would have no idea how damp her panties were from her erotic dream starring him. Her body was in full rebellion.
His hand twitched before he curled his fingers over hers. “I’ve never forgotten how nice your parents were that day. Your mother had popsicles waiting when we got back.”
Even though her parents had been gone for many years, the void they’d left would sometimes open and swallow her. She nodded, cursing the lump of tears in her throat. She never talked about her parents. Not even with her brothers if she could help it. Any mention of them was a trigger to change the subject.
“I still miss them.” The surprise at what had popped out of her mouth unleashed more. “Sometimes I get so mad, I have to open the gym so I can beat up on one of the body bags.”
“I miss my mom, too. Or more like, I miss the idea of a mom. There were so many things she was too sick to do.”
Still pillowed on his arm, she turned her head so they were face-to-face. What she saw in him poured understanding into the void. He truly understood. He wasn’t spouting platitudes.
Being with Nash made her feel exposed and raw yet protected at the same time. The conflicting emotions tore through her. She pushed up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Away. She needed to get away to figure things out.
“I’ve got to head out. Thanks for letting me crash here last night.” She grabbed her smoky-smelling jeans from the night before and yanked them on. Working her bare feet into her boots was a little more challenging.
He rose and stretched. A sunbeam from the skylight emphasized the muscles of his chest. Hair a shade darker than on his head covered his chest, her gaze following the line that disappeared into his waistband of his boxer briefs. She dropped her gaze to what was barely hidden. After fumbling with her laces like a kindergartner, she stood up fast, her head swimming, unable to tear her gaze away from the bulge in his underwear.
A garbled noise welled out of her throat. He muttered a curse, grabbed a pillow, and held it in front of his hips, shuffling so his back was against the bathroom door. A red flush had spread up his neck and into his face. Heat radiated from her too. Embarrassed, yes, but something else as well. Something that made her want to rip that pillow out of his hands and fall to her knees.
“Sorry. Mornings … beautiful woman in my bed … nature taking over, I guess.” His sleep-roughened, sexy voice only made things worse.
“Understood. Not a … big deal.” She choked as the Freudian slip exited her mouth. It was a big deal, a huge deal, possibly even an enormous deal. Grabbing the shirt she’d had on the night before, she held it in front of her chest, hiding her traitorous nipples, and backed to the loft stairs. “I’ve got to get to the gym so … I’ll see you around.”
She ran down the steps, tripped on her poorly tied laces, and stumbled over the last few stairs. Not exactly a smooth exit. She ran across the wet grass of the backyard and through the gate. A middle-aged male jogger ran by and glanced in her direction, but otherwise the street and sidewalks were deserted. Why did she feel guilty? It’s not like anything actually happened except for some handholding and unintentional cuddling.
But Lord have mercy, she’d dreamed about doing things to Nash and him doing things to her. Naughty, dirty things. Things she might have been able to shove back into her subconscious until she’d seen the bulge in his underwear. Her naughty, dirty thoughts got exponentially naughtier and dirtier.
She fumbled with her key fob, unlocking her sensible four-door sedan and sliding behind the wheel. Even at this time of morning, heat had built up inside, forcing her to turn the air conditioner to max. Did he really think she was beautiful? A glance in the rearview mirror showed a woman with bedhead, no makeup, and shocked, wide eyes.
She pulled up to her apartment building and inspected
His hand twitched before he curled his fingers over hers. “I’ve never forgotten how nice your parents were that day. Your mother had popsicles waiting when we got back.”
Even though her parents had been gone for many years, the void they’d left would sometimes open and swallow her. She nodded, cursing the lump of tears in her throat. She never talked about her parents. Not even with her brothers if she could help it. Any mention of them was a trigger to change the subject.
“I still miss them.” The surprise at what had popped out of her mouth unleashed more. “Sometimes I get so mad, I have to open the gym so I can beat up on one of the body bags.”
“I miss my mom, too. Or more like, I miss the idea of a mom. There were so many things she was too sick to do.”
Still pillowed on his arm, she turned her head so they were face-to-face. What she saw in him poured understanding into the void. He truly understood. He wasn’t spouting platitudes.
Being with Nash made her feel exposed and raw yet protected at the same time. The conflicting emotions tore through her. She pushed up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Away. She needed to get away to figure things out.
“I’ve got to head out. Thanks for letting me crash here last night.” She grabbed her smoky-smelling jeans from the night before and yanked them on. Working her bare feet into her boots was a little more challenging.
He rose and stretched. A sunbeam from the skylight emphasized the muscles of his chest. Hair a shade darker than on his head covered his chest, her gaze following the line that disappeared into his waistband of his boxer briefs. She dropped her gaze to what was barely hidden. After fumbling with her laces like a kindergartner, she stood up fast, her head swimming, unable to tear her gaze away from the bulge in his underwear.
A garbled noise welled out of her throat. He muttered a curse, grabbed a pillow, and held it in front of his hips, shuffling so his back was against the bathroom door. A red flush had spread up his neck and into his face. Heat radiated from her too. Embarrassed, yes, but something else as well. Something that made her want to rip that pillow out of his hands and fall to her knees.
“Sorry. Mornings … beautiful woman in my bed … nature taking over, I guess.” His sleep-roughened, sexy voice only made things worse.
“Understood. Not a … big deal.” She choked as the Freudian slip exited her mouth. It was a big deal, a huge deal, possibly even an enormous deal. Grabbing the shirt she’d had on the night before, she held it in front of her chest, hiding her traitorous nipples, and backed to the loft stairs. “I’ve got to get to the gym so … I’ll see you around.”
She ran down the steps, tripped on her poorly tied laces, and stumbled over the last few stairs. Not exactly a smooth exit. She ran across the wet grass of the backyard and through the gate. A middle-aged male jogger ran by and glanced in her direction, but otherwise the street and sidewalks were deserted. Why did she feel guilty? It’s not like anything actually happened except for some handholding and unintentional cuddling.
But Lord have mercy, she’d dreamed about doing things to Nash and him doing things to her. Naughty, dirty things. Things she might have been able to shove back into her subconscious until she’d seen the bulge in his underwear. Her naughty, dirty thoughts got exponentially naughtier and dirtier.
She fumbled with her key fob, unlocking her sensible four-door sedan and sliding behind the wheel. Even at this time of morning, heat had built up inside, forcing her to turn the air conditioner to max. Did he really think she was beautiful? A glance in the rearview mirror showed a woman with bedhead, no makeup, and shocked, wide eyes.
She pulled up to her apartment building and inspected
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