Page 15 of Indulge Me Tonight

Amen to that, Grae acknowledged and then went to lean against the side of Tielle’s car.

“I don’t have many details—”

“Grae…”

“I swear it.” He spread his hands. “But Faro is up to something and—”

“This again…” Tielle muttered along with a curse. She reached for the driver’s-side door handle, but Grae slid over before the door, effectively blocking the handle and absorbing her slight frame when she bumped into him.

Grae had unintentionally crushed Tielle against him, and she couldn’t resist taking an unnecessarily deep breath. She thought of her nipples grazing his pecs and drew virtual pleasure from the memory. Tielle both celebrated and mourned the position. While it supported her—a thing her legs were incapable of just then—it sparked a potent tingle throughout her body, targeting her every nerve ending.

He proceeded to tell her what he knew, but Tielle could hear only the blood rushing through her ears. Her pounding heart provided accompaniment.

She sent a message to her brain. In it, she begged her eyes not to shut, thus clueing him in to how much his nearness affected her.

Cautiously, she curved her fingertips into the fabric of his shirt. The layers of clothing did relatively little to mask the unyielding plane of muscle that was his chest.

“I’m sorry, what?” she blurted when he called her name to recapture her attention. As she’d demanded, he’d given an explanation and was awaiting her response.

“When I figure all this out, I know I won’t be able to confront my brother without you there with me.”

Tielle hated herself for laughing, but her ex-husband’s thought process prompted the action. “Have you thought about how well that’d go over? Your family doesn’t need another reason to hate me, Grae.”

“They don’t hate you.” His hands flexed on her arms at the notion.

“The women in your family would rather kick me than kiss me.”

“None of the men feel that way.” He sounded hopeful.

When she laughed and bowed her head, Grae dropped his easy expression to replace it with a tortured, needy one. Deeply, he inhaled the soft, floral scent of her hair. He could smell it through the fuzzy cap she wore. Taking further advantage of her closeness, he applied a subtle massage to her hips, cupping them faintly and then closing his eyes as though ordering himself not to do more.

“Can’t you be wrong?” Her eyes were fixed on a fine strand loosed at the tip of his shirt’s collar.

“I hope to heaven that I am wrong.” He shrugged when her eyes flew to his face. “I want to feel what you do about Faro. I always have.”

“Maybe if you told Faro—” She cut herself off when he shook his head.

“You know I won’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I can only even consider that when you’re around me. Later, I won’t even remember I said it.”

Tielle shook her head. “Being around me didn’t help much before, did it?”

He gathered her closer; the temperature had dipped several notches during their time outdoors. “When a man loses a lot, he starts to see things differently.”

Grae trailed his fingers down her neck, across her collarbone. The tingles already affecting Tielle began to heat. Her lips parted, and she felt ready to offer him her tongue when the first sprinkle of snow landed on the tip of her nose.

“Damn you, Shanti Dillon.”

Grae frowned playfully. “Who’s that?”

“The weather lady.”

“This may not be the best weather to drive in.” He laughed.

Tielle gave the falling sprinkles a tired look. “I can still make it.”

“Not if I take you inside first.”

Her eyes narrowed as she read his thoughts. “Don’t you dare. We’ll wake the whole house.”

“Not if you don’t laugh the way you always do. It’s a blow to my ego when you do that, you know?”

“Then don’t—Grae!” Tielle shrieked when he bent and pulled her over his shoulder.

“My bag!” she screamed when he made a start for the garage door.

Grae carried her back to the car, setting her down so she could reach inside the car to grab the bag. He hooked a finger through a belt loop on her jeans to keep his possession secure. When Tielle grabbed her bag and tried to make a run for it, Grae slung her across his shoulder and carried his laughing ex-wife inside the house.

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