“And are we?” He clears his throat. “Compatible, I mean?”
When I laugh again, he narrows his eyes like he thinks I’m making fun of him. It’s cute and vulnerable, and I want so badly to slide off this desk and into his lap.
“What?” he asks.
“No,” I whisper. A smile still tugs on my lips. “Not at all.”
I let the silence simmer, watching the way his gaze drags down, settling on my mouth and lighting up my insides. When he looks at me like that, the entire atmosphere changes. Thick and hot.
To be able to read his mind right now ...
Hunt
Blue’s hair falls in waves over her shoulders, and the blonde strands are just like her—wild, untamed. Unpredictable. Her smile is playful, but her eyes are on fire. I’m really starting to hate being in this room with her because all I can think about when she looks at me like that is how badly I want to press my lips against hers.
My fingers dig into my jeans as I imagine it—what she’d taste like. What her tongue would feel like against mine. If she’d melt into me when I fist her hair and pull her closer, or if she’d bite my lip and crawl onto my lap.
Shit.
I’m trying to work out how to adjust myself without her noticing when a low vibration snaps my attention to a spot beside her. The sound continues, coming from her backpack.
“You gonna get that?”
She traps her lower lip with her teeth. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Clenching my jaw, I reach into the bag’s front pocket and toss the phone to her before I do something stupid, like prove I really am my father’s son.
She lights up when she looks at the screen, then holds up a finger to sayhang on, and flips the phone open. “Hey, Mom.” Covering the receiver with one hand, she arches a brow and whispers, “See?The universe...”
A reluctant smile tips my lips, and I shake my head as she hops off the desk and moves toward the bed. I don’t know what the hell it is about her, but it’s like she radiates life, and that shit is contagious.
Plopping down over tangled sheets, she sprawls out on her stomach, feet on the pillows. She laughs and says, “Yeah,” with those green eyes locked on me, “I know. Actually, I, um ... I made a friend.”
A friend.
Unease grips me, except it’s mixed with something else too. Something that glows in the dark corners of my chest. It’s a weird feeling, hooking into me without any give, and it makes me nervous. It’s too foreign. And too tempting.
I stand, shoving my hands in my pockets, and she smiles up at me. I need to get out of here.
I tip my chin at her. “I’m, uh ...” My eyes shoot toward the window—my escape. “I’m gonna go.”
“Yeah, his name’s Joshua,” she continues like I didn’t say anything. “Uh-huh. He’s right here.” A mischievous glint passes through her eyes, her gaze drifting along my face, and I back up a step.
Whatever she’s up to, I’m out. It’s a damn miracle I’ve lasted this long. She has no fucking clue the signals those little looks send straight to my cock, and no matter how much scolding I give it, it can never seem to get on the same page as me when Blue’s around.
Just as I turn to leave, she asks, “You there, Mom?”
“Still here,” another voice calls through the speaker. “Can he hear me? Hello?”
Ah, hell.
I look over my shoulder, and Blue grins. I hate her smiles. They’re too ... bright. Like stepping outside expecting a blanket of dark skies and rain, then getting blasted by piercing rays of sun.
Reluctantly turning around, I inch toward the bed. As much as I know I need to walk away for both our sakes, I have too much respect for mothers to brush hers off.
“I’m here, ma’am,” I mutter, looking at the phone.
“Come a little closer, won’t you?” the mellow, lyrical voice says. “You sound so far away.”
