Page 61 of Rowdy Hearts

She said it so matter-of-fact that, for a second, I thought she’d shut down on me completely. Which would suck.

Then she turned back, released a sharp exhale and bent down to kiss me again. And, oh hell, this was not a goodbye kiss. This was definitely an “I will see you later and we will be naked” kiss.

“Thank you,” she said before she pulled away completely, “for making tonight so much…fun.”

“Glad I could help.” Damn it, I really wanted her to stay, but I knew she couldn’t. “Bathroom’s that door over there.”

Her smile widened, and she pressed another sweet kiss to my lips before she got to her feet, grabbed her clothing and headed for the bathroom.

While I lay there and watched her perfect naked ass as she walked away, I had to stop myself from waiting outside the bathroom door and taking her to my bed. But, when I looked at the clock on the side table, I knew she’d want to be back to the house before one a.m., because she could reason that she hadn’t stayed out all night. And that maybe my mom would be asleep and wouldn’t notice when she came in. Which she wouldn’t because Tressy would enter through the door directly into her bedroom.

Hell, she could slip in before dawn and my parents wouldn’t know a damn thing, but, yeah, I got it. Appearances mattered to her. And she was a good mom who wouldn’t want her kid to know she’d been out all night.

But I’d be damned if this was the only time I got to spend with Tressy naked and horizontal.

This called for a plan.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Tressy

I thoughtthe drive back to Rowdy’s parents’ house would be awkward, full of weird silence and a need to fill the silence that just made everything worse.

It wasn’t. Rowdy put his hand on my thigh as he drove, a warm weight that just made all the loud voices in my head shut down and purr. I felt like a damn cat who wanted to rub up against him and have him pet me.

Maybe I’d think about the implications of that later. Or maybe not. What I knew was that I didn’t want to leave here anytime soon. And I didn’t know how I was going to make that happen. I had a life, a career, people who needed me.

I also had two partners who could handle things for me for a week or so while I figured out my shit. Or got him out of my system. Because Rowdy had seriously gotten under my skin.

And there was also the problem of my mom and sister.

“You’re gonna come to the game tomorrow, right?”

It was the first he’d spoken since we left his house, and I could see the lights from his parents’ house through the trees just ahead.

I didn’t even stop to think about my answer. “Of course.”

I turned in time to see his smile. That smile that did amazing things to my breathing and heart rate and made practically every part of my body tingle, including the parts that still ached and begged for more.

“Good. Maybe we’ll even win one for you.”

He smiled, but I heard something in his voice that didn’t vibe with the smile. But it was late, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl back into his arms and go to sleep. But I couldn’t because I had to be there when Krista woke up.

“I’d like to see that.”

“Yeah, so would we.”

And there was that tone in his voice again, the one that held a secret I couldn’t crack.

“Rowdy…”

He pulled to a stop at the side of his parents’ house, at the path that led to the side door that opened directly into the rooms Krista and I were sharing. No one would know what time I came home, because that door had a keypad for entry. No sneaking through the house like a guilty teenager after curfew. Something I’d never done, by the way.

“Yeah?”

I looked at him and couldn’t help but smile. He hadn’t bothered to comb his hair, just raked his hands through it, and it looked messy, all those soft waves. I loved it. And even though his eyes were shadowed in the dark, I knew I’d remember the exact shade of them forever.

“I had fun tonight.”

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