Page 61 of All Jacked Up

“Donate it,” I said simply.

He nodded and pulled out his phone before leaving me alone.

Once he was gone, I wrapped my arms around my waist and stared at the space that had never been this pretty or smelled this nice. But the memories still tainted it all. This place would never be special to me.

Well … except for what had just happened, I realized. That might be the only kiss I ever get from Ransom. Perhaps I did want to take something as a reminder. A memory of a day I had always imagined, but never thought would come.

Stepping over to the small three-drawer dresser that had a corkboard I knew hadn’t been here before—at least not in my room—I stared at the awards that had been pinned on it, along with a few pictures I’d taken of things. My gaze drifted over each one, then stopped on a photo of a woman in a messy bun, an oversize housecoat, holding a cat while three others curled around her legs. It was an ad of some kind from a magazine.

Grinning, I reached for the pin and took the photo off. Ransom had been the one to put this here. Folding it carefully, I tucked it into my pocket. This I would keep. My memory of this day, what all he’d done, and the way his kiss could transform a moment into something beautiful.

Twenty

Ransom

The house was empty when we returned, but I’d already known it would be. Forge had texted me earlier that they were going out with Locke and Gathe tonight. Bane, Halo, and little man were due back tomorrow. Having it to ourselves probably wasn’t the best idea. Especially after that kiss. Worst mind-blowing decision I’d ever made. I could taste her on my lips too, dammit. The sweet honeysuckle smell had nothing on the way she tasted.

Glancing at the closed bedroom door—where she’d gone after we returned, wanting to shower and needing to make some calls for work—I debated on knocking. She’d been in there an hour, and I was getting restless. I realized I didn’t like being away from her.

When the fuck had that happened? I had to get control of whatever shit this was. Yes, her full, ridiculously plump lips had been soft and tasted like candy. And, yes, her body hadbeen insanely tempting, pressed against me. But she was my motherfucking friend. She had to stay that way.

I couldn’t fuck her. But, damn, had I ever wanted to sink my dick into someone so damn badly? No. I needed a drink. Turning, I started down the hallway when I heard the doorknob turn, and I stopped to look back as it opened.

I realized I was holding my damn breath when she appeared. It was a miracle I didn’t get choked and start coughing at the sight of her in a pair of shorts, which were made of a soft jersey fabric and a tank top. No bra.

Holy fucking hell. Was she trying to kill me via damn blue balls?

“Hey,” she said in a breathy, melodic voice.

Yeah, fuckinghey.

Focusing on her face and not the body she was showcasing in that tiny little excuse for an outfit, I replied, “Done with your calls?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Um, do you have tea?”

I was sure we had several kinds. Halo had drunk it while pregnant and nursing. But I didn’t know what all we had exactly.

“You mean the hot shit the Brits drink? Or iced tea?” I decided to clarify.

She grinned, and even that made my cock twitch. Seemed her smile was making me hard now. Fantastic.

“Hot tea,” she replied. “Preferably caffeine-free.”

“Yeah, Halo should have a stash of that in the pantry. I’ll take you down and let you go through it. You hungry? I was going to order out. It’s just us tonight, and I told Wilma to go on home, that we’d order something.”

She scrunched her nose, then smiled sheepishly and nodded.

Damn, why did she have to be cute too? I was used to fuckable, hot pieces of ass being hard to like otherwise. Haughty, vain, bordering on annoying. Easy to walk away from when done. NoaRaines was a package that could only be labeled lethal. Beware of the extreme temptation.

“Then let’s order up. I had Wilma leave me a list of places that have gluten-free options.” Which had caused Wilma to raise her brows at me in surprise. Not that she didn’t know about Noa’s allergy, but because I was concerned with making sure I could accommodate her. This was out of character for me, and if one of the guys had heard me, I’d have been ribbed about it endlessly.

“Thank you.”

“No problem,” I replied, but it was. It was a massive problem.

This entire thing with her was an issue. I had to find a way to put her back in the box where I’d kept her. My friend. No physical attraction. No other weird things happening in my head.

I didn’t wait for her to catch up as I headed down to the kitchen without looking back again. She was there. I knew it. Every fucking fiber of my body seemed to be attuned to her. It had to be the off-limits thing. Not being able to fuck her was making it worse. My body didn’t like being told no, apparently.

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