Goodbye to You (17 page)

Losing sleep may be the price I pay, but I don’t care.

She’s worth losing hours of sleep.

I open the door for her, holding her hand. She doesn’t need help to get into the compact hybrid, but I’ll use any excuse to touch her.

I close the door and can still smell her. Her raspberry and baby powder scent is clinging to my clothes from our contact on the lane and in the seats.

The bulge in my pants reappears.

Patience, man.

Time to take her home and then go back to my place.

Despite the growing want, no, need, to hold her in my arms and not let her go.

Our time together in Key West was like a countdown timer. Every minute meant one less to spend together, and we had to make the most of those precious moments.

Since we’re both here in the same place, time is unlimited. We can savor each moment to its fullest.

I touch her leg as I drive, my fingers slipping through the opening in the skirt to caress the tender skin at her knee.

She sighs, her breath whooshing out in a sweet invitation for me to do more.

I grit my teeth, hungry for all of her, but I want to prove I’m not out for a fling or a “friends with benefits” situation.

I want to be much more than friends.

She whimpers when I put my hand back on the wheel and drive to her apartment. She lives in a guest house attached to the back of one of the gingerbread Victorian homes lining Douglas Street.

The gravel on the drive crackles under my tires. I put the car in park and cut the engine.

We walk to her door hand in hand, the current between us running the length of my arm.

She bites her lip and stares at me from under her long eyelashes.

I gulp.

“Wanna come in?” She taps on the door with her knuckles, so I understand what she means.

I clear my throat. “I want to. But I think we should go slow.”

Her shoulders slump and her smile fades.

I explain, “I want—”

I lean into her and grip her hips in my hands.

“—this.” I slide one hand to her side, grazing the side of her breast with my fingertips before cradling her head, the once-neat style unraveling in between my fingers.

“I need this,” I whisper as I lay my other hand flat on her chest, her heartbeat strong and erratic under my palm.

I shift my arm and pull her in tight.

Her curves mold against me like she was made
for
me.

My own heartbeat accelerates.

I ache to taste her, so I give in.

The faint hint of bitter bowling alley beer does nothing to taint the sweetness of her kiss. Her tongue, hot and wet, strokes my lip, making promises of what’s in store should I come in, tonight or later.

Soon.

I press her back into the door, bracing my arms on both sides of her shoulder as I plunder her mouth, exploring the dark recesses with my tongue. My head says, “slow,” but my hands, mouth, and heavy erection shout “go.”

I’m close to giving in, picking her up and kicking in her door and taking her on her living room floor.

She rubs against me, whimpering and tapping her fists against my back like she wouldn’t object to this plan.

I’m about to execute said plan when the door opens and Thea topples inside, pulling me with her.

I look up, squinting in the dark, and a high-pitched voice exclaims, “Holy shit, Thea, it’s your vacation fuck buddy!”

Bennie, Thea’s friend from Key West, is standing over us gaping.

Mood. Killed.

Shay rolls off me and offers an arm to help me up from the floor. I accept and whisper loudly, “Bennie, first, be quiet. Mrs. Kemp is hard of hearing, but your voice could wake the dead.”

I straighten my dress, which had been pushed askew by either Shay’s hands or our fall through the door—or both. “Second, what the hell are you doing here? I thought you were headed to the beach with Enrique this weekend.”

Both she and Leesh have spare keys to be used in emergencies.
Only
emergencies. I didn’t see her car out front. She must have parked the bright blue convertible around the corner.

I flip the switch to the overhead light, and we all blink, adjusting from the darkness.

“We were until I grabbed his laptop to pull up our reservations while he was in the shower and found this . . .” She pulls her phone out, unlocks the screen, and holds the evidence under my nose. On the display is an e-mail she forwarded from Enrique’s account to her own, a message from another woman propositioning Bennie’s boyfriend. Not good.

I shake my head, hand the phone back to her, and turn to Shay, mortified. He tucks his shirt back into his pants. Did I pull it out earlier? I mouth “Sorry” at him.

“Shay, you remember Bennie.”

He extends his hand and nods sharply.

“Hey.” Bennie casts her gaze to the floor. “Sorry. I heard something at the door . . .”

Yes, us rubbing against it.

“I thought you couldn’t find your key. I would never have opened the door if I’d known. Honest. I’m sorry.”

Shay hitches his thumb at the door. “I’m going to go.”

I put my hand on his chest, hoping to hold him at bay while I figure out what to do with Bennie.

He shakes his head and presses his warm lips to my cheek. “You should be with her. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I close the door behind me, my eyes shooting daggers at Bennie again, who barely contains her mirth.

Her flippy black hair is bobbing against her face as she shakes her head. “Oh my God, I am sorry. My timing sucks in a major way, huh? And where the hell did the Key West cutie come from? Did you answer his phone calls? Tell him where you were? What did I tell you about vacation-sex friends?”

“Never fall for them,” I say.

“Never fall for them,” she says at the same time.

“Jinx!” I call out.

We dissolve into laughter, and she follows me into the kitchen, where I pull two beers from the fridge and twist off the caps, handing her one.

“Yeah, the whole ‘never fall for them’ thing was shot the first night I met him.”

She sips and swallows, tipping her bottle in my direction. “When he took you out on the boat and showed you the stars and shit?” She gags, pretending she hates those types of romantic gestures. I think she’s never dated the kind of guy inclined to do such things.

I shove at her shoulder and push her to the couch, kicking off my shoes and falling on the other end.

“Yes, when he took me out for an incredibly romantic night on the water. Stars and stories and sweet, innocent touching,” I say to incite her, and she faux-gags so violently I’m afraid she’ll vomit.

“I can’t believe it took a few more nights to get into his pants. You never did spill. How big is his . . .”

“I am not telling you. You forget I am a proper Southern lady. We never kiss and tell.” I grin. This is driving her mad.

“Proper. Ha.” She snorts. “Proper, like dry-humping a hot guy on your stoop?”

My face heats up. The neighbors could have seen everything. Oh God!

“We were trying to bring the action inside, but as you know, we were rudely interrupted.”

Bennie stares silently at her beer bottle before taking another swig.

“Are you going to break it off with Enrique this time?”

She shakes her head and mumbles, “I don’t know.”

“What’s going on, Bennie? This is the second time you’ve caught Enrique doing
something
. Why are you sticking around?”

“Good sex? The man’s tongue is masterful.”

I give her another dose of the stink-eye.

“I don’t know, okay?” She jumps off the couch and paces, wearing a path in the carpet. “Nothing better going on, I guess.”

I get up and hug her, stopping her in her tracks. “You deserve more.”

“I can change him. If he loves me, he’ll change for me. Right?”

“Oh sweetie.” I squeeze her tighter as she sobs into my hair.

I’m sad for her because I know she’ll take him back, and he’ll hurt her again and again until she gets fed up.

I let her cry it out on my shoulder, retrieve a pillow and blanket for her, and she falls asleep in no time.

Her beautiful face is softened by sleep, and I brush her thick hair out of her eyes before I turn off the light.

I will pray for her to find real love with someone who will never break her heart.

Someone like Shay.

I remember I harbor a gigantic secret that might break his heart.

And mine when he walks away forever.

I’ve never been in so many embarrassing sexual situations until I met Thea.

The stupid smile plastered on my face says I don’t care.

What a freaking unbelievable night.

I haven’t laughed this much in a long time even if she kicked my butt bowling.

I’ll find something I can beat her at, or at least have fun trying to beat her.

It’s best Bennie interrupted us. I intend to give the whole “taking things slow” a shot, and the closeness of her, all soft hair and sweet skin and delicious lips, spins me out of control.