“Here I am.”
“What happened? Decided to take a walk on the wild side today?”
“Worse.”
I arched a brow, and Braden scrubbed a hand over his jaw as he looked away from me and then back again.
“I just can’t seem to get you out of my head.”
The words landed like a soft sweep of wind against my skin, warm and delicious.
And those fucking butterflies threw a party.
I looked at the ground, taking a tentative step closer to him until we were toe-to-toe.
“That sounds like a terrible problem to have.”
“The worst,” he confirmed, his Adam’s apple bobbing hard in his throat as his eyes slid down my body and back up again. “Any advice on how to cure this ailment?”
“I can think of a few things.”
“Do tell.”
We were so close now, his breath tickling my nose — minty and sweet.
“Well, you could quit the team.”
“Mm,” he mused, his nostrils flaring when I dared to lean in another inch. “Not an option, I’m afraid.”
“You could go to a hypnotist.”
“Not really into trusting a stranger to fuck with my head like that.”
I smirked. “Well, there’s only one thing left to do, then.”
His breath hitched a bit when I reached out and pressed a single nail into his chest. “And what’s that?” he asked.
I dragged my nail down, savoring the way his jaw ticced as I trailed from his chest all the way to the band of his pants. I ran a line from hip to hip then, snaking under his jersey to feel the goosebumps I was earning on his skin.
Pressing up onto my toes, I licked up the side of his neck, the muffled groan he rewarded me with sending a jolt of electricity straight between my thighs.
“Take me somewhere and fuck me out of your system,” I said low in his ear, and then I took the lobe of it between my teeth with a teasing bite.
His next breath was a stiff inhale, his next exhale another long groan, and his hands moved to my hips, fastening around me like he had to hold me in place so I wouldn’t tackle him to the ground right here and now.
Or maybe it was to restrainhimselffrom acting rather than me.
“Fuck, Em…” he cursed, his voice just above a whisper, brows pinched together as if he was in pain.
“I’m just giving doctor’s orders,” I teased, and because I couldn’t help myself, I ran my hand lower, palming him through his pants. This time we both groaned together, him at the sensation, and me at the thick cock I felt beneath the fabric separating us.
Suddenly, there was a laugh from around the corner, followed by two loud baritone voices.
Braden and I broke away instantly, our eyes locking for a brief, panicked, and wanting moment.
And then wordlessly, we separated.
He jogged down the hallway in the opposite direction the voices were coming from and I turned and walked right toward them, humming to myself like nothing had happened.
