Page 120 of Bodyguard By Night

I could feel my hair expanding exponentially. I still didn’t have all of my things here—including my curly hair serums.

Another reason to leave his place. I needed to get my SUV. Ransom kept carting me around and distracting me, dammit.

I picked up my discarded clothes and padded into his bedroom to drape them on the chair. My box of goodies was full of social media fads, but I could probably find something to wear.

I dug through and found the butt-tacular yoga pants that had been in a wildfire meme for the ultimate work-from-home clothing that could drive your man wild. Hmm. I’d never wanted to show my legs and butt off for anyone before.

My claim to fame was my humor and tips and tricks, not my buns of steel.

Before I could overthink it, I tugged on the pants and found a fluffy raspberry-colored cropped sweater that I must’ve tossed in there by accident. I slipped it on and fussed with it in the mirror. “Not bad.”

Hid the no bra thing and everything. Score.

I was braiding my hair when one of the boards in the hall squeaked.

“Jesus.”

I turned at his voice and tried valiantly not to grin. “I’ll just run downstairs while you get ready.”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

With several steps, he was in front of me. He looked deliciously ruffled as if he’d been outside. “Like what?” He tugged me against him, and I hissed at his cold skin. It was a windy spring day, and he obviously hadn’t bothered with a shirt. “You should warm me up.”

“Nuh-uh. We have to go to Rachel’s.”

“C’mon, she won’t care if we’re late.”

I looped my arms around him, my fingers tracking up his back and instinctively finding all his scars. Almost immediately, his blue eyes lost their playful expression.

Inwardly, I cursed. “Sorry.”

“No need to be sorry.”

“Do they hurt?” My voice was little more than a whisper.

“Not right now.”

“But they do sometimes?”

“Old man aches. That’s all.”

I stood on my tiptoes and brushed a kiss over his stern mouth. “Old man aches, my ass.” I kissed him until I felt his lips bend into a smile then peppered his lips and face with more.

“Okay, okay.” He cupped my face. The dark cloudy gray was gone, and a sweet light had come back into his eyes. “You make me forget the aches.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He brushed his nose along mine. “You make me forget a lot of things.”

Then I forgot that I was supposed to be teasing him out of the mood I’d brought on and drowned in the taste of him. A long, unhurried kiss spiraled into so much more.

It was always like this with us. No easy touches for very long.

He slipped his hands up and under my sweater. A groan vibrated into my mouth when he only found skin. Those big, calloused hands scraped over my flesh with equal parts need and tenderness. His firm touch ramped me up like no other in my life.

It was tempting to let him take me under. His lake-sized bed would be far more fun than listening to my sister list off a zillion plans for the Gala room and the chapel. But I’d been avoiding her for far too long.

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