We continued to stand there and hug, quietly soaking in comfort from each other until she stirred as if waking from a lovely dream.

“Thank you so much for coming home.”

I brushed my fingers through her glossy dark hair. It was so silky soft. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “I was… I was worried you were busy. With a woman.”

Ah, fuck.

For a moment there, I’d forgotten about that. Forgotten what I was. I’d been so focused on her and this moment, real life seemed like a distant nightmare.

Returning to reality, I untangled my fingers from her hair. “No,” I muttered reluctantly. “I don’t get off work at the club until after eleven. I was still there.”

“Oh.” As I looked away, she continued, “Well, thank you anyway. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t calmed me down.”

I shifted backward, out of her arms, and into the cold loneliness where I belonged. “You handled it just fine.” Gruffly trying to get my head back in the game, where we could never be together, I added, “You found a safe place for her and got help. There’s not much else to do when she’s having an episode.”

I felt her watching me but I couldn’t meet her gaze. Not until she said, “I’ve missed you.”

I swerved her a shocked glance, trying to ignore the sudden accelerated beating of my heart. Mocking confusion, I shook my head slightly. “I haven’t gone anywhere.”

She wasn’t swayed. “You know what I mean,” she accused, crossing her arms over her chest and not letting me off the hook. “I thought we were friends.”

What? I shook my head. That accusation really did confuse me. “We are.”

“Oh, really?” She lifted an eyebrow. “Well, friends don’t avoid friends. You’ve been avoiding me. On purpose. I still sit at the exact same table every day for lunch. And we still keep getting calculus assignments to work on.”

“I know.” Dammit, now I felt like a heel. I’d been so determined to do what was right for her that I hadn’t even considered what she’d think about it all. “I know. I just…” Gritting my teeth, I squeezed the bridge of my nose and met her gaze. “We got a little too close that night. I still want to be your friend, Reese. I will be your friend. I just… I need some time and space to…” God, how did I explain this? How did I make it okay. “To control my…my horny guy urges,” I blurted.

Except I think I made it too okay with that explanation, because her face lit up, and she rushed toward me, so close that I stumbled backward away from her until my back hit the wall. But she didn’t stop there, she continued to lean in.

I drew in a sharp breath, not sure how to react. I wanted this. Fuck, yes, I wanted it. But I knew I should behave.

If she initiated it, though, that seemed like a whole different story; it felt as if it’d be okay to kiss her back if she kissed me first, or touch her back if she touched me first.

“Jesus,” I whispered when she stopped only an inch from my mouth, neither kissing nor touching me.

“So you thought we got too close, huh?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with interest, physically demonstrating just how much closer we could get.

I looked at her mouth, wanting it against mine. “Yes,” I breathed.

“I see. And you haven’t had enough time or space to control those pesky urges yet?”

I swallowed noisily. “Not…quite…yet.”

Damn, was she going to kiss me or not?

She cooed sympathetically. “Gee, I’m sorry to hear that.” She tapped my chin dimple. “Make sure to let me know when they’re gone, okay? I’m ready to have my friend back.”

I reached out—almost grabbed her by the hair and yanked her against me—only to clutch the edge of the kitchen counter for dear life. “You are so evil. If I didn’t like you so much, I’d take you right now.”

Oh, God. What had I just said? I hadn’t planned on saying that.

Holding my breath, I waited for her to slap me and call me an ass.

But the only response I got was the lifting of her eyebrows, as if she were curious. “Really?” she said, interested. “How?”

Heat covered me from head to toe, the hottest part settling in my shorts. “Probably hard and fast against this wall.”

Tags: Linda Kage Forbidden Men Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net