I’m becoming aware of something I really, really don’t want to be aware of right now. A stirring. A heat. My body responding to her proximity in ways that are completely inappropriate and entirely beyond my control.
It’s been a while. Years, actually, since I’ve been with anyone. Sure, there was a string of one-night stands when I was younger, when the post-game adrenaline demanded an outlet, and I hadn’t yet learned to channel it elsewhere. But somewhere along the line, I stopped being interested. Women were too loud, too emotional. Their perfume too strong, their expectations too complicated. It was easier just to be alone.
I’d convinced myself I didn’t need it. Didn’t want it.
Winnie shifts on my lap, and my dick twitches against my thigh.
Apparently, I was wrong.
“You okay?” she asks, glancing back at me.
“Fine.”
“You sure? You seem wound kind of… tight.”
She’s right. I’m about as relaxed as a prisoner on execution day. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Her voice is soft. “Just checking.”
Logan appears with a tray of shots, and for a moment, the attention shifts away from us. I take the opportunity to breathe. To try to get myself under control.
It doesn’t work.
Every time she moves—every tiny shift of her weight, every adjustment of her position—I feel it. The friction. The warmth. The maddening, excruciating pleasure of having her body pressed against mine.
I shouldn’t like this. I don’t do closeness or cuddling. But God help me, I like this. I like the weight of her. The smell of her hair—something citrusy and clean—filling my nose every time I breathe. The way she fits against me like she was designed to be there.
My free hand moves without my permission, sliding from the table to her thigh. Just resting there. Casual. The kind of touch a boyfriend would give without thinking.
She tenses slightly, then relaxes. Covers my hand with hers.
The contact sends a jolt through me. Electric. Dangerous.
“So,” Tori says, leaning across the table with a wicked grin. “This is the first time I’ve actually seen you two together. Like, together together.” She gestures at us. “It’s cute. Who knew Banks could do cute?”
“I don’t do cute,” I say.
“You’re literally cuddling your girlfriend in a booth right now. That’s the definition of cute.”
“We’re not cuddling. There aren’t enough chairs.”
“Keep telling yourself that.” Tori grins.
Winnie laughs, and I feel it vibrate through her body into mine. My hand tightens on her thighinvoluntarily.
She shifts against me, and I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from making a sound. My blood is running hot, rushing south, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. I’m hardening against my thigh, trapped beneath her weight, and if she moves again, she’s going to feel exactly what she’s doing to me.
She moves again.
Her body goes still.
For a moment, neither of us breathes.
Then she turns her head slightly, just enough to catch my eye. There’s a question there. An awareness.
I lean in, my lips brushing her ear. “Sorry. Just ignore it and it will go away.”
It’s a lie. It’s such a lie. But it’s the only excuse I have.
