A slow smile transformed his face. He leaned in once again and kissed her, then pulled out of it and grabbed her hand, pulling her to the front of the house. “You smell like arousal,” he observed.
“Can you blame me? I just had your boner in my hand.”
He belted out a laugh and gestured for her to go inside without him.
“Are you leaving?”
“No, I just need a minute.” He pointed to the seam of his jeans and yep, now she saw the problem. He was hard as a rock right now.
“Want me to name gross stuff so it goes away?”
“Sure.”
“I’m wearing a red bra today—”
“Sasha,” he gritted out.
“And matching panties,” she said, playing. This power was so much fun. “And I have a hidden tattoo.”
His eyes looked really dark, what with his pupils growing so big. “Hidden where?”
“That’s for you to discover, LB.”
“Chhh.”
“What’s going on out here?” King asked from the open door of the garage.
Reed did an about-face and headed for the street. “I forgot something in my truck.”
“Um, I can tell when you’re lying,” King called after him in a confused tone.
Reed didn’t answer. He just went directly across the street to where his truck was parked in front of an empty lot.
Sasha was trying so hard to hide her smile.
“What’s going on?” King asked. “Is he okay?”
“He will survive,” she assured him. “I’m a nurse. I know these things.”
The behemoth gorilla shifter was staring at her like she’d grown three heads. “Okay.”
Sasha went back inside in a daze, her lips tingling from the warmth of his. She brushed her fingertips across her lips and looked back at the door, hoping he didn’t actually drive off.
She made her way to the drop cloth and covered her paint roller in brown paint, then began painting where she’d left off by the fireplace.
“You good?” Timber asked.
“Huh?” Sasha blurted out.
“You look like you’re in la-la land. Must’ve been some good, innocent discussion going on out there.”
“Oh. Yes. We were talking about…flooring.”
Timber and Katrina snorted. “Sure.”
A few minutes later, Raynah returned with food, and Reed followed her inside. He tossed Sasha what looked like a shy smile, and she understood. She was off-kilter around him too.
And this was their first date. It was a painting party with part of the Cold Foot Crew. It was knowing smiles and wanting looks. It was his fingertips finding the curve of her lower back when he needed to move behind her. It was sitting by him to eat, sitting on the drop cloth all criss-cross, and their knees almost…almost…touching.