Page 22 of Avoiding Temptation
My brows pull together, but only for a second because the warmth of his arm wrapping around my waist gives me a clue as to where he is.
“Come on. Let’s get out of the rain.”
The beep of his van locking sounds out behind us as he guides me towards the building. I make quick work of letting us in, and he silently follows me up the stairs to my door.
I come to a stop with my key in my hand, ready to let myself inside, but I don’t get to push it into the lock because Joe reaches out and wraps his fingers around mine.
My eyes focus on his cotton covered chest for a few seconds as I try to muster up the strength I’m going to need to look into his eyes. When I do lift my head, I realise that no amount of time could have prepared me for the heated gaze staring back at me.
My mouth waters. I swallow it down as I try to come up with the right thing to say. Unfortunately, when I do open my mouth, the words that come out aren’t the ones I should be saying.
“Would you like to come in?” There are so many reasons why he should say no, but him being here feels so right. I feel so safe when he’s beside me, and I’m not ready to lose that just yet.
He looks down at himself and pulls his once pristine white t-shirt from his body. “I should probably go home and shower.”
He’s right. He should. But, fuck if I don’t want to demand he stays exactly as he is because he looks so damn hot.
“I’ve got a shower,” I blurt out, then bite down on my bottom lip to stop anything else spewing from my mouth.
“Oh yeah?” He takes a step forward, closing the space between us. His heat burns my front, making my body ache to feel him pressed up against me.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s pretty crap and kinda cold but...it’s still a shower.” His arm lifts and his fingers thread into my hair, pulling me closer to him. There’s barely an inch between us. My head’s tilted back so I can look up into his eyes as they bounce between mine and my lips. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to be kissed quite so badly.
I’m a second away from throwing caution to the wind and reaching up for his lips when he pulls away and says, “Lead the way.”
I don’t hesitate in lifting my arm, unlocking my front door and pushing it open. The sound of his heavy footsteps tells me he’s following and taking in the sparse state of my flat.
“I’m sorry, it’s not—”
I turn, but the sight of him standing there staring at nothing but me takes my breath. This place is tiny, but with him here, sucking all the air out of it, we could be inside a cupboard, not a studio.
“Don’t apologise, Quinn. It’s more than I’ve got, I can assure you of that.”
I don’t think for a moment that can be true, but I nod anyway.
“The bathroom’s behind that door. The washing machine doesn’t work, but if you throw your clothes out, I can rinse them in the sink and pop them in the dryer for you.”
Without even thinking about it, he reaches behind his head and pulls the fabric of his t-shirt up his body.
My lips part and my eyes drop to take in the skin he’s revealed. It’s toned and tanned with just the perfect amount of hair covering his chest.
The temperature inside my small flat suddenly feels scorching as he throws his shirt towards me. I just about manage to catch it, unable to drag my eyes from his half-naked body.
His hands drop to his waistband as he toes off his boots, discarding them where they are. He drops his trousers and pulls off his socks. He stuff them back into his boots and throws the trousers on the top.
“Leave them,” he says, flicking his eyes to the pile of clothes. “Just do that.”
Then, as if getting almost naked in a stranger’s flat is normal, he turns and heads towards the bathroom door.
I stay exactly where I am, frozen to the spot as the sound of the water running hits my ears and steam begins to bellow from the room. He didn’t even shut the bloody door. As if I need that kind of temptation. My need to strip down and follow him is already quite strong.
Chapter Nine
Realisingthat I can’t still be standing in the same spot when he reappears, I squeeze the fabric in my hands and will the image of water cascading down over his muscular arms from my head. I don’t need those kinds of thoughts in my mind if I want to get through this evening without making a mistake I can’t take back. I throw his shirt into the sink and slip my coat from my shoulders.
Without thinking, I run the water to fill the sink and throw in a scoopful of powder before a shout fills the room.
“Argh, what the fuck? Turn the tap off, it’s fucking freezing.”
