Page 46 of Chase Our Forever

“Think you can help?” she asks, her voice soft. We’re so close, and the small confines of this dressing room don’t help.

All I can do is nod. Even through the different scents that come with being inside a thrift store, the smell of her overpowers it all. She always smells like apple blossom and something else. Something fresh. Something that drives me wild every time she walks past me.

Now, I’m stuck in this room with her, with her wide, expectant, beautiful blue eyes staring up at me. I should be able to focus on helping her, but the proximity of our bodies goes to my head.

“I can see if maybe Ms. Beth will…” she offers, her words trailing off.

I shake my head, forcing myself to get it together. “No, I’ll help.”

I take a hesitant step forward. The tips of my boots almost kiss the toes of her own shoes. I can feel her breath against my chest as I look down, trying to figure out the best way to get the sweater off.

“I’m just going to lift slowly,” I tell her, my voice rough. I’ve done so well pushing my attraction to her to the back of my mind, but with her so close to me, it’s hard to remember why I wanted to fight it so badly.

She nods, her teeth still digging into her lip.

Fuck, I want to kiss her. I want to take her plump bottom lip between my own teeth and discover what she tastes like.

She about does me in when her tongue peeks out to wet the spot where her teeth just were.

“Go ahead.” Her words cut through my thoughts of leaning forward and pressing my lips to hers.

My eyes meet hers, and there’s a slight moment where I forget I’m supposed to be helping her get the sweater unsnagged, and I think her words were permission for me to kiss her.

Slowly, I reach down and place my hands on either side of her narrow waist. I gather the fabric in my hands, trying not to let my skin touch hers in the process.

My efforts are useless. The moment I start guiding the fabric up, my knuckles brush the soft skin of her abdomen.

Air hisses through my teeth at feeling her skin against mine. She sucks in a breath at the same time as me. I’ve barely moved the fabric up an inch, and all I want to do is rip it from her body and crash my lips against hers.

I lift another few inches, my knuckles trailing against her skin the entire time. She shivers, and I have to rip my eyes from hers before I do something incredibly unprofessional, like pin her against the dressing room mirror and kiss the hell out of her.

The room is silent. The only sound is that of our hurried breaths as I continue to carefully inch the fabric higher and higher. I need to just rip it and get the fuck out of here. Too much of her perfect pale skin is on display for me right now. It’s taking every ounce of restraint I have to keep my eyes pinned over her shoulder.

A few more inches and I know if I looked down, I’d be able to see the swell of her breasts. I’ve almost got the sweater lifted enough to see where it’s snagged. I hadn’t thought about what happens when we’re alone in here without her in a top.

“Almost got it,” I get out through gritted teeth. My jaw is locked so tight it hurts. It’s my way of trying to keep myself from doing something stupid. She doesn’t want me to kiss her. She just wants help not ruining the sweater.

I risk a glance down to see how close I am to being able to lift it all the way off. It’s a mistake. Her breasts threaten to spill over the top of her black lace bra.

Fuck fuck fuck.

In one fluid motion, I yank the sweater off her, not caring how rough I am to get it unstuck. I don’t know if it rips. I can’t hear over the crashing sound of blood rushing through my ears. The sweater drops to the ground as I tear through the closed curtains and rush to the store door.

I can’t meet Ms. Beth’s eyes as I press my fingers to the glass. “Have to take a work call,” I lie. “I’ll wait for Liv outside. Tell her to take as long as she needs.” I try to keep my voice composed, but I probably fail at it. I don’t have the mental capacity to come up with any further excuses or lies.

I shove the door open and welcome the feel of the rain against my skin. It can cleanse me of all the inappropriate thoughts I have about kissing my daughter’s nanny.

28

LIV

My heart racesas Ms. Beth rings up all of the clothes I picked out. I found way more than I thought I would. So many items that still had tags on them were in my size. It’s the best thrift haul I’ve ever had, and I can’t even focus on my excitement, thanks to the encounter I just had with Dean.

Something was different in that dressing room. I know the way he looked at me hungrily and like a man possessed wasn’t all in my head. I think he wanted to kiss me, and I was more than ready to let him before he stormed out of the dressing room.

It’d taken me a full minute just to get myself together after that. I’d been so desperate for him to kiss me. I’ve thought about his lips more times than I’d care to admit. It turns out you can daydream a lot about the different ways someone can kiss you in two weeks. And I’ve thought of every possibility in the recent days.

Ms. Beth finishes folding the last item of clothing and places it in the bag for me. I’m coming out with four huge bags filled to the brim.

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