Bare Skin (Skin Deep 5)

Chapter 10

Dani

I couldn’t believe my fucking ears. He really invited me and Kaden to stay with him, to live with him at his apartment. And I had only met him Thursday night. What kind of fucking psycho was he?

More to the point, what kind of fucking psycho was I, that I was actually tempted?

I turned him down. Of course I did. But damnit, he didn’t look convinced.

A fact that was confirmed when he reached across the car and wrapped his fingers around my wrist, pulling my hand over to his thigh. He carefully spread my fingers against his jeans-clad leg, lightly tracing each of them again and again with his fingertips, running down over the back of my hand and back up.

It was distracting. And calming. And sweet.

I watched him, my eyes tracking every movement of his body, whether it be the flexing of his thigh beneath my palm, the soft rise and fall of his chest with his breathing, the hypnotic movement of his hand…

And he watched me.

I cocked my head, his name falling softly from my lips.

He still kept moving his hand, still kept watching me; the only sign that he heard me was the slight quirk of the corner of his mouth.

“Calland,” I said again, my voice thready and low. “I need to go in. And what I said stands. I can’t come stay with you because I hardly know you, and because I have my own agenda that I need to stick to.” I took a deep breath before admitting, “It’s tempting. You’re tempting. I just can’t take a chance. Please understand.” My words were soft and pleading, begging him to understand, no matter how much I knew that he knew how much I wanted to give in.

He didn’t say anything, just kept watching me as I slid my hand out from under his and reached for the door.

He said my name then, and I paused with the door halfway open,

“I’m not giving up and just letting you walk away. You had a good day with my family. I know you enjoyed hanging out with them, and with me. Not to mention, you did just invite me up. Are you taking it back now?”

My jaw went slack, and I knew my mouth was gaping open. I tried to close it, tried to find words to answer him, but I couldn’t. My mouth opened and closed, and in the back of my mind, I was laughing at myself, imagining that I looked like a fish out of water.

Dumbfounded, and still not knowing how to answer, I simply shook my head.

He nodded once, said, “Alrighty, then,” and got out of the car. He had Kaden out of the backseat and was standing beside my door waiting for me by the time I finally shook off my stupor and got out of the car myself.

I followed him into the hotel and to the elevator, wondering how the hell I lost control of the situation…and if I really ever had it to begin with. Or wanted it.

Shortly after we got in the door, I managed to get Kaden’s diaper changed and him into his jammies without waking him up, and put him to bed while Calland sat on the end of the bed watching me.

When I was done, I went and stood in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest.

He looked up at me with a mischievous grin and I felt myself melting a little more, but I didn’t want him to know that.

“You don’t listen, do you.”

It was a statement, because there was no question to my mind. I was simply stating a fact.

He shook his head, a solemn look crossing his features. But there was still a devilish glint in his eyes.

He reached out and lightly clasped his hands on the backs of my thighs, tugging me closer to him. “Baby, you can talk ‘til you’re blue in the face and I’m gonna ignore you if you’re trying to get rid of me. I don’t care how temporary it is. I like you…and I’m pretty sure you like me, too.”

“Wow. Confident, are we?” I asked, but I didn’t step away from him. It didn’t go unnoticed by him, either, because his hands tightened infinitesimally on the backs of my thighs. “You’re making me second guess myself, and that’s not something that happens often. You should really respect my wishes, Calland.”

He pulled me a little bit closer. “I would if I knew you really meant what you said.”

I huffed, bracing my hands on his shoulders and pushing away. “I do mean what I said. I don’t think I should be getting involved with you. Doesn’t matter how long I’m going to be here, doesn’t matter how long we’ve known each other, it’s a bad idea.”

“Okay,” he said abruptly, standing and gently pushing me back at the same time, with his hands on my waist so I wouldn’t fall. “It’s a bad idea. And you mean what you said, so I guess that’s it. I’ll get out of your hair.”

He let go of me and stepped toward the door. Seemingly of its own accord, my hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.

“Wait!” I cried softly, so unsure of myself, so absolutely confused at what was happening. How the hell could I be so fucking wishy-washy when it came to him? I was giving myself whiplash with the speed at which I was changing my mind. Not to mention, I was probably annoying the fuck out of him with my hot and cold routine, but…hell, I was annoying myself. I stared at him, my eyes searching his face as my thoughts tumbled in a riotous mess until one singular phrase was all that was being repeated.

Fuck it.