d noticed earlier when I’d brought her home.
My feet stalled at the sight I found before me.
Elizabeth’s TV was backlit with blue while my woman slept soundly on the couch. I should have left. Walked out, shut the door, and locked it behind me. It would have been the right thing. But I had no plans of doing that. Not even close.
My body was revved up in a way I didn’t recognize. I liked the idea of being in her space with her sleeping peacefully, clueless to just how close I was to her.
Jesus. I was a stalker. Her stalker, as she’d accused me of while we danced earlier. I shut and locked the door before carefully kicking off my shoes to make sure I didn’t make a sound as my sock-clad feet hit the hardwood floors. I studied the scene, and my heart fluttered.
She was still wearing that sexy-as-hell little black dress, and it seemed my girl had made a night of it. An empty blender sat discarded with snacks on her coffee table. I picked up the empty glass, and my lips twitched at the scent.Margaritas.My girl liked her tequila. Setting it down, I made my way to the edge of the couch and kneeled in front of her.
Elizabeth Verdusco was beautiful.
Stunning, really.
My lips curved upward as I thought about every interaction I’d had with her. From her telling me she wasn’t interested to giving me sass and attitude while pretending she didn’t like me. But asleep? Peacefully dreaming of, I could only hope, me, she looked like an angel.
An angel put on earth to tempt me, to make me yearn for more than I ever thought I’d want.
Red lipstick still stained her lips, and all I could think about was having it mark my body. Up and down my chest. I would proudly and happily wear it for the rest of my life like tattoos staining my skin if it meant she’d marked me as her own. The skirt of her dress had hiked up her thick, toned thighs.
Jesus, she was beautiful.
My mouth watered for a taste of her skin. Of her mouth.Shit. Why the hell haven’t I stolen a kiss already?Now I was staring down at her like some starving creep. If she opened her eyes and saw me looming over her, she’d scream bloody murder for just a split second before kicking me in the balls.
Excitement filled energy flowed through my veins. Something electric and warm rushing up and down throughout my body with a heady anticipation.
I liked being in her space. Something about being there, right in front of her, watching her rest and dream, made me uncomfortably hard.
Something I didn’t know I had in me. Like a feral being had been awakened by her.
Elizabeth shifted, and I froze.What the hell have I been thinking walking into her space? This isn’t me! I’m not that guy.I could watch her from afar, but breaking and entering? Crushing her privacy and bulldozing through boundaries?
This was why the men in my family were cursed.
Just as I was about to stand to get the hell out of there, she sighed, and those beautifully red-stained lips quirked up in a smile I knew would be etched into my soul.
“Austin,” she sleepily moaned, and my hands had a mind of their own. They reached for her, softly brushing an errant strand of hair off her face to give me a better view of her gorgeous features. Her eyes fluttered open, and she stared at me for a moment. It was probably half a beat, but it felt like an eternity as those eyes that haunted me in my sleep connected with mine.
“Sleep, beautiful.”
“Bossy.” The cutest two little lines formed between her brows. “You’re stupid cute,” she muttered as her eyes closed again. I exhaled slowly.
I didn’t move.
Fuck, I wasn’t sure I was still breathing as I kneeled there way after the muscles in my legs and thighs protested and burned. When I stood, I moved through her house, quietly soaking in every detail. Each one felt like some kind of insight to the woman I had fallen for.
