Page 5 of Master Debater

Given we’d just met, and she’d obviously had a day, I shoved my dirty thoughts aside for later, cleared my throat, and took the washcloth from her. Gently, I dabbed at the scrapes before blowing cool air across them.

I intended for it to be soothing, and while I hoped the fluttering of her eyelashes meant I’d been successful, the way her nipples peaked beneath the thin fabric of her tank top caused my pants to grow that much tighter. I’d always been a boobs man, and Willa’s were the kind wet dreams were made of—so rounded and full that her bra and shirt could hardly contain them.

My fingers twitched with the desire to fill my hands with them. Save videos made for the explicit purpose of titillation, I didn’t normally have such a strong reaction to a woman I’d just laid eyes on.

Admittedly, the fact that she obviously went to great lengths to keep herself satisfied steered my thoughts down that road. In addition to her hourglass figure, I’d gotten a glimpse of her wit, and that was a hell of a turn-on too. If I were a lesser man, I’d make a lame excuse about how I’d been neglecting my sex life as of late, but this woman could awaken a monk’s libido.

My movements clicked into autopilot mode as I finished cleaning out the cuts and slathered on Neosporin. I carefully placed the biggest Band-Aid I could find on one knee, and as I finished up with the other, her big green eyes met mine.

“There you go. All patched up.” My heart thundered in my chest as I braced a palm on the edge of the tub and pushed to my knees.

Did she lean closer, or was that my imagination?

The shrill ring of my phone burst through the silence, shattering the moment we might or might not have been on our way to sharing, and I tried to tell myself it was for the best. Between my current caseload and the sands of time running out on accomplishing one of my loftiest goals, the last thing I had time for was a dalliance, which had inevitably become too complicated due to our forced proximity.

“Excuse me,” I said, lifting a finger and answering the call from Jameson. Before he even spoke, I knew he’d scold me for being late, but this time, I had a damn good reason—a curvaceous one at that. “Hey, I?—”

“How many times do I have to tell you that Kat doesn’t hate you. If anything, she blames me for that whole NDA situation. She knows you were just being your usual, cynical self, thanks to your history with your uncles.”

“Jesus Christ, is there nothing you don’t tell your girlfriend?” Never mind the fact that I’d just been thinking jaded thoughts about how crossing lines with my next door neighbor would end in disaster, no matter what. I liked to call that common sense, combined with too much experience with people. Everyone was always looking out for number one, and nothing exemplified that better than the situation with my “uncles.” I redirected, my go-to move both in and out of court. “Haven’t you ever heard of the sacred brotherhood bond?”

“Haven’t you ever heard of an hour that doesn’t have to be billable?”

“Easy for someone who’s already a renowned CEO to say. Now, hand the phone over to Kat. I’m going to tell her about how you once jumped your motorcycle over the space between two buildings, just to win a bet.” Silence met the words, and I let out an exaggerated exhale. “Wow. You really do tell her everything. Does she know what the bet was over?”

This silence was tenser, a no instead of a yes.

“Look, I was on my way, I swear. But then I ran into my new neighbor.” I glanced toward Willa, a strange quickening sensation going through me at the amusement in her expression. “Like, literally ran into.”

Her smile spread. Then she tilted her head toward the open door and mouthed, “I’ll just go.”

I placed my hand on her shoulder, stopping her for reasons I couldn’t fully explain. I just wasn’t finished with our interaction yet. Tomorrow, that common sense I mentioned would likely come screeching back, and I’d rather keep it at bay as long as possible. “I’m guessing you’re already through dinner, so?—”

“Nope, because we’ve been waiting for your sorry ass. Ben brought his new boyfriend so we could all finally meet him too, so get yourself over here. Bring your neighbor, for all I care. Just hurry.” With that, Jameson hung up. For all the shit he gave me about billable hours, he was as much of a workaholic as I was. Well, he used to be. Kat had him slowing down some, and mark that as another reason to avoid entanglements.

“It’s all good. I’m fine, honest.” Willa stood and did a little jig to demonstrate. “You were obviously in a hurry, and it sounds like you’ve got to go.”

“I do.” I sighed and did my best to keep my tone casual. “You hungry? I’m meeting friends, and I’d happily buy you dinner for your troubles.”

Wait. Hadn’t I decided against this? Fuck it.

She looked me up and down, her eyebrows knitting together. Evidently, I’d failed at sounding cavalier. “You’re all dressed up.”

“This old thing,” I joked, tugging at the collar of my navy button-down. “If you need a few minutes to change…”

Her long blonde locks swished with the shake of her head. “Thank you, but you go ahead. I’ve got a lot of unpacking to do. I appreciate you patching me up.”

“I’ll walk you out.” I placed my hand on her back, still experiencing a pinch of desperation that didn’t make any sense. I went the two extra feet to her door, since I was on my way out anyway.

“Thanks again. It was…interesting meeting you. And I’m sure we’ll be running into each other more, but I’d like to avoid the literal part, so maybe just make a loud warning noise as you exit? Like that obnoxious beeping sound large trucks make whenever they back up.”

“Trying not to be offended by your implication I’m obnoxious.”

A laugh burst out of her. “Not obnoxious at all. Just…” She gestured at me, as if that were explanation enough. “Immense and sturdy.”

“Thank you?”

She laughed again, and if Jameson was already going to kill me for being so late, I might as well deserve it. Pride had always been a crux of mine to bear, and I’d seen the way her eyes roamed over me. I’d bet a thousand dollars I could draw out our goodnight a while longer. I entertained the thought for a beat or two and then said, “Anyway, I’d better get to it.”

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