Page 18 of No Going Back

“Relax or the pain will only get worse,” he said quietly.

She relaxed a little, keeping her eyes focused on the screen, reading.

Her skin was soft and warm under his hands. Fuck, he shouldn’t be doing this. It was over the friendship line, but damn it felt good. His cock stirred. Yeah, too good.

The coffeemaker buzzed. He ignored it, not wanting to take his hands off her.

“Ty, I think the coffee’s ready,” Mira’s voice was a bare whisper.

“You want me to stop?”

She didn’t respond. He decided to take that as a no and moved his hands over her shoulders, massaging gently.

“Ty, no!” Mira stood up abruptly, shrugged off his hands and turned to face him. “We agreed this wasn’t a good idea.”

Tyler looked deep into her eyes. Those beautiful dark green eyes. Unmistakable desire stared back at him. Yeah, she was as affected as he was. Being friends sucked.

“We did. But you want this a much as I do.” He didn’t move, standing just inches away.

“That doesn’t change the fact that it’s not a good idea.” She looked away, avoiding his gaze.

At this precise moment, Tyler didn’t give a fuck about good or bad ideas. He wanted this woman more than he’d ever wanted anyone. His eyes dropped to her lips, his breath quickening as he imagined those lips on his skin. Placing a hand under her chin, he turned her face, until she looked at him.

“We were worried about our friendship if we took this any further, about not being able to work alongside each other if we crossed that line. I’ll always be your friend, no matter what. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s going to be just as tough working alongside you without crossing that line.”

He let that sink in for a few seconds before lowering his hand and walking back to the coffee maker.

***

MIRA SWALLOWED HARD. Jesus Christ, he was killing her. In her head, she knew keeping their relationship platonic was the right thing to do, but her heart was saying otherwise. The man had somehow managed to sneak his way in there. As much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t. She also couldn’t ignore the throbbing between her legs and the heat spreading across her skin.

Tyler had his back to her at the coffeemaker. When he reached up to grab two mugs out of the cupboard, her mouth went dry. The muscles in his back tightened under his black t-shirt. God, she was so screwed. Why the hell did she have to fall for Tyler? It would be so much easier if it was some guy from a bar. But the guys in the bar could never hold her interest. There was only so much investment banking and workout schedule conversation she could listen to. She couldn’t talk about what she did. Even if she could, they would probably never really understand. Her usual line was to say she was a security analyst, and the job was too boring to talk about. With Tyler, there were no off-limit conversations; they understood each other. They had similar values and a deep-rooted need to help make the world a little safer. He was intelligent, funny, and caring. And, of course, mouthwatering hot. Hell, she just couldn’t resist anymore. She didn’t want to resist.

One time. That wouldn’t hurt, right? Just once. Get it out of her system. She was a strong, independent woman. It was OK to have a one-night stand. They were both adults, both single, and both attracted to each other.

Yes, but you will have to face each other, work together afterward.

She could do that. They both said they didn’t want anything serious, so how difficult would it be?

You’re playing with fire, Mira. You already have feelings for him.

Maybe it was dangerous, but the need to kiss him, to touch him, had her body overruling the warning thoughts. Before she could change her mind, she stood up and quietly walked over to him. He still had his back to her as he finished making the coffee, but she knew he sensed her approaching. She slipped her arms around his waist and leaned up to kiss his neck. He stilled, and she kissed his neck again.

Then he turned to face her.

His blue eyes darkened as they bore into hers, then he cupped her face and covered her mouth with his. Mira lost all ability to think. Feeling his erection, she groaned and pressed her body against his. She was already wet — had been most of the day just thinking about him. She explored the muscles in his back, reveling in the firmness. Damn she wanted her hands on his skin. Impatient, she pulled at his t-shirt. Tyler broke the kiss and stepped back.

“Mira, if we go any further, I won’t be able to stop.”

“I don’t want you to stop. I want this.” She continued pulling at his t-shirt.

“Want what?” He covered her hands with his, making her stop.

“You. Now.” she said breathlessly.

“We both agreed this was a bad idea. It can’t go anywhere.”

“I know. Just once, Tyler. That’s it. Imagining it is driving me crazy.” She held his gaze as he stared at her. His mouth was set in a grim line, and she lowered her hands. He was going to turn her down.

---