Page 4 of I've Got You

His breaths started to even out, and his fingers flexed on my skin. I was quite happy to stay this way a while longer. Touching firm muscles, having his appealing scent wrap around me, was surprisingly familiar, and hell, kinda nice, despite the weird situation and the poor guy’s meltdown.

Still holding on, I dipped my head a little, leaning closer. “You good?” I kept my voice low, quiet, not wanting to break the moment or startle him.

A slight, jerky nod was my answer.

“Okay. There’s no rush.” And there really wasn’t. There was something about him, this random guy who was a sorta friend to Carter, that had made it easy to reach out and comfort him. He was attractive, sure, with short, dark brown hair that was a little messy, possibly from running his fingers through it one too many times, plus he had the prettiest eyes I’d ever seen on a man or woman. But there was something deeper there too. He seemed lost.

He’d mentioned being alone, and damn if I hadn’t felt the sadness roll of him in waves. With the manic life I had, not only with my daughter but with my coffee shop, life was complicated enough. The last thing I needed was a lost soul complicating my shit even more. But still, I’d reached out to him and liked the feel of our connection.

That seemed all levels of screwed up and dangerous. Butstill, I held on.

Smoothing my right thumb over his left arm, I rubbed soft circles on his skin. Goose bumps sprung up immediately, creating a new path for my thumb. I had no intention of releasing him yet. He took a deep breath before moving his head from side to side, as if stretching his neck. A couple of cracks followed. I considered releasing one arm to place on the back of his neck but thought better of it. The gesture seemed just a little too forward, too familiar.

“Better?” I dared to ask.

This time, he lifted his head, his eyes connecting with mine instantly. With my head still lowered, our faces were close, too close for strangers, but considering his near meltdown, it seemed we were beyond that level of formality.

“Yeah, thanks.”

His face was now in line with mine, giving me the opportunity to search his features. His color seemed to have returned, which was tricky to tell in the poor light, but he no longer looked like a ghost. His eyes were wide though, almost frozen. Not quite sure if he was terrified, confused, or hell, for all I knew this could have been his usual expression, I smiled, trying to reassure him.

“You had me scar—”

He crushed his mouth to mine. While his eyes were now closed, mine were wide open as I oomphed in surprise. His kiss was rough, desperate, almost pleading as his lips worked mine, encouraging me to react. Warm lips and wet tongue, both tasting of beer and mint, continued their invasion. This guy was starving for contact, and damn if I didn’t begin to reciprocate. I closed my eyes, our hands still gripping each other, and opened for him.

I allowed him to control the kiss for a few beats until I took over, needing to calm the pace and ease the desperation that clawed so close to the surface. Our lips came together with ease, moving together as though we’d practiced a hundred times. Darting my tongue out for a quick taste, I touched his and stroked gently, dragging a groan from the both of us. While we were no longer frantic, there was still urgency in our clash of lips and tongue, a fervor there I wasn’t sure I’d ever experienced before.

Needing more, I loosened my left hand and reached for his face. The moment my fingers touched his cheek, he froze. Barely a second slipped by before he yanked himself back, almost falling off the chair. I reached out to him, but he was up and to the door without a backward glance.

Staring wide-eyed at the empty space before me, I could only blink as he bolted into the kitchen, and I imagined, straight out of the house.

What the hell just happened? I was still sitting in the same spot fifteen minutes later when Tanner found me. The kiss, his escape, his goddamn panic…. It all played through my head on a loop. The worst of it all: I still didn’t know the guy’s name.

“Hey,” Tanner called.

I made to stand, asking, “Libby?”

“No.” He shook his head. “She’s fast asleep, not a peep.”

I nodded my thanks and eased back onto the lounger.

Rex ambling over to Tanner had me smiling. He was such a great, albeit huge dog. I’d been enjoying my quiet time with him earlier, but he’d abandoned me so he could get fussed over by the mystery guy—who I could still taste on my lips.

“Whatcha doing?” Tanner sat next to me, and I shrugged noncommittally.

“Just having a beer and some quiet time.”

“Right.” His tone held humor, enough to drag my attention to his amused face. He grinned over at me.

“What?” I lifted my beer.

“Don’t what me. I saw you out here playing kissy with Dr. Dickwad.”

Thankfully I’d not taken a drink from the beer bottle I held to my mouth. “What the fuck? Dr. Dickwad?” I asked in confusion. “And you were what, spying on me?”

He simply shrugged, not looking at all ashamed. Of course, I had no doubt I was completely overexaggerating and that his stealth-like skills were not being put to use on me, but still.

He remained silent, wearing that simple, annoying smirk of his that he got sometimes. Tanner and I had been friends forever, so I knew pretty much every look, smirk, and gesture. And at the moment, while he wanted to tease and laugh, there was something else lurking in his eyes.

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