Sin City Baby

But it wasn’t Hollis who stood in front of me, it was Grant.

And he was shirtless.

I fumbled with the glass dish in my hand as my eyes fell to his chest. His wonderfully-chiseled chest that was decorated in tattoos. I couldn't pull my gaze from him. I was mesmerized, standing there like an idiot, my mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

He was beautiful, and his magnificence made me sway on my feet.

“I um—brought these for—”

My eyes slowly raked up to his face as I took him in, with his amber brown eyes and his thick brown hair swooped off to the side and perfectly set in place. The sides of his head were shaved, and his arms were bulging with muscles. He’d grown another couple inches since I’d last seen him, now standing over six feet tall and his shoulders were wide and sculpted. I closed my eyes and took a breath.

Holy hell.

I opened my eyes and saw Grant grinning. Shit. What was wrong with me? I looked down at the dish in my hands and shoved it into his body, watching as his hands curled around the offering.

“Just bringing that back to Hollis,” I said, finally finding my voice.

I turned on my heels quickly to make my way to my car, but his voice called out to me.

“You should come in and wait for him. He’ll be back in a little bit.”

My eyes fluttered closed as the tone of his voice danced along my skin. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck tickle with his breath. I heard him take a step toward me, his body heat radiating against my back. I kept my eyes closed, taking in the moment.

It was the closest I’d ever been to him. And I hated myself for loving it.

I nodded, but I didn’t move. I couldn't. I was paralyzed. Frozen in fear and want and lust and embarrassment. I could feel my cheeks tinting with regret. I felt him move as the pulsing of his breath grew closer, and soon his lips were hovering next to my ear.

I shuddered at the sensation.

“Are you coming?” Grant asked, his voice low and manly.

My knees almost buckled at his question.

I wanted to turn around, to push him into the house, and ravage him like I’d dreamed of doing for nearly nine damn years.

But I couldn't.

I had a boyfriend, and none of this was right.

“No,” I said breathlessly.

I forced myself to put one foot in front of the other and walk toward my car. I opened the door and looked up, finding Grant still standing in the doorway. His muscles glistened with beauty, like his car. His abs were separated with thick lines I wanted to trace with my tongue and his hips tapered into a “V” that disappeared below his waistband and pointed the way to the promised land.

I hopped in my car, cranked the engine, and took off like a bat out of hell. I couldn’t get away from him fast enough.

I pressed my thighs together to try to quell the ache that seeing Grant in the flesh had given me, but the pressure only made things worse. My panties were damp, and my heart was pounding in my ears. I was going to have to stay far away from Hollis’ until Grant was out of town if I didn’t want to look like a love-crazed teenaged idiot in front of him again.

I pulled into the lot and turned off the car, taking a few deep breaths while I tried to settle my racing pulse. I closed my eyes but all I saw behind my lids was Grant’s broad, tattooed chest, and the flood of warmth between my legs started all over again. Dammit, I needed to get ahold of myself.

I climbed out of my car and bolted up the stairs to my place. In my haze to shake Grant from my mind, I didn’t see Ike’s car in front of my apartment. In my want to get upstairs and take a cold shower to calm myself down, I didn’t even notice the door was already unlocked. I strode through the apartment and headed straight for my room, but a voice descended onto my ears.

“Where the hell were you?”

I whipped around and saw Ike standing in the hallway, his eyes raking up and down my form.

“Jesus Ike, you scared the shit out of me!” I said, my hand over my racing heart.

“Why were you expecting someone else?” he asked.