Chapter Twelve
Ihadn’t been able to take my eyes off Lauren all evening. It was killing me—being so close yet so far. Though it wasn’t much different from every other time I was near her. Any time I was in the same room with her, my body leaped to attention, my blood pulsing with desire with the need to be close to her, touch her. Despite agreeing to maintain a professional friendship, my body seemed to have a mind of its own.
And while I knew I should go easy, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Every time I had to watch her smile at another man, flirt with another man,dancewith another man, I took a sip of whiskey. It felt as if I really were trying to catch a tiger by the tail—a seemingly impossible task.
Maybe I should give up, I thought for the millionth time. Maybe I should admit it wasn’t going to happen.
But I refused to concede defeat—especially not when I knew how electric we could be. How explosive we could be.
Still, I was trying to respect her wishes. I was trying to honor her request that we remain “friendly” and “professional.” I was trying—for once in my life—to be a good guy. But being a good guy sucked.
And now—at our friends’ wedding—it was even more difficult to keep those boundaries separate, those rules in mind. It didn’t help that she was wearing a fitted dress that dipped low to reveal her ample cleavage. Let alone the fact that it wrapped around her hips and ass like a second skin. Everything about her drove me wild, deprived me of my reason.
Before I realized what I was doing, my feet were headed in the direction of her table.
“Nice speech,” she said when I joined her, helping myself to one of the empty seats.
“Thanks.” I kept my eyes on the dance floor, even as I stole glances at her.
If I’d thought she was stunning before, it was nothing compared to now. She was a fucking knockout. The way the light hit the sequins on her dress was mesmerizing; everything about her captivated me.
“No date?” she asked.
“Nah.” I took a sip of my whiskey, failing to mention that the woman I’d wanted to invite was sitting next to me. “You?”
She scanned the room, watching everyone else enjoy themselves. Observing, not participating. Sitting on the sidelines.
“Didn’t want to give a guy the wrong impression.”
“And what impression would that be, exactly?”
“That I’m the marrying type, the relationship type.”
It was like she was echoing my own thoughts. Sometimes the way our minds worked—almost as if they were in sync—was scary. For instance, when we’d go shopping, she knew what I liked without asking. And it wasn’t just furniture; it was food, too. I didn’t know whether she was observant or perceptive, or she just got me. But I’d never felt so…cared for.
“And why’s that?” I asked, wanting to understand more of what made her tick. She seemed to know so much about me, and I wanted to know everything about her.
She tipped back her glass, showing me the long column of her neck as she swallowed. I gripped my thigh as erotic images of her swallowing me danced through my brain. It didn’t stop there, because when she was done, she licked her lips. Was she trying to torture me?
“Because I’m not. And I don’t get the impression you are either.”
I leaned in, unable to resist the opportunity to get closer to her. “You’ve got me pegged.”
“Pegged?” She shifted so her legs were pointed away from me. “Can’t say I’ve tried pegging.”
“Can’t say I have either, nor that I want to.” I smirked. “Though, I am adventurous.”
“Adventurous. Is that just your sugarcoated way of saying you want to fuck my ass?”
I choked down the whiskey I’d just swallowed, coughing as I struggled to catch my breath.Jesus. This woman.She was as dirty-minded and foul-mouthed as me. And I loved it.
I loved that nothing seemed to faze her. Nothing seemed to embarrass her. It was sexy as hell, and I had a feeling we could have a lot of fun together.
“Want to play a little game of Truth or Dare?” I asked.
“First of all,” she said, turning back to me. “I’m concerned you asked that, considering the context.”
I chuckled, knowing this could—and would—get naughty. At least, if it were up to me. Fuck being the nice guy. He was a loser.
