She poked him in the chest. “Yes, you are.”
Leo started to speak, then paused and let out a huge breath. “Sorry. Damn, I’m just having one of those days.”
Amanda smiled and patted his cheek. “You can tell me all about it over a bowl of fettuccine.”
Finally she was graced with his smile. She loved Leo’s smiles. He was handsome no matter what with his dark tousled hair and sun-darkened skin. It didn’t hurt that he had a workingman’s body either. He was truly the stuff of fantasies. But when he smiled it brightened up a room.
“Sounds like a plan.” He grabbed keys from his front jeans pocket and locked up. “Have you, uh, talked to your mom yet?” he asked as they headed for his truck. Leo always insisted on driving, claiming her little Bug made him feel like he was trapped in a sardine can. Since he was six-foot-three, she supposed he had a point.
“About bringing my boyfriend along, you mean?”
“Yeah.”
He held the truck door for her. “I did. She can’t wait to meet you.” When she made an attempt to step up, her skirt hindered her progress.
“Here, let me help.”
Leo’s strong, warm hands closed around her waist and he lifted her in the air. He’d done it hundreds of times, but for some reason it felt different this time. More intimate. When he placed her on the bench seat their gazes clashed. Leo had the most amazing green eyes. She found herself unable to look away. “Thanks,” she murmured.
He didn’t move to shut the door. Merely stood there, staring at her…mouth, she realized. “You’re welcome,” he growled. Was he thinking about the kiss? Suddenly he stepped back and slammed the door. When he got in behind the wheel, Amanda stayed silent. No idea at all what to say, she surreptitiously peeked over at him. Her gaze landed unerringly on his thighs, then traveled upward to the fly of his jeans. And that’s when she knew the truth.
He was hard again. Hard for her. Oh, wow.
This is not real. We aren’t actually dating. Stop checking out his cock for crying out loud.
All the chastising wasn’t helping a damn bit though. The truth was there in plain sight. Leo had a hard-on for her. Why? Amanda wanted to ask. Be bold enough to simply blurt it out. They were friends, weren’t they? They’d known each other for years. They talked about everything. Well, everything except sex. And they were about to go away for the weekend.
They’d be together.
In the same cabin.
“You’re thinking it to death, aren’t you?”
The sound of Leo’s deep voice broke through her musings. “Huh?”
With both of his hands wrapped around the wheel, Leo spared her a quick glance. “Amanda, I can practically feel your panic. Why are you so worried about this?”
She turned in the seat so she could get a better look at him. Sure enough his cock was still a long, hard length beneath his jeans. She licked her lips. “It’s not that I’m worried.” He snorted, knowing her well enough to catch when she was covering. “Okay, I’m a little worried. This could end up being really weird for both of us. Beyond that, I’m not sure Mother will buy it. She’s very good at getting to the truth, especially with me. On the other hand, I’ve never been good at lying to her.”
“She won’t see through us.” Amanda stayed silent. Leo reached over and took her hand in his. The feel of his fingers, so big and warm, teased her senses. “I thought I proved to you on Wednesday that we could make it look plenty real.”
“As to that…” Amanda hesitated, unsure how to broach the topic of his erection.
His hand tightened. “Yeah?”
“You, um, got excited when you kissed me.” Amanda studiously kept her eyes on his face.
Leo cleared his throat and released her hand. He pushed his fingers through his hair, making a mess of the dark, shiny strands. Amanda had an urge to push her own fingers through Leo’s gorgeous hair. “Excited. Yeah, that’s one way to put it.”
She frowned. “Well, how would you put it?”
He made a left hand turn. “Turned on,” he bluntly stated. “Aroused. Hard as a damn rock. Ready to push you against the wall so I could get a better taste.”
Amanda’s face burned as an image of him doing exactly that filled her mind. The burn suddenly moved south and she couldn’t breathe, let alone reply.
Leo turned into the parking lot of one of their favorite Italian restaurants. He found a spot near the front and took it, then killed the engine. When he looked over at her, Amanda was hit with the full force of his arousal. She wasn’t the only one thinking naughty thoughts. That made her feel better. It also scared her. Leo was her friend. He was important to her. Tossing sex into the mix was sure to be a bad idea.
“I know. It’s crazy,” he said, as if reading her mind. “We’ve been friends so long that it feels…odd to suddenly be attracted to each other.” He reached out and took her hand again. This time he entwined their fingers, and Amanda felt a jolt of pleasure run up and down her spine. “I don’t want to run from this or pretend it’s not there. In fact, I’d like to see where it could go. Aren’t you a little curious?”