Page 57 of Fast Kill

On the drive home, they held hands the entire time and she loved the sense of belonging it gave her. Their chemistry was something she’d never experienced before either. Every time he rubbed his thumb over the back of her hand it sent a jolt of sensation up her arm, and when he lifted their joined hands to his mouth to press a lingering kiss to each of her fingers, she’d melted a little more.

The question was what she wanted out of this relationship. She already liked and cared about him more than she’d expected to, and she’d never wanted anyone this much physically. If she wasn’t careful, she could easily fall head over heels for him.

Part of her was still hesitant to take that plunge, no matter how much he tempted her to risk her heart. Could they ever make a relationship work? They were so different, in almost every way two people could be different. Opposites attracted at first, yes, but a lot of the time they ended up driving each other away later on too. And yet…he was bringing out a new side of her that was fun and exciting.

Her body didn’t much care how opposite they were at this point, however. Just being near him set her heart pounding and her blood racing.

The closer they got to her building, the more intense the physical craving for him became. And so did the nerves. They hadn’t talked about a relationship or expectations of any kind. She needed to know what he wanted out of this if they continued seeing each other. Casual sex didn’t interest her.

A few blocks from the building where she was staying, she couldn’t take it anymore. “I’m just going to put this out there,” she announced when he stopped at a red light.

He glanced over at her in surprise. “Okay…”

She exhaled, steeling herself for an answer she wouldn’t like. “What are we doing here, exactly? Are we…seeing each other? Dating? Just so I know what’s going on.” And what to expect moving forward.

“What doyouwant?” he countered. “Because I know what I want.”

“So whatdoyou want? You were the one who started this, so spell it out for me. Is it…do you want a casual fling? Because I can’t imagine you going to all this effort just to try and get me into bed.” She laughed, but it sounded forced and weak even to her.

He grinned, still looking ahead at the road, and he seemed to be enjoying teasing her. “Something tells me you don’t do casual.”

“I don’t. But if that’s what you want, then I need to know.” So she could prepare herself for it to end, and not feel hurt when he moved on to someone else. Or so she could end it before it really started.

Logan released her hand and reached across the cab to grasp her jaw in his hand. Her gaze swung up to his and locked there, and the possessive gleam in his stole her breath. “The way I feel about you is anything but casual,” he said, his voice deep and low as he stared into her eyes. “And make no mistake, I want to take you to bed so bad it keeps me up at night. But I want exclusive with you. Because to be honest, I can’t stand the thought of another guy touching you.”

Her heart knocked against her ribs at the possessiveness in his tone. A rush of desire shot through her, flowing through her veins like warm honey. She’d never expected a man like him to admit such a thing. The exclusivity part was a huge relief because she had no interest in seeing anyone else, and she didn’t want him to go out with another woman while he was seeing her.

“But not until you’re ready,” he added.

“I’m down with the exclusive bit. I don’t want anyone touching you either.”

He shot her a slow, sensual smile that made her toes curl. She hadn’t even noticed the traffic light change, too ensnared by the way he held her gaze to look away, but he let go of her and put his hand back on the steering wheel as he resumed driving. Taylor sat unmoving in her seat. All she could do was stare at that big, powerful hand and imagine it stroking over her naked body.

She shivered and shifted against the leather as the heat inside her intensified, tightening her nipples and igniting a throb between her legs. It had been so long since she’d slept with anyone, and the thought of Logan taking her to bed today almost had her sliding into a puddle in the foot well.

Half a block later he turned right and pulled into the underground parking garage of her building. She felt a little lightheaded as they took the elevator to her floor, every sense heightened.

When he followed her into the apartment and locked the door behind them, the nerves hit hard. “I’m just gonna grab a quick shower,” she blurted, and rushed for the bedroom to grab a change of clothes. If they did take things into the bedroom, she wanted to be clean and smell good all over, and she needed a few minutes to regroup.

The hot water did nothing to soothe the gnawing ache inside her, or settle her buzzing nerves. Logan was out there right now, and he wanted her. Wanted her exclusively.

Prior to their conversation in the truck she’d briefly considered the idea of agreeing to a fling if that’s what he wanted, but now she realized she couldn’t do that. She was already falling for him and there was no way for her to shut her feelings off at this point. Not after how protective and thoughtful he’d been.

Pushing it all aside for now, she washed her hair, shaved her legs, blew her hair dry and brushed her teeth before getting dressed and putting on mascara, eyeliner and lipstick.

Wearing a pair of snug jeans and a feminine black-and-white polka dot top with cap sleeves, she exited the bathroom to find him on the couch with his left leg propped up, watching TV.

He looked over his shoulder at her and smiled a little, his hot gaze raking over the length of her body in a way that made her feel naked. Her bare toes curled into the carpet.

“My turn,” he said as he got up.

“Your turn?” she mumbled, her mind going blank as all six-foot-plus of sexy alpha male prowled toward her.

He stopped a half-step away from her, a sensual smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “For a shower,” he murmured, then kissed her softly.

“Oh.” Her eyelids fluttered as a delicious languor pervaded her body. Then he raised his head, gave her another of those knee-weakening smiles, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Taylor stared at the closed door, her skin tingling all over and her pulse thudding in her ears as the hiss of water started up in the shower. She wanted him. Why was she still standing here?

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