Page 42 of Just Between Us

I chuckled.

No. I just wanted to talk.

Oh, I don’t use my phone for that.

When I call, you answer. That’s one of *my* rules.

Bubbles popped up and disappeared as I imagined her biting response.

Veda

Okay.

My eyebrows rose and I redialed her number. She answered on the second ring. My voice was thick and thrumming with desire. “You were supposed to say,Yes, sir.”

Her light scoff sent sparks crackling under my skin. “I thought you were supposed to call me a good girl first.”

Such a fucking brat.

“When you start acting like one, maybe I will.” I was surprised at how much her witty banter lightened my mood. My brain was chaos, and she was the calm in the storm. “It’s late, but I can’t sleep. Come over.”

I could practically hear her gulp over the phone. “Now?”

“Sure. Why not? We don’t have to do anything if you’re not up for it. We can talk more about those rules you love so much.” My hard cock begged to differ, and I palmed it through my jeans. “I’ll pick you up.”

“That’s okay. I can drive over. That way whenever we’re?—”

My tongue ran along my lower lip as I sucked it through my teeth. “I wasn’t asking, Precious. Be ready in ten minutes.”

Silence stretched through the phone before her soft voice washed over me. “Yes, sir.”

I ended the call before I could do something stupid like jump and exclaim or blow my load from two simple words.

I scanned my living room, tossing a throw blanket over the couch and pulling my T-shirt on. Once the ring light was put away, I surveyed the room and was satisfied that my meticulous nature meant I was pretty much company-ready all the time.

I swiped my keys off the counter after my phone buzzed. Veda sent her address, and I grinned. She was within walking distance, which would be perfect.

Minutes later I was at her doorstep. I rang the buzzer to her apartment.

The speaker crackled. “You’re early. That’s rude.”

I pressed the button. “Take your time.” With a smile, I sat on the stoop to the apartment building and waited. Veda used up every second of her ten minutes, and I loved that she was such a confident badass.

The door opened behind me, and I stood. My heart thumped at the sight of her makeup-free face. Her long black lashes swooped low as a barely visible blush tinted her cheeks. She wore a matching lounge set—the top was a cropped sweatshirt, and the bottoms were shorts, letting her long, smooth legs shine in the bright moonlight.

Her hands opened under my assessment. “I had already turned in for the night so ... this is what you get.”

Awareness cut through me like a sharp-edged knife. “I like seeing this side of you.” I held out my hand and she eyed it. “Shall we?”

Her delicate fingers slid into mine as I guided her down the concrete steps. She looked around. “Where’s your truck?”

I smiled, placing her hand in the crook of my arm and turning us toward the sidewalk. “Turns out we’re practically neighbors.” I pointed up the road. “I’m just down that way, and it’s a nice night.”

Side by side we walked in silence. Tension and anticipation bloomed in the air as her fingertips teased the sensitive skin on the inside of my bicep. The moon illuminated our path and the soft crashing of waves in the distance served as our soundtrack. I paused at the entrance to my long driveway.

Veda’s eyes went wide as her hand dropped. “No way.Thisis your house?”

I nodded, a shy smile spreading across my face.

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