Chapter 28 #2
“Please?” I got him out here under the guise that I wanted to look at it, but really, I planned to ask for a ride all along. Which is what he wanted anyway. Crazy how much courage two pumpkin beers can give you.
He laughs, leaning back against it with his arms crossed, looking me up and down. “Absolutely not.”
“But you’re the one who tried to bet me and trick me into a ride,” I accuse him.
“Yes,” he chuckles. “But that was before you got sloshed. And now I can’t in good conscience take you. Not today.”
“I’m not the one driving!”
“Doesn’t matter.” He shrugs, not budging. “You could be consumed with regret tomorrow and filled with rage towards me for taking advantage of you. I can’t have that.” His eyes become more heated.
“And what does it matter to you if I’m angry with you, huh?
” I say slowly as I approach him. He looks too hot to be real, standing there against his bike, arms crossed and biceps bulging.
Suddenly, I have a desperate need to be closer to him.
His scent is casting a spell on me, forcing me to take those steps.
His eyes darken as I walk toward him, and I watch them drink every inch of me in as I take my time.
He grabs my hands and pulls me up against him, speeding up the process. Like he needs to touch me as much as I want to touch him. He wraps his arms around my waist and my whole body tingles as he breathes into my ear.
“I don’t know…I bet you’re cute when you’re mad. Could be fun.”
I chuckle, grabbing onto his biceps and pulling my face back. He doesn’t let go of my waist.
“So, you’ll take me for a ride?”
A rumbling vibration rolls through his chest as he does another one of those closed-mouth laughs. “I’ve never been begged for a ride so persistently. It’s only our fourth date, Carly.”
“Second,” I say, perplexed. It’s almost dark, but I can see every swirl and detail of those mesmerizing blue eyes. And they’re lasered in on me.
A cocky, small grin touches the side of his mouth.
“No, baby,” he says softly. “I’ve wanted to take you out since the moment I called you.
Our first coffee together was a date. Whether you knew it or not.
” His hands run up my back tenderly, but I want more.
So damn much more. I want him to ravish me. I’m weak in his arms.
A whimper escapes me as I lean up and place my mouth to his plump, minty lips.
He takes his hands off my waist and grabs my face with both hands, parting my mouth with his tongue and kissing me back with a hunger that I also feel to my core.
I’ve never been so viscerally attracted to a man, so lost in lust that I can’t even think straight.
He could bend me over his bike right here in this parking lot and I’m not sure I would even care that it’s completely public. Let the voyeurs witness it.
“I want you so bad…” I whisper against his mouth. I can’t even finish the thought as he continues to make my lips more swollen with every clash of our mouths. His hands move back to my waist and mine hold his stubbled jaw. My entire body is alive and pulsing with need for more of him.
And then he pulls back, and I take in deep breaths, trying to gather myself. I suddenly feel sobered from the beer but still drunk on lust.
The look in his eyes is hungry, yet gentle at the same time. Patient. “We keep ending up in these tricky situations,” he grumbles with a smirk touching his lips.
“It’s because you can’t keep your hands off me,” I joke.
“Hey, you’re the one who cornered me against the bike and slowly approached me like a seductress with that look in your eyes.”
“Maybe if you didn’t always say the most perfect panty-dropping lines, I wouldn’t be so inclined to attack you.”
That one elicits a real laugh out of him. “So, what now?” He leans back against the bike, releasing me and crossing his arms. Looking perfectly intact after that heated moment. That’s unfair. I probably look like an absolute mess. “Do you want me to take you home?”
I shake my head before I can even think. Oh, how badly I do not want to go home right now. I glance at him, and my gaze wanders down. There’s still a bulge there that makes me forget what my name even is. Okay. So maybe he’s not entirely unaffected.
He clears his throat, causing me to snap my eyes back to his and finding his brows raised.
Busted.
He looks completely smug, with a smile dancing on his lips.
“Where are you staying?” I ask.
He shakes his head. Then he looks at me with an unreadable expression. “I’m not taking you back to my hotel room like some…” Like what? Like some fleeting one-night stand? He shakes his head again. “No. That’s not an option tonight.”
I rub my eyes in frustration. Then I check the time. “Oh my gosh. I need to get my daughter anyway. How did it get so late?”
I meet his eyes and he looks bummed, but he doesn’t say anything. I know he understands.
“Can you give me one second?”
He nods, putting his hands in his pockets.
The phone rings twice before my dad answers.
“Hey, hun,” he says in greeting.
“Hey, dad. Sorry. I kind of lost track of time. How is she? Her blood sugar was good all night? I didn’t get any alerts…”
“Yep. All good. She uh…fell asleep on the couch early, though. Moved her to the bed already. Want to just leave her here for the night? We kinda prepped her for that possibility, anyway, hoping your date went well.” His tone turns teasing by the end.
“Sure, dad. Thanks. You’re the best.”
“Have funnn.” He sings the last word, and I roll my eyes. I’m picturing him on the other end with a feather boa still around his neck and possibly some glitter on his face. No one would ever guess he’s retired from the military.
“I will. Thanks again.”
I hang up and turn to face a very delicious looking Irish man. He still has his arms crossed, looking broody, but there’s a small, hopeful smile beginning to touch his lips.