Page 64 of Obligation
And maybe sneak in a nap, too, because he hadn’t slept much last night. He’d been too preoccupied with thoughts of Carissa, and the fact that she’d been sharing a bed with him had kept him on edge. Not that he expected anything to happen, but that thought had given him some pretty incredible fantasies.
“Just so you know, Garrett and Cory are having a small gathering tonight. Apparently, they like rival football teams that are playing later. I think it’s just a handful of people,” Jeremy said.
A party—no matter how small—was the last thing Bradley wanted to do tonight. He really just wanted a quiet night at home to figure out his next move. While he now knew how Carissa truly felt about him, he had no idea what her feelings meant. Were they strong enough to make her leave Danny and be with Bradley? Or were they so strong she’d remain afraid of them to the point she wouldn’t give him the time of day?
“Thanks for the heads up.” Bradley went into his room and kicked off his shoes.
He emptied his pockets onto the dresser. A new notification flashed across his phone screen. When had he gotten a text? His phone never made a sound. He checked, and the name that popped up had his heart racing.
Carissa: I just wanted to say thank you again for everything. You’re a great guy, and I’m sorry if I did or said something to ruin whatever friendship we were building.
Friendship. That single word jumped out at him and stuck in his mind like gum on the bottom of a shoe. He frowned and sat on the edge of his bed.
Bradley: You’re welcome.
He hit send, and then sat there for several moments, unsure how to respond to the rest of her message. He definitely wanted to reply, but he needed to do so in a way that let her know he was more than a friend without pushing her too hard.
Bradley: You didn’t do anything wrong, and we’re good. Promise.
He added a smiling emoji and sent the text before he changed his mind. And then he waited for a response that, after several moments, never came. With a disappointed shake of his head, he tossed his phone onto the dresser and headed for the shower.
With the water turned to the hottest setting he could handle, he stood beneath the spray for a long time, probably too long, but he didn’t care. The questions Carissa had asked him about his living situation raced through his mind. Maybe he should move out of here and find a place for him and Jeremy. If Carissa chose to stay with Danny, she’d be here with him, and that wasn’t something Bradley wanted to witness.
When the water started to turn cool, he quickly washed and got out. He dried his hair, then wrapped the towel around his waist. He’d been so distracted he’d forgotten to grab clean clothes. Oh, well. His room wasn’t that far from the bathroom.
He reached for the doorknob and turned it at the exact moment he heard someone say, “Hurry up! We’ll be waiting in the car.” That was definitely a woman’s voice. Tiffany’s? What was she doing here? And who was she talking to?
Bradley yanked open the door and came face to face with Carissa. His eyes widened with shock, and he was too stunned to move, so he stood in the doorway like an idiot.
“Uh… I’m… I didn’t…” Carissa’s face flushed crimson, and she quickly averted her gaze.
But then her attention drifted back to him, her expression filled with the same passionate want he’d seen and felt when they’d been at the penthouse. Desire filled his veins, and he shifted on his feet to ease the sudden ache between his legs. He lifted a brow, crossed his arms over his still damp chest, and waited for her to say something that made sense.
“I didn’t mean to interrupt…” She waved her hands down the length of his body, her gaze following the motion and lingering on the spot where the towel was secured around his waist.
Yeah, she was totally checking him out. He grinned. “You didn’t,” he said with a small shrug. “I’m finished.”
She lifted her gaze up to meet his. Undeniable longing sizzled between them, and his heart raced. No way in hell she couldn’t feel that. Yet, she seemed able to ignore it so easily. Well, time to test just how long she could deny these feelings that constantly sparked and ignited when they were near one another.
“Garrett and Cory are getting snacks for the game. Tiff and Jeremy are waiting for me in the car,” she said on a rush of breath, as if filling the seconds with words would cool the heat rising between them. “We’re going to go get pizza and beer. I just need to use the bathroom first.”
“Sounds fun,” he said, not moving. “Where’s the boyfriend in all these plans?”
Carissa frowned. “No idea. I thought he was going to meet me so we could talk, but he never showed up.”
Bradley stepped forward, bringing him closer to Carissa. “His loss is my gain, right?” He smiled, and her breath hitched. Not a lot but enough for him to hear the small catch.
“Can you please move so I can use the bathroom?” she asked, sounding only slightly annoyed. “I don’t want Tiff to yell at me again.” She laughed.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a teasing smirk. He stepped forward, then to the side in an effort to get out of her way, and she moved in tandem, her timing too perfect not to take advantage of. In the brief second they were facing each other, he closed the small distance between them, and she pressed her back against the doorjamb.
He flattened his hand on the doorframe right above her head and leaned down. She sucked in a sharp breath, but she didn’t make any effort to get away; nor did she tear her gaze from his. Something about the way she’d do that—hold his intense stare without flinching—was a major turn-on.
“I’m not mad at you, Carissa,” he said, knowing she’d been worried about that. Granted, he hadn’t exactly acted very friendly on the way home.
“Thanks, I guess.” She tilted her head. “I mean, considering I didn’t do anything wrong…”
He laughed. “No, you didn’t.”
