Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
RICH
Lucy looked defeated, and I didn’t know what to say to comfort her, or to get us back to the uncomfortable yet exciting place we had been heading before Annie called.
“I think it’s probably for the best,” she said grimly, and I didn’t believe that any more than she appeared to.
With a sigh, she pulled her shoes back on and stood. Straightening her clothes, she went to make a move to the front door.
“Thanks for the food and the company.” She smiled at me, but there was a different emotion in her eyes.
I nodded. “Thanks for looking after my burn for me.”
Her smile grew warmer at the mention of her playing nurse to me. “No worries. Like I said, give it some air tomorrow and I’m sure it’ll be better in no time.”
Absently, I traced over the bandage on my wrist and followed her to the hallway. A million and one thoughts were running through my mind like a damn freight train.
“It was nice to see you, and you know you’re welcome here anytime.” Internally, I was willing myself to shut the hell up, thinking and feeling more and more like an idiot older dad who just couldn’t stop talking.
Lucy paused before she opened the front door and looked at me intensely. “It was really good to see you, too.”
In that split second, doubt, fear, and everything else got left behind as the need to make her feel wanted overwhelmed me. Without thinking about it, I did the unthinkable and went with my gut feeling. Well, maybe a little lower than my gut.
Before either of us had a chance to back out, I leaned into her personal space and kissed her firmly. My hands cupped her face, stroking across her jawline. Her soft lips parted for me, but not before there was a moment of hesitancy.
Feeling the gravity of what I perceived to be a mistake, I pulled away. “Sorry…”
Just as I was about to take a step back and apologise profusely for my error in judgement, her hands caught hold of mine and she pulled me back in against her.
“No,” she whispered as she crushed her lips against mine.
The magnitude of the lust I felt for her washed over me like a tidal wave, and I moved us back, pressing her up against the wall by the door. My hands went back to her face, holding it tenderly before coming to rest at the nape of her neck, fingers entwining in her hair.
She grabbed at my T-shirt, pulling me hard against her body. Her tongue rolled over mine, dancing between her mouth and mine. There was a passion between us. I hadn’t been aware of the intensity of it, but it was boiling over, threatening to scorch us both deeply.
Our lips parted as we paused to catch our breath, and we stood there in silence, still pressed against each other.
Lucy was the one to break the silence. “Fuck.” Her grip loosened from my T-shirt and she traced over her lips with one hand.
I gave her a little space, waiting for her reaction to judge how best to handle the situation next. I knew what I wanted to do. It probably wasn’t what I should have wanted, but it was.
“Annie’s going to kill me.”
Those four words took the wind out of my sails. Obviously, my daughter had not been on my mind while I was thinking about how much I wanted to kiss her best friend. The fact Lucy was her closest pal also hadn’t been high on my list of considerations either. Christ, what kind of shit parent was I?
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have…”
Lucy didn’t let me finish that comment. Instead, she yanked me against her, catching my mouth with hers. This time, when we breathlessly parted our kiss, Lucy had a sexy smirk on her puffed-up lips.
“What?” I asked softly, already thinking about where I wanted this to go.
“I was going to say I’m glad you kissed me.”
Raising my eyebrows, a smirk grew across my features. “Oh – yeah, I am too.”
Lucy shifted on the balls of her feet. She puffed out a breath and put her hand back on the front door. “As much as I don’t want to leave, I think I should, before I end up taking this way too far.”
My breathing hitched at the thought of what might be involved in taking things with Lucy a lot further than just kissing her in the hallway. Temptation was going to be very hard to resist. I took the same step back I had just moments before to allow her to make whatever move she needed to.
She stared at me, her eyes wide and searching. “Rich, I don’t want to leave. But Annie is my best friend in the whole world, and I need to think about this with more than my pussy before it goes any further. But I do want to take it further.”
I had to respect her resolve. She was being a better friend than I was a father in that moment. The thought of having a conversation with Annie about the possibility of me having a relationship again crossed my mind.
“You’re right, and I should probably have a chat with her about me seeing someone again too. But I think your pussy and my cock are probably having very similar ideas right now.”
“Fuck.” She closed her eyes and her tongue traced over her lips.
Christ, she was going to get me in trouble.
She lunged forward, giving me a quick peck on the cheek, and mumbled some goodbye. Before I could object, she disappeared out the front door without giving either of us the chance to change the other’s mind.