Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92848 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
I’ve never been prouder of anyone in my life.
Chilled night air wafts over us as we’re swallowed up by the darkness. When the Corvette comes into sight, I click the locks before opening the passenger side door and hustling her inside the vehicle. Only then do my muscles loosen.
After rounding the hood, I slip in beside her and punch the ignition button. That’s all it takes for the sleek sports car to roar to life. And then we’re zipping out of the crowded parking lot and onto the street before heading toward campus. Carina relaxes against the plush leather as alt rock fills the cabin. Even though my gaze is trained on the ribbon of road beyond the windshield, I couldn’t be more aware of her presence.
It just feels right.
Like she belongs here with me.
My gaze flickers to the short sparkly dress and the way it rides up her thigh. A couple of inches more and I’d be able to glimpse her panties.
Fuck.
Even the thought makes me pop wood.
Her long legs are toned and muscular. I can’t imagine what they’d feel like wrapped around my waist as I drive deep inside the welcoming heat of her body.
Or maybe I can and that’s always been the problem.
Because I shouldn’t be.
She’s always been off-limits.
Before I realize it, my hand settles on her bare leg, the fingers wrapping possessively around it, sinking into the warm flesh. When she glances at me, I wonder if I’ve made a tactical error, and she’ll knock it away.
A heartbeat passes.
Then another.
Tension gradually leaks from my body when that doesn’t happen. Instead, her thighs part ever so slightly. It’s so damn tempting to slide my fingers upward, yank her panties to the side and bury my fingers in her tight heat.
It doesn’t take long before I’m swinging into the parking lot of our building and cutting the engine. When I shift, I find her steady gaze already pinned to mine. Even in the darkness, it feels like I could drown in her liquid blue-gray depths. The way she stares, studying me as if she sees way more than I’m comfortable with. More than what I project to the outside world. Even my teammates, who I consider brothers, don’t know me the way this girl does.
There’s something about that undeniable truth that both calms and terrifies the hell out of me.
“Be honest. Did you go to Blue Vibe looking for a hookup?”
There’s a moment of silence. “No. I just wanted to dance and have fun.”
Everything loosens within me. “Good.”
I fucking hate the idea of anyone else touching her.
Touching what belongs to me.
Her gaze dips to my lips as she angles her body toward mine before pressing closer. The moment our mouths brush, electricity hums through every cell of my being, making me feel more alive than anything else ever has.
Even hockey.
It wouldn’t take much for this fire to burn out of control.
I pull away just enough to say, “We should probably head inside.”
She blinks in surprise before narrowing her eyes. “Know what I think?” She doesn’t give me a chance to reply before answering her own question. “That you’re deliberately trying to torture me.”
I huff out a laugh. The idea that I turn her on or could drive her so crazy is hilarious.
Her brows pinch together when she realizes that I’m serious. “Why can’t we just take care of business?”
“Business, huh? Is that what this is?”
“Aren’t you the one who said this would be a friends-with-benefits situation?”
That’s exactly what I said.
Instead of acknowledging the truth, I volley the question back at her. “And I believe you’re the one who said it was more of a frenemies-with-benefits kind of thing.”
She slants a brow. “Well, isn’t it?”
Maybe she considers me a frenemy, but that’s never been the case for me. Pushing her away and keeping her at a distance was the only way to cope with the loss of her.
“I don’t think so.”
Before she can ask any more questions, I exit the vehicle. She does the same and we meet on the sidewalk before heading to the entrance of the building. When she wobbles in her sky-high heels, I slip my arm around her. I’ll latch onto the flimsiest of excuses to keep her close. There’s something about the feel of her willowy form pressed against me that just feels right.
Silence descends as we take the elevator to the third floor. Every second that ticks by has the sexual tension intensifying until it feels as if it’ll blow us both to bits. When the doors finally slide open, I steer her into the hallway.
The place is surprisingly quiet for a Friday night.
When we arrive at her door, she pulls out the key from her purse before slipping it into the lock and twisting the handle. Instead of heading to my own apartment, I trail in after her. It’s like there’s an invisible string connecting us to one another. After all these years, I’ve never found a way to snip it. I don’t know if that’s even possible or if I’ll be tethered to her forever.