Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Arizona
I had just finished a 5K run on the treadmill when Jameson walked into the gym at work, clad in only a pair of black gym shorts and sneakers. Ever since I’d lowered my walls around him and allowed him to see me at my most vulnerable, he had been nothing short of respectful, never taking things further than kissing whenever we were together. Aside from his undeniably rugged good looks, it was an entirely different type of turn-on that made me weak in the legs and ache for his touch.
“There’s my girl,” Jameson called out.
I looked over my shoulder, pretending to look for another girl before meeting his heated stare. “Who me?” I teased, with my hand tapping against my chest.
He closed the distance between us with a confident swagger that raised the room’s temperature by several degrees.
“Have I not made myself perfectly clear, Ari? You’re the only girl I see,” he said, wrapping a possessive arm around my back while his other hand slid up my neck, his thumb brushing across my lower lip. “The only one I want.”
“Remind me,” slipped past my lips as he captured my mouth with his.
No one had ever kissed me the way Jameson did.
It was an all-encompassing experience—half slow, sensual, yet greedy for more. It was a kiss deeply rooted in passion and intertwined with our primal desire for each other.
It was inexplicable how I’d denied his existence for so long. Being with him felt like the most natural thing in the world, and while I wanted nothing more than to savor the moment and lose myself to him, regrettably, we were at work.
“Jameson.” I stepped back, already missing the searing claim behind his kiss. “Not here, not where anyone could walk in and see us.”
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve struggled to keep my hands to myself here at work?”
“I’ve got an idea.” I teasingly winked.
“And now that I’ve had a taste, how can I be expected to keep my distance.” His tone was one of pleading and desperation.
“That sounds like a you problem.” It really wasn’t since I echoed his feelings.
“Are you saying you aren’t as equally affected right now?” The way his eyes searched mine with yearning had me nearly giving in.
“Not at all, but this is still new and?—”
“Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Ari. There’s no end for us, and if we catch any heat, I’ll deal with it.”
“Let’s just try to keep things as professional as possible when inside these walls, okay?”
“Then I might need to request you wear more clothes in here.”
I looked down at my attire, not seeing the problem since I’d always worn it when working out. “You have a problem with my sports bra and shorts?” I batted my eyelashes.
“Yes, because the padding in your top,” he ran his finger under the strap, “isn’t hiding just how turned on you are.”
“Neither are your shorts.” My eyes leisurely followed the planes of his perfectly sculpted torso, down to where the dark dusting of hair under his navel disappeared beneath his black shorts that left little to the imagination as he shamelessly adjusted himself.
“Keep biting on that lip of yours, and I’m going to throw you over my shoulder, lock the door, and take you to the showers.”
I gasped. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wanna try me.”
“Trust me, I’m tempted,” I admitted, my body teetering on the precipice; one more naughty suggestion, and I was going to combust in an inferno of flames that only he had the power to ignite. “But we have to wait. We’ve got only,” I quickly checked my Apple watch, “an hour and a half before our shift ends.”
“Then, after our dinner, all bets are off.”
“I’m counting on it.”