“I’m at home.”
“Is that a yes?” She didn’t answer right away, and my heart slammed against my chest. “I’d love to see you.”
“Okay. Yeah. I’ll be ready.”
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
We hung up, and I hurried to get out of my sweats and into a pair of jeans and a soft t-shirt before bundling into my winter coat and heading for my truck. Twenty minutes later, I pulled up out front and before I could get the driver’s side door open, Shelby was on her parent's front porch. She pulled the door closed behind her and came down the walkway. I leaned across and pushed the passenger door open for her, and she climbed inside. Her hair was down in long waves, trapped under the collar of her coat. Her face was rosy from running through the brisk air, and a few snowflakes glistened from where they’d landed on her face.
“Hi,” she said, her voice a breathy whisper as she turned toward me.
“Hey.” Without waiting, I reached for her and stole a kiss. She melted into me, and her warmth rushed over my skin. It felt so good to hold her, even if there were far too many layers of clothing between us. “I’m so sorry about yesterday,” I said once we parted. I kept a hold of her waist with one hand while the other went to wipe a trace of wet snow from her cheek. “The holidays are kind of rough for me. You and your family did nothing wrong. I had a really good time.”
Shelby gave a slight nod, her eyes fluttering down as she looked at her lap for a minute. “I don’t want to pry or anything, but just know that you can trust me, and whenever you’re ready to talk, I’ll be here to listen.”
I tipped her chin back up, bringing those chocolate brown eyes back to mine. “Thank you.”
She kissed me and the intensity went through the roof, as though a barrier between us had been broken and we could get closer, touch more, feel more. I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. I needed more. I wanted to taste her skin, explore every inch of her body, and make her cry out my name.
Shelby pulled away, her breathing ragged as she dragged her fingers through her hair. “Whew. Okay, let’s maybe go somewhere where my parents can’t see us making out like crazy high schoolers.”
I laughed and put the truck in drive. “Buckle up, baby.”
She giggled and clicked her seatbelt in place as I pulled away from the curb.
12
Shelby
There were still a swarm of questions floating around my mind, but there was an overwhelming urge—a need—that spoke louder than the unknown. I wanted Ross. In every meaning of the word. I wanted to be in his arms, in his bed, to give him my body for the night.
Hell, maybe even forever.
I wanted to know every little thing about him, to see inside the deep, shadowed places that he kept close to his chest. I was willing to wait for those things to be uncovered, but I could no longer ignore the ache I had for him.
Ross kept one hand on my knee and one hand on the wheel and every minute we drove made me more antsy. I glanced down at his large, strong hand as it rested against my leg and remembered what Maggie said at Christmas dinner. “Big hands, big feet…”
I wished he would drag that hand up my thigh. Every nerve ending was on high alert, tuned into Ross’s every move, glance, and flicker behind his stormy eyes. The more aware of him I became, the wetter I got. The pressure deep inside was building to unbearable heights and we were barely touching. I knew when we were finally alone, there would be no resisting the undeniable pull between us.
He turned into an underground lot in the heart of downtown, not all that far from the stadium. I recognized the building above the lot, although I’d never been inside of it. After he pulled into a marked parking spot, we got out of his truck and doubled back toward the elevator. He reached for me and wrapped his arm around my waist, one hand resting naturally on my hip. His touch was so casual, comfortable like a well-worn pair of jeans, but he still managed to light me on fire and spin my head with possibilities. Without saying a word, Ross unearthed my buried fantasies and wants.
Or should I say needs?
Inside the elevator, he tugged me even closer against him after hitting the button for the twenty-seventh floor. The elevator rose smoothly, and I savored every moment wrapped in his strong arms. I still felt like I was watching someone else’s life through their eyes. It was almost like some kind of trippy out-of-body experience. As though it wasn’t really me in Ross’s eyes, but some other sexy, sultry, more confident version of me.