Page 5 of Slide

She blinked up at him. “What the hell’s that supposed to mean?” Their chests were almost touching, and the rough way he just said baby girl caused the relentless pulse between her legs to get stronger. She had a love/hate thing going on with that nickname. She knew he used it to put her in her place, to keep her at a distance. But the amount of times she’d lain in her bed, touching herself, imagining him above her while he said those words…

It happened more than she’d like to admit.

A rough sound slid past his lips. She shivered before she could stop herself. God, his boot was against her foot, their bodies plastered from knee to chest. What the hell is going on here?

He gritted his teeth. “It means you—”

His phone started up in his pocket.

Adam stilled, then looked down at her like he didn’t know how he got there. He took an abrupt step back, but that cool blue gaze stayed locked on hers, body stiff.

“It means I what?” Her voice came out husky, softer than she’d intended.

His fingers curled into fists and his jaw ticked again. She thought he might actually answer her, but instead he yanked his phone from his pocket.

“Just…give your brothers a goddamn break. Last thing they need to be worrying about is keeping your ass out of trouble.” Then he answered the phone, dismissing her.

She spun around before he saw how his words affected her, how much they hurt. Especially after the way he’d just pressed up against her, the way he’d looked at her. God, she’d actually thought he was going to…

Idiot.

Cutting off those thoughts before they could fully form, she bent to pick up her bags. There had to be something seriously wrong with her, wanting—shit, loving a man like him. But what could she do? Where Adam was concerned, the heart wanted what it wanted. Turned out her heart was insane and masochistic.

Adam was murmuring into his phone behind her, deep in conversation, and though she tried, she couldn’t help but sneak a glance over her shoulder before she straightened. His phone was to his ear—but his eyes…his eyes were locked on her butt. So engrossed was he in his ass ogling that he hadn’t even noticed her watching him watching her. The way the fingers of his free hand were curled into a tight fist, or the way his body was held so rigid, he looked carved from stone. Her gaze dropped and she sucked in a breath.

Or the way his cock was hard as iron, clearly outlined through his snug jeans.

She straightened, quickly looking away, and headed for the door, heart racing, head swimming, confused, turned on…

Mostly confused.

What was that? Had she stepped through some portal into an alternate universe? Because that had never happened before. Well, she assumed it hadn’t.

Had it?

Had Adam been getting as turned on as she did when they fought all this time? Did he…did he want her…like that?

No. Stop it, Lucy.

He was a guy. And not just any guy. He was Adam the manwhore Grady. An ass was in front of him so he looked at it. It could have been any random woman’s ass. Second nature to a guy like that, right?

After everything she’d been through lately, her grip on reality was more than likely compromised. She needed to focus on getting her life back on track, not lust after the surly, unattainable bastard downstairs.

That’s it. The end

No more thinking about Adam Grady.

~ * ~

Adam watched his best friends’ baby sister walk away, perked up ass swaying as she went, and his gut tightened, along with his goddamn jeans. He growled.

“You still there?” his cousin John muttered down the line.

“Yeah, sorry.”

“So, you can do it? You’ll find her and bring her back to me?”

This was a dumb idea, the worst, but the building excitement pumping through his veins at just the idea of doing this job for John made it impossible to refuse. “I’ll find her.”