“Katie.” My name tumbles from his full lips in a rush. “Jesus, Katie.”
I struggle to even my breathing with his forehead pressed against mine.
“That was…shit…that was fucking amazing.” He huffs out a deep laugh. “You do things to me.”
I feel it.
I know he’s hard as stone beneath his pants.
His erection is pressed against me, taunting me, teasing me.
I curse inwardly. I can’t think about us in bed together.
I step back, instantly feeling bereft when his hands drop to his sides.
He stares at me, watching my fingers as they strum over my lips.
“You felt that,” he accuses with a cocky smile. “You felt what I felt.”
I shake my head a little too vigorously. “No. I didn’t.”
His gaze lands on the front of my blouse. “Your body says otherwise.”
I know my nipples have peaked into hard points. I cross my arms over my chest. “We shouldn’t have done that.”
“We needed to do that,” he counters. “You can’t tell me that you don’t want me still.”
I can. I should, but it would be a lie.
The man broke my heart, but he still knows how to awaken something inside of me. The longing for his touch is real.
I glance at the door to the café. “I have to go.”
“Home?” he asks, lowering his voice. “Are you going home?”
“I’m going somewhere,” I answer because I need to talk to Tilly or Olivia.
Tilly will tell me to jump back into bed with Gage. Olivia will offer a more cautious opinion about guarding my heart.
I don’t know what piece of advice I need more right now.
“You’ll have dinner with me soon,” he says with a tilt of his head. “You still love shrimp scampi, don’t you?”
I ignore everything he just said as I fish in my purse for my phone. Once it’s in my palm, I hold it to my chest as if it contains all the answers to the questions racing through me.
Gage nods his chin toward my phone. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
I don’t say anything. I turn, stumble my first step and then head straight for the door as I type out a three-word text message with my shaking hands.
Kate: I kissed him.
***
“Tell me everything.” Tilly smiles as she tucks my hair behind my shoulder. “You look flushed. Is that from kissing Gage or did you run all the way here from Palla’s?”
I glance around the vet clinic. The waiting room is packed with dogs, cats, two birds, and at least a dozen people.
I run a hand over my forehead. “You’re busy. I can wait. We can talk about this when you’re done work.”