Page 52 of Hot Under the Collar

YASSS, Cat Daddy!

A blush rose on her cheeks, a flicker of awareness they were still livestreaming. Then it disappeared under her small, crooked smile.

“Okay, I think the internet’s telling us we broke the feed.”

He laughed, low. “Then care to, uh, end this and pick up where we left off?”

Lynne’s smile deepened. She reached past him for the phone. “Goodbye, internet. We’ll be seeing you soon.”

The last thing the camera caught was his hand sliding to her waist. Then it went black.

23

Lynne (Now)

The silence hit first—comforting and almost alive. Her heart thudded like it was trying to fill the space between them. And then he touched her waist again, and she remembered what it felt like to want him there. For the first time in weeks, there was no audience, no scrolling words, no reason to keep her guard up.

She’d built her whole life around not needing anyone. It had kept her upright, kept the bar open, kept the grief from drowning her. But somewhere between Fred, the kittens, and Leo’s stupid fire extinguishers, she’d realized surviving wasn’t the same as living—and she was tired of pretending it was.

Leo’s eyes were still searching hers like he wasn’t sure if he could believe this was really happening. He smiled shyly, those goddamn dimples doing things to her again.

“So,” she murmured. “Where were we?”

He pulled her close, and she climbed onto his lap, legs hugging against his muscular thighs. When their foreheads met, their lips a breath apart, he said, “Ah, yes. That’s just about right.”

She huffed out a laugh. But she caught his hesitation. That flicker of the old caution that used to live between them. And suddenly she didn’t want any of it—the pauses, the almosts, the years of wanting him but pretending not to.

She kissed him, long and hard enough to erase every other version of her he’d known. To leave him doubtless about how much she wanted to be here right now, in his arms.

They melted into each other—mouths weaving together, hands pressed then gliding over shoulders and down backs, hips grinding.

She tilted her head, and Leo found that spot on her neck that always undid her and sucked it lightly.

A moan escaped her. “Uhh. Every time you do that, it makes me weak.”

“You’re welcome.” He smiled against her skin. Then his hands traveled over her thighs and along the band of her sweatpants. He slipped them inside, exploring. “Mmm,” he said. “Lace. Just like the ones you had on the other night?”

“You saw that? When I was changing?”

“Yep.” He leaned in to kiss along her neck. “Haven’t been able to get it out of my goddamn mind.”

She giggled. “Well, you’re welcome, too.”

The feel of his breath was sending shivers down her spine. “So were you thinking of me while you were showering that night? I noticed you were in there a long time.”

“Honestly? It wouldn’t be the first time I thought of you while I was in the shower, Lynne.”

“Naughty. I like it.”

His mouth traced kisses along her jawline.

“Hey now, wait a minute,” she said. Her mouth pulled up at the corner. “Why do we still have on all these clothes?”

“Good point. Let’s remedy that.”

She grabbed his shirt hem and pulled it over his head. Then she lightly dragged her nails from his pecs to his lower abdomen, savoring his irresistibly soft skin, while the muscles firmed and flexed against her fingertips.

“Mmmm.” She bit her lower lip. “That’s better.”