Page 21 of Avoiding Temptation
“Good?”
“Yeah, it was fun.”
“Fun. Huh?”
“What’s that meant to mean?”
“Nothing. Just wondering what I should have done to make it amazing.”
I pause, because I think we both know that it was amazing, even if I’m too scared to admit it. “Well...it didn’t tick off all my crazy to-do list.”
“No one-night-stand. Right.”
“That wasn’t on my list,” I protest.
“Sure.”
“How was your day at work?” I ask, trying to steer the conversation away from me.
“Long. Boring. Everything that last night wasn’t. Plus, you weren’t there.”
Looking over, my eyes find his staring back at me, and my breath catches. The sincerity in his stare is a little much to take. I’m not sure anyone’s ever looked at me with such honesty and longing in their eyes.
“I don’t think I should have got in this van with you.”
“Why?”
“Shit,” I mutter. The more I try to be unaffected by him, the more he buries his way under my skin.
He turns back to watch where we’re going, but I can’t rip my eyes away from his profile. His jaw is covered in the perfect amount of scruff, and his full lips are parted slightly, allowing his breaths to pass. His neck and shoulders are pure muscle, and his chest is rising and falling rapidly, showing me that although he seems calm and composed by this situation, in reality it’s hitting him just like it is me.
He turns back towards me, his eyes like blue pools of desire that I really shouldn’t want to dip my toe into, I'm afraid I might not be able to stop myself. He holds my stare once again, allowing me to see exactly what it is he wants. Memories from the club last night hit me, and I feel it right in my core. What it felt like to have his hands on me. How he so easily played my body until I totally fell apart in his arms.
“You don’t need to be afraid to ask me for what you need.”
I suck in a surprised breath. Did I just say something aloud again?
His hand lifts from his lap, and the rough skin brushes across my cheek, sending shudders of pleasure through my body.
Ripping my eyes away from his, I take in my surroundings. My building.
My heart drops that our time is over, until I see the movement of a shadow over by the bushes.
The fear that consumed me when Joe's van pulled up in front of me is strong enough to overtake my desire. My eyes dart around, looking for anything else out of place, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Are you okay?”
“I...uh...of course. Thank you for the lift.” I squash the tremble in my voice, but the concern that twists his face tells me I didn’t do a very good job.
My hand shakes as adrenaline races through my limbs when I reach for the door.
“Would you like me to walk you up?”
I should say no. I’m well aware of that. But I’m also aware that if I were to come face-to-face with my past, having Joe standing behind me would be no bad thing. Not that I have any intention of dragging him into my disastrous past life.
“N-no, I’ll be fine.” My voice cracks, and I hate sounding so weak and vulnerable.
Pushing the door open, I climb out into the rain. A shiver runs through me as the cold surrounds me. I look back for Joe, regretting my decision, but when I look into the van, it’s empty.
