Chapter 12 - Carissa
~
Carissa
Henry was moving ahead toward the next cluster of games, and Boone fell in step beside me, his shoulder brushing mine.
“How’s your aim?” he asked, nodding toward the zombie shooter. His tone had that easy confidence he always carried, like he knew I’d either nail it or flail spectacularly and he’d get to laugh either way.
I snorted. “Better than yours, probably. But let’s test it, shall we?”
He grinned, long and lazy, and looped an arm around my waist as we reached the game. “I’ll be your partner in crime. Just don’t shoot me in the crossfire.”
We slipped in front of the game, the arcade noise bouncing off the walls, lights flickering over faces, over buttons and joysticks.
Boone moved close behind me, his hands resting lightly on my hips, steadying me as I gripped the joystick.
I felt the weight of him, the warmth of his body pressing against mine.
My heart decided that was the perfect time to start racing.
I tried to focus on the clattering zombies on the screen, on the shrieks of pixelated danger, but I couldn’t stop sneaking glances at him.
The lights from the machine traced the line of his jaw, highlighted the faint shadow of stubble along his cheek, and I realized my pulse had picked up without warning.
He bent slightly, murmuring a direction about a zombie coming from the side, his breath brushing the back of my neck.
My stomach fluttered, nerves tangled with something hotter and sharper that I didn’t want to name.
When he touched the small of my back to get me in position, I stiffened for half a second, thinking that was it.
That was the line. But then Boone pressed in closer from behind, arms sliding around my waist to guide the joystick in unison.
I froze, caught in the press of him, the closeness of his chest, the solid heat of him so near.
My hands clenched the controller tighter, not that it helped me focus, and I turned my head just a fraction.
Our eyes met. Just for a beat. I caught the curve of his lips, the angle of his nose, and the dark pull of his gaze.
My thoughts scattered, a riot of disbelief and longing.
Every rational part of my brain screamed that this was insane.
Every irrational part of me didn’t want to move, didn’t want to break the spell.
Boone’s fingers brushed mine against the joystick, and a spark ran straight through me, a whisper of electricity.
I could feel him shift slightly behind me, the pressure of his body teasing, coaxing. My breath hitched without my permission. I wanted to turn fully and close the distance, to feel that smirk pressed to my own lips. My pulse was a drum, loud enough I was sure he could hear it.
“Are you blushing, McCabe?” His voice, low and amused, sliced right through the tension.
I froze, mortified and self-conscious, heat flaring across my face. My brain refused to cooperate. I mumbled something incoherent, aware of how ridiculous I must look, all while he stayed close enough to feel every subtle movement, every twitch of my shoulder.
And then Henry’s little voice broke the spell. “Carissa, I’m sleepy.”
The kid appeared at my side, rubbing his eyes, his excitement replaced with exhaustion.
Boone straightened immediately, letting go of my waist with a grin that didn’t quite soften the teasing glint in his eyes.
I exhaled, trying to calm the sudden chaos of sensation inside me, while Henry clambered into my arms with a yawn.
Boone nudged me lightly with his elbow. “Duty calls.”
He knew exactly what he’d just done to me, and he wasn’t sorry. I huffed and glanced at him, my heart still hammering, aware that for a few minutes we had been closer than we probably should have been.
I shifted Henry in my arms, trying to keep him upright without crushing him. “I think we should probably head back to the hotel.”
He raised a brow, that lazy, amused lift that made my stomach tighten. “Hotel, huh?”
I hugged Henry a little closer, pretending to look down at him, but there was no mistaking the look in Boone’s eyes. This wasn’t the end of our night together. Not even close.
*
I eased the door shut behind me, careful with the latch. The hallway lights felt brighter after the quiet of Henry’s room. Boone stood a few feet away, hands in his pockets, waiting like he’d been holding that spot for a while.
“He’s out like a light.”
The words came with a tired exhale I couldn’t stop. It settled into my bones now that I wasn’t running on adrenaline anymore. Boone’s mouth tipped into a small smile, the kind that never quite reached casual.
“And the other two are still AWOL.”
Something shifted between us. A stretch of silence that was saying so much it caused a ringing in my ears. My shoulders stayed still, but warmth crept up the back of my neck anyway. Boone didn’t break eye contact, and the hallway felt too narrow all of a sudden.
The quiet said more than either of us did.
“I could actually use a dip in the hot tub,” he said at last. “Wanna join me?”
My first instinct was to deflect. Make a joke. Step sideways out of it. Every rule I’d been following all night lined up in my head, neat and responsible.
Then there was the way he was looking at me.
I let a second pass. Maybe two.
“Sure,” I said. “I think it’s called for after the night we’ve had.”
His smile changed into something more along the lines of what I’d seen at the arcade, and it sent my heart racing.
“I’ll meet you down there.”
I nodded, already feeling the decision ripple through me as I turned back toward my room. Tired, yes. Wired, too. My pulse refused to settle as I reached for the door, the promise of hot water and Boone waiting just ahead.
By the time I stepped onto the hot tub terrace, my nerves were humming.
The night air brushed cool against my bare legs as I clutched my robe closed with both hands, fingers gripping the tie like it might loosen on its own if I wasn’t careful.
My eyes flicked instinctively to the far corners of the terrace, the empty lounge chairs, the darkened pool beyond.
No one.
Just steam curling lazily into the night and Boone.
He was sitting on the edge of the hot tub, shorts riding low on his hips, all bronzed skin and muscle caught in the soft glow of the terrace lights.
Broad shoulders. Thick thighs. A chest that looked carved rather than built, rising and falling slow and unbothered.
One arm braced behind him, the other resting on his knee, and that mouth.
That crooked, knowing smirk that did things to my bloodstream it had no business doing.
My feet stalled.
He glanced up like he’d felt my stare, and the smirk deepened.
I was still there, still frozen, when he slid off the edge and sank into the water just as I reached the lip of the tub.
It climbed up his torso, swallowing muscle inch by inch until it lapped at his chest. He sighed, long and indulgent, and dragged his hands through his hair, slicking it back before giving his head a quick shake that sent cool droplets arcing through the steam.
They hit my skin and I sucked in a breath.
Boone looked up at me then, hair sticking out in every direction, water beading along his shoulders, eyes bright and intent.
“You just gonna stand there all night?”
The way his gaze traveled made my fingers tighten on the robe without me meaning to. Slow. Thorough. Unapologetic. Heat pooled low in my belly and I didn’t move, didn’t trust my voice.
A beat passed. Maybe two.
“Come on, McCabe,” he said lightly. “If you get to ogle me, it’s only fair I get to ogle right back.”
A small laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it, breathy and a little frayed. “You’re not helping.”
His expression shifted. The humor didn’t leave, but something sharper slid underneath it.
“Oh, you want my help?”
He stood in one smooth motion and suddenly he was right there, close enough that the steam between us felt charged.
My brain barely had time to register movement before his hands were at my waist, fingers finding the flimsy tie of my robe.
His eyes never left mine as he worked the knot loose, quick and practiced, until it came apart under his touch.
The robe parted.
He nudged it from my shoulders, slow, deliberate, letting it slide down my arms and fall in a soft heap at my feet.
The night air kissed my skin everywhere it hadn’t a second ago, cool and startling and electric.
I sucked in a breath, chest lifting, and his eyes followed the motion without shame, without restraint.
Hunger darkened his gaze as it traced over me, lingering at my chest. His tongue slipped out to wet his lips like he wasn’t even trying to hide it, like he wanted me to see exactly what I was doing to him.
My throat worked as I swallowed, heat racing through me in a way that had nothing to do with the steam rising around us.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Boone blinked, a faint huff of laughter escaping him like he was reining himself in. “Now for the easy part.”
He took my hand, warm and solid, and guided me into the hot tub after him.
The water wrapped around my calves, my thighs, my hips, heat sinking deep into muscles I hadn’t realized were aching until they started to loosen.
I sank lower, a quiet sound leaving me as the warmth spread, soothing and heavy.
Somehow, despite it, my nipples tightened instantly, painfully aware of the cool air above the waterline and the man beside me.
I angled instinctively to sit across from him, to put some space between us, but his arm slid around my waist and tugged me sideways before I could settle.
My body bumped into his, hip to thigh, skin to skin beneath the water.
I went still, breath catching, acutely aware of how close he was, how easily his arm fit there like it belonged.
Boone didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to.