Page 35 of Off the Hook

I stepped to the side. “It’syourhouse. Do what you need to do.”

“Do you want a toothbrush?” He called from the bathroom, “I think I have extras.”

“Oh, yes, that would be great.” He rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a 3-pack that still had two in it.

I chuckled as I took the toothbrush from him. “Do you keep spares for overnight guests?”

“I buy in bulk because I’m frugal,” he answered. “Lucky you.”

He passed me the tube of toothpaste, and we stood there staring at each other in the mirror while we brushed our teeth. The thought, or maybe it was a fantasy, flashed through my mind that this was what it would be like if we were dating. Sharing intimate little moments that seem insignificant but are anything but. I shook my head as I spit into the sink.

“What?” he asked with a playful look in his eyes.

“Nothing,” I grinned, rinsing my toothbrush. “It’s just sweet.”

“My mom told me I was too sweet for my own good when Kylie broke up with me.” He let out a dry laugh. “She wasn’t ever wrong about anything as far as I ever knew, so it’s probably the truth.”

“There are worse things to be.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know about that. Nice guys finish last.” He tapped his toothbrush on the edge of the sink before placing it in the holder on the wall. “But that’s okay, I bowed out of that race a while back.”

“Yeah, me too. Who has time to try to impress dates?”

“Like you have to try to impress,” he chuckled. “Do you need anything else? Water? Chocolate?”

“Why didn’t you offer me chocolatebeforewe brushed our teeth?” I laughed. “Nah, I’m good.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to rest.” His hands wrapped around mine, clutching them between us. “Goodnight, Faith.”

I looked up into his hazel eyes, so distracted by the warm rush that he invoked that I had a hard time answering. “Goodnight, Coulter,” I finally said.

When his hands released mine, I instinctively grabbed his wrist. “Wait.”

His brow raised and he just stood there looking at me with those hazel eyes, waiting. “Yes?”

I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but I couldn’t let him go. My heart pounded so hard in my chest it took my breath. I gathered all my strength and swallowed hard before asking in a trembling voice, “Will you just lay here with me for a few minutes?”

Coulter’s head cocked as he eyed me with caution. “I don’t know if I can control myself enough to just lay with you.”

The fireworks that lit up inside me overrode any filter that might have stopped me blurting out, “What if I don’t want you to control yourself?”

“I’m warning you, I don’t need much encouragement to lose control with you, Faith.” He let out a little laugh but I could see the nervousness in his eyes. “It’s been all I could do not to kiss you all night.”

I slid my hand into his, interlacing our fingers. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks.”

“Then come here, woman,” his fingers tightened around mine, gently tugging to pull me closer.

I stood on my toes to lift my lips to brush his, sending a warm current through me. Coulter’s arms wrapped around me, pulling me into a real kiss. His lips pushed mine open, claiming them. Claiming me.

After weeks of trying to deny my attraction to him, when I allowed the floodgates to open, the desire rushed through me like a raging river. My weight settled into Coulter’s tight griparound my waist like a ragdoll. Our tongues danced a tango of give and take like we’d been doing it for years. But trusting a man like I trusted him was anything but familiar.

Heat rose between us. He finally pulled away. “If I lay down there with you, I will definitelynotbehave. Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

The alcohol had lowered my inhibition, but my judgment was intact. I wanted him with every fiber of my being. I stared deep into his hazel eyes and said without hesitation, “I’m sure.”

Coulter’s mouth curled in a crooked grin. “That’s even better news than the DNA results.”

Our mouths crashed together in a passionate kiss that made my knees even weaker. My hands ran up under his shirt, over the muscles that flexed under my fingers.

---