Page 70 of Mine For The Winter

His lip quirked. “It’s gonna take you a long time at this pace. You might want to think about using the gas a little.”

She didn’t smile and it killed him a bit. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice lower now.

Kelly exhaled heavily. “I’m always okay.”

“No you’re not. Nobody’salwaysokay.” His gaze was soft as he looked down at her. He could see how tired she was. This woman kept a thousand plates spinning every day and she never had time for herself. “Do you regret what we did?”

She pulled her lip between her teeth, then shook her head. “No. Maybe we needed it. To clear the air or something.”

“To clear the air.” He frowned. “What does that mean?”

“This thing between us. It was messing with my mind. Maybe now everything will come into focus.” She reached out to trace the arc of the steering wheel. “I hope it will.”

“You sucked my cock to stop your mind from being messed up?” He wasn’t sure he had the right to be hurt, but it stung anyway. “Is that what you’re trying to say?”

“No!” She shook her head. “You make it sound bad. I just think… I don’t want…” She sighed again. “You don’t owe me anything just because we made each other come.”

He leaned down, his hand resting against the roof of the car, his gaze searching her eyes. Damn, she could be unreadable sometimes.

“I do owe you.”

She shook her head again. “No.”

“Kelly…”

“I need to go home.”

She looked scared. Upset. And he hated that he was the one who’d made her that way. The same way he’d made her have to become strong, hard, unwilling to open herself up in case she got hurt.

“Okay,” he said. “Go home. I’ll call you later.”

“You don’t need to.”

“But I want to,” he said gently. “I want to call you. I want to be your friend.” He wanted so much more, but that would scare her. “And I need to talk to your dad. Get the ball rolling on his surgery.”

She lifted her eyes to look at him. “Do you think that’s why I did it? To make you pay for his knee?”

“No.” It was his turn to shake his head. “I think – or maybe I hope – you did it because you have feelings for me and you’re attracted to me. The same way I am to you.”

He couldn’t stand not touching her anymore. “Will you at least get out so I can hug you?”

“You just want to seduce me with your hugs,” she muttered, but there was humor there this time. He preferred it to the fear.

“You always said I gave the best ones.”

“You did. You do.”

“Then get out here and get one.” He pulled the handle of the driver’s door and opened it, waiting to see what she’d do. A ghost of a smile pulled at her lips as she pushed down on the button to unbuckle her seatbelt.

And then she climbed into his arms. He wrapped them around her, pulling her close, her head resting on his chest, her hands fisting his sweater. Her fingernail inadvertently scraped his nipple through the thin wool layer and he let out a grunt.

“Aren’t you wearing anything underneath it?” she asked him.

“I got dressed in a hurry. Underwear wasn’t an option.”

“So you’re not…” Her eyes widened as she looked down at his jeans.

“Wearing underwear there either.” He grinned as he completed his sentence. “Now give me another hug, this time without the gashed nipple.”

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