Page 46 of Voice to Raise
“Yeah, pretty much. I often wind up showering when I get home—especially if the weather’s hot and muggy.”
“We’re into the end of October.”
“That we are.”
“What I’m trying to say is we can put your bike in the back of my SUV. I need to drop those CDs off at the café. Then I can drive you home.”
“I can take the bus. My bike’s safe here overnight.”
“Does the bus go from the door here to the door of your house?”
“My condo? Uh, no.”
“Then I’ll drive you. No sense you getting soaked.”
His bossiness was turning me on a little bit, which I found surprising. Especially since I’d come to work here, I’d taken a lot of pride in being responsible for everything. For everyone. Even Blossom—although she didn’t feel that way and certainly wouldn’t thank me for the idea.
Slowly, he disentangled himself from me and scooted off the couch. “Does this place have a shower? Because I think I stink, and I really don’t want to go into the café smelling like spunk.”
I burst out laughing. “I agree smelling like sex might be off-putting. Although, frankly, I think you smell good. I like your soap.”
He offered a grin. “All natural. I didn’t want to wear anything chemical around you.”
His words stunned. That he’d put so much effort into preventing me from getting a migraine. “I…uh…thank you.”
He dropped a kiss to my cheek. “You’re welcome. Now, shower?”
“Yes. Upstairs.”
“You joining me?”
I eyed him. “We’re just going to shower…right?”
His grin was wicked. “I’d be up for more…but I can behave.”
“Well, I appreciate that. Even though we’re alone, this is still my workplace. I’d feel awkward—” I gazed at my sweat-slicked spunk-smelling rosy-from-sex body. “Fuck it. If you can get up again, I’ll give you a blow job.”
He did.
I did.
Then he jerked me off because apparently me giving a blow job had me growing hard as well. Who knew giving pleasure would be so arousing? I hadn’t. I’d certainly never been aroused like that when I’d been sucking Paul off.
I resolutely put my ex out of my mind as we loaded my bike into the back of Malik’s SUV. Despite our best efforts, we were both soaked by the time we got in. He disregarded my concern over his leather seats and said something about it being his father’sold thing.
Admittedly, I didn’t know a whole lot about SUVs—but I recognized the high-end brand, the fact the vehicle was electric, and I couldn’t help but noticing how everything appeared new. Either he rarely used it or he took good care of it.
Despite my best efforts, my breath wound up fogging up the windows while he was in the café. I wasnotgoing to think about him and Ty. Just because the man was damn attractive, didn’t mean he slept with everyone he encountered—men or women. My instinct said bisexual, although that might just have been because I’d spotted him with both genders. Hell, he might even be pan or poly. I didn’t have a problem with either—people were free to love whoever they wanted.
He returned, hopped into the SUV, and started the engine with the defrost on high to clear the fog from the windows.
“Sorry.”
“No worries.” He grabbed a towel from the wheel well behind his seat. He made an attempt to dry his hair. It’d gotten wet during our shower as well.
He caught my gaze. “It’s going to be hell later. That’s why I just let it go natural with the curls. I’m too lazy to style it and put too much gunk in it.”
Experimentally, I touched it.
