Page 10 of Blue Collar Hotties

Standing at the kitchenette counter, I glance over my shoulder. It’s early, the blue-tinged light of dawn spilling through the open window above the sink, and I’ve got two half-made coffees in front of me. My spoon clinks against the mug, wisps of steam curling into the air, and the cabin still smells like last night’s fire.

Cade stares like I’m an alien. Like he just caught me unzipping my skin suit.

“What?” I peer down the length of my body. “Oh, sorry.”

Yeah, I wasn’t thinking straight this morning. I woke up groggy and tired, my head stuffed with cotton wool, and sometime in the night I’d kicked off my pajamas into the tangle of bed sheets. I was in one of those moods, one where my heart is numb and even the smallest task is a Herculean effort, so I didn’t bother hunting through the bed for my pajamas.

I swiped one of Cade’s t-shirts off the spindly laundry rack instead. Threw the soft, navy fabric over my head, and checked the hem covered my ass before going in search of coffee.

“That’s… you…”

Clearly, I’m not the only one struggling this morning. Cade scrubs a hand down his face, and he’s still staring at where his t-shirt grazes my mid-thigh.

“I’ll wash it again for you, don’t worry.”

Cade huffs and shakes his head, but still says nothing.

And jeez… it’s like I canfeelhis eyes on me. Tracing up my thighs like the softest fingertip; skating over the shirt to feel my hips, my waist, my ribs.

His shirt is loose on me, barely brushing against my skin in some places, and the points of my nipples jut against the cotton.

“Coffee?” I rasp, because what the hell else am I gonna say? Sure, I want to coax Cade into kissing me someday, but I’ll need all my brain cells to do it. Most of mine are still asleep right now. And this is our tradition every morning, sipping coffees together with our feet dangling off the deck, so I take refuge in it. “We’re low on milk.”

Cade opens his mouth, then closes it again. Shakes his head like he’s trying to dislodge an extra pesky thought.

“That’s my t-shirt,” he says at last, like he can’t function without saying the words. “You’re wearing my shirt.”

Heat crawls up my neck and I turn back to the counter, hiding from his intense gaze. Is it really such a freaking huge deal?

“Sorry,” I mutter again, finishing up the coffees. “I’ll change in a second.”

“No.” The low command drifts through the quiet cabin, and my stomach swoops. “No, Riley. Don’t.”

His footsteps are soft, but the creaking floor gives him away. When Cade comes to a stop directly behind me, his breath stirring my rumpled hair, I can’t breathe. I squeeze the spoon until my knuckles turn white.

“I like seeing you in my clothes.”

I bite my lip. Hard. Is this really happening? Is that rough edge to Cade’s voice because he wants me, or am I imagining the tension crackling in the air?

“They’re comfy,” I say weakly.

“Are they?” A hand rests lightly on my hip, then coasts slowly, oh so slowly, up to the dip of my waist. Even though he’s barely touching me, the heat of Cade’s hand scorches me through the fabric, and shivers race over my skin. “Does this feel good, angel?”

“S-so good.”

There’s a grunt of approval. The floor creaks, and Cade moves closer, until the hard warmth of his chest presses against my back. And his hand is still on me, still tracking slowly higher, and as it goes, the hem lifts and bares more and more of my thigh.

My bare toes scrunch against the floor. My breath comes in soft pants.

When Cade’s thumb grazes the underside of my breast, white static fills my brain. A desperate whimper escapes me, the heavy ache between my legs nearly unbearable already—but Cade drops his hand and steps back.

“Sorry,” he says gruffly. I blink at the kitchen window, stunned. “Got carried away for a second.”

He reaches around me, swiping his coffee, and then he’s gone, his boots thumping heavy over the cabin floor. The door creaks as he swings it open, a cool breeze rushing in, and then it bangs shut. I’m alone again. Dazed and flustered.

Did that just happen? Am I going insane?

And how can I make it happen again?

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