I shrugged, my chest tight with excitement. “Maybe. Ormaybe I’d surprise you.”
She rested her arms on the windowsill and peered at me, raising her brows challengingly. For a moment, it was just the two of us.
“Don’t flatter yourself,” Tori purred teasingly. “Most guys think they can handle me. They’re wrong.”
I grinned, relishing the challenge. “Yeah? Guess I’m not most guys.”
Her smirk softened into a flicker of amusement — or maybe it was something more.
“We’ll see about that.” Finally, she closed the window. But not before she gave me a glance so intense it made my chest tighten and my mind short-circuit for just a moment.
I stayed on the porch, grinning like an idiot with my heart racing.
Oh, this is going to be fun.
Chapter 6
Kai
Thetrailwasquiet,thick with the sticky humidity of a late summer evening. Cicadas buzzed in the trees above me and the scent of damp pine and earth hung heavily in the air. My shirt clung to my back, soaked from the run, but I barely noticed.
Up ahead, a flash of movement caught my eye. A small figure was jogging down the path ahead; the streaks of bright color in their dark hair gave away whose backside was bouncing deliciously right in front of me.
I’d developed an interesting proclivity for bright red over the last couple of weeks, spotting it everywhere I went, so it was no surprise it caught my eye here.
Tori hadn't seen me yet, weaving along the narrow trail with impossible light-footed grace, her ponytail bouncing and her arms pumping. I slowed down to take in the sight, even though my chest was tightening.
How does someone make running look effortless?
I fell into her rhythm at a safe distance, careful not to startle her. There was something about the curve of her shoulders and the way her toned calves flexed making me want to push closer,test the limitsjust a little.
She glanced down at a rough patch in the trail and didn’t notice me as I closed the gap around a bend. The low sun slanted gold through the trees, making her hair glow and highlighting the sweat on her neck.
My pulse ticked faster — not just from running.Fuck. I better not pop a boner while running.
“Hey,” I greeted casually, falling into step beside her.
With a gasp, she jumped to the side, coming to a stop with her eyes widening. “Holy shit! Where the fuck did you come from?”
I grinned and hitched a thumb over my shoulder. “Back there.”
She was still panting, beads of sweat rolling down the side of her neck as she glared up at me. “You were following me?”
“Not exactly following.” I lifted the hem of my shirt to mop the sweat off my face, not missing the way her eyes darted down to the exposed skin of my stomach for just a fraction of a second. “More … coincidentally on the same trail.”
Tori scoffed, shaking her head before taking off again.
“Right … sure, coincidental,” she mocked quietly as I gave chase and fell into step with her.
We ran in silence for a few steps, side by side, the tension thick, close to boiling over. My gaze flicked to her tits, bouncing in the confines of her tight little sports bra and her thick thighs flexing as she pushed off the trail. Fuck, she was hot.
Tori side-eyed me and then sped up a fraction, rolling her eyes when I caught up with her again.
“You’re suspiciously quiet,” she said finally. “Having trouble keeping up with me?”
I chuckled. “Maybe. Think you’re faster than me, do you?”
Her eyes glinted as she pushed ahead slightly. “I’d bet on it.”
