Page 15 of Hot Touch
“Jack!”
“It’s just that I have a… meeting.” She was lying. I couldn’t prove it, but I knew her. She was definitely up to something.
“I’d love to.” He shocked me by agreeing so easily, stepping closer. When our eyes locked, it felt like everything and everyone around us disappeared. “I mean, if you’re okay with it.” My insides went all warm and fuzzy.
No regrets. Be wild. Take chances,a soft voice in my head reminded me of the promise I’d made myself. I’d thought the first thing I’d do would be to go get a haircut or change the color of it. Maybe even get a tattoo or a piercing?
Start off easy.
But as I stared at him, the hope in his beautiful blue stare radiating off and onto me in waves made me want to believe, too. To hope for more. To believe in whatever we were obviously both feeling and drawn to.
I guess I was going to do somethingreallywild first, like putting my heart on the line.
It was insane and stupid, but I wasn’t going to overthink it. I was going to go with it because there wasn’t a thing I was going to regret from here on out until the day I died.
“Thank you,” I accepted softly. “I’d appreciate it.”
Hoping that somehow, this all wouldn’t blow up in my face.
SIX
ALEJANDRA
“Wouldyou like me to take you to your sister’s place?” he asked the moment he got into his truck.
I turned to look at him, trying not to think of how good he smelled when he’d leaned over me just a few seconds ago, insisting on helping me into the truck, then buckling me up. There was something so sexy about that, and the easy way his arm was draped over the steering wheel, it was easy to get distracted by the view. Especially when his arms looked all muscly.
“I don’t think my place is habitable. Or not yet. Unless?—“
“I’m sorry. I should have been clearer. I just meant, if you don’t want to go to your sister’s place, you could always come home with me.”
“Home with you?” I repeated, shifting my body to look at him better. Was I actually in a coma? Was my mind playing tricks on me? I had no idea what kind of Twilight Zone I’d stepped into where a man like him, because he was definitelyallman, would be so interested in me.
“Yeah,” he rasped. I wasn’t sure if my mind was playing tricks on me with the way his gaze dropped to my lips, and he got a sortof hungry look in his eye.Like he wants to kiss me.“My place,” he repeated. “We could hang out. I can cook for you, and if you want, I can take you to your sister’s place later.
“You, umm, don’t have to work today?” I asked, not bothering to hide my curiosity.
“No. I’m off for the next week.”
“A week, huh? That’s nice.”
“And for the record, it’s not ready. Your apartment, I mean. Not yet. I talked to a buddy of mine. He thinks the building might still be structurally secure, but it will be at least a week or two until they know for sure.”
“Oh,” I said. “Does that mean… we all have to wait almost two weeks till we know if we can get our things?”
“No, baby. I asked if I could help you get your things, and he said tenants would be let in starting tomorrow.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you.” I had a feeling it had been a little more than asking Nathan had done. I wasn’t sure if that was simply protocol or if he did it for me.
“So… where would you like to go?” His eyes definitely dropped to my mouth.Maybe he is attracted to me? Maybe this is a hookup? Maybe that’s how firemen do it?Playing the knight in shining armor and getting the hookup.
“Your place,” I answered.No regrets.Even if all I ended up being was a notch on his bedpost, I knew I wouldn’t regret it.
Twenty minutes later, I couldn’t believe where he pulled up to. I blinked and blinked again. The one-story cottage, two streets down from my childhood home. The same house I would stare at with longing as I walked to and from school as a kid. One that I would let my imagination run wild with, thinking that was where I wanted to live when I got older. When I had a family of my own. A place and dream I’d completely forgotten about.
Until now.
“What is it?” He put the truck inPark, his attention on me.
