Chapter Ten
Shayna’s heart was a bass drum in her chest as Billy parked his car around the corner from their place. The whole car ride home, they’d made small talk about dinner and laughed about Billy’s friends and teased about the great cheesecake incident. On the surface, it all seemed like normal conversation.
But the car was absolutely vibrating with an underlying tension that had her body on edge and her mind racing.
It wasn’t just some warm and fuzzies from the one glass of wine she’d had, either. While Billy seemed relaxed, his fist kept squeezing around the steering wheel. Sitting at red lights, he cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. And when she sneaked glances at him, she noticed that his jaw ticked.
Once, he caught her looking, and the answering heat in his eyes appeared nothing short of hungry.
“I’ll grab our bags from the trunk.” He pushed out of the driver’s seat.
“Okay,” Shayna said, reaching down for her purse—which was when she noticed that it’d fallen over and a few things had spilled out. “Shit.” She gathered the loose lipsticks and pens up, then felt around with her hand in the darkness to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.
Next to her, the car door opened.
“You okay there?” Billy asked, his big body filling the breach.
She laughed. “Just dropped something.” He held out his hand and helped her out. “Very chivalrous of you, Mr. Parrish. Unlike your earlier hoarding of the cheesecake.” They both stepped aside to allow him to close the door, which had the unintended consequence of him damn near pinning her to the rear door.
Standing almost chest to chest, their gazes collided. And if Shayna’s heart had beat hard before, now it downright pounded. Especially as his gaze ran over her face.
“I’m glad you were there today. With me. At fight club and after.”
“Me, too.” Shay hoped her voice didn’t sound as breathy to him as it did to her own ears.
“You have a knack for making things fun.” It was a sweet thing to say, and Shayna wasn’t sure how to reply. But she couldn’t have even if she’d had the words, because just then he tucked a few of her curls behind her ear. And then a second time when one sprung free again. Goosebumps rushed down her neck, sending a shiver through her whole body.
“I enjoyed your friends,” she finally said.
His eyebrow arched. “Just my friends?”
Her stomach went on a loop-the-loop even as she batted her eyelashes and played coy. Because she still couldn’t read the situation between them and it was driving her crazy. “Am I forgetting someone?”
Billy smirked and shook his head. On a rueful laugh, he stepped back, both of their gym bags in his hand. “Come on, let’s go in.”
She reached out a hand for her bag. “I can take that.”
“It’s no problem.”
Not saying another word, they walked side by side around the corner. Down their street. Up his sidewalk. Billy unlocked the door and gestured for her to go first. She hit the lights for the living room, and he dropped their bags onto the living room floor next to the door.
She turned and frowned, because it wasn’t like him to—
Billy’s hands were suddenly in her hair and his forehead was against hers. “You drive me fucking crazy, Shayna.”
“I-I do?” she asked, totally caught off guard but nearly euphoric at his words. “Good crazy, o-or—”
He nodded. “Good crazy. Even though, fuck. I should resist wanting you. I know I should.”
“No, no you shouldn’t,” she said, nearly breathless. “Why should you?”
His eyes were dark fire as they bore into hers. “You’re just starting out in life. Everything ahead of you, full of possibilities. But me…I’m a busted, used-up soldier without an army or a war. And I’m supposed to be looking out for you, not taking advantage of you.”
Shayna didn’t know what to respond to first. She hated that he saw himself that way. Shaking her head, she grasped at his wrists, holding him to her. “We had that conversation already. You can’t take advantage of someone who wants what you’re doing. And I…I do. God, you have to know how much I crushed on you when I was younger. Living with you has only made that stronger, Billy. Nothing about you looks busted or used-up to me. Nothing at all.”
He came closer, close enough that they touched everywhere, and he searched her eyes. “Ryan wouldn’t approve of this, of me.”
The closeness made it clear just how turned on he was, and the demanding press of his erection against her belly nearly stole her breath. “Ryan doesn’t get a say…” Her words trailed off, because as much as she believed them in this moment, they resurrected a memory she didn’t want to recall.