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Relief washes over his features as his hand grips my lower back. He moves me even closer and everything around us just seems to disappear. This thing—whatever it is—brewing between us is its own force, its own entity, alive and breathing. It consumes me and washes through my blood. I can feel its power and am helpless to stop it.
Not that I want to.
I’m also helpless to stop the kiss. Rueben’s lips are inching closer to my own. My tongue slips out, wetting them quickly as I close my eyes. I can feel his breath tickle my skin, causing goosebumps to pepper my skin. His lips are firm, yet tender, as he slides them across mine. When his lips finally settle on mine, he moves them expertly and lazily, as if savoring the taste and feel. Before I even have a chance to open my mouth, his mouth lowers, kissing down my jaw and across my chin.
This kiss…wow.
“I have another idea,” he whispers, nibbling on my lower lip and making my body shiver.
“What’s that?”
“What if we stay in Chicago through Wednesday and fly back to Tennessee. I’d love for you to see my place. You can stay there until Friday.”
My heart is jackhammering in my chest as my brain screams, “YES! YES!” I let out a little gasp as he sucks my bottom lips between his teeth, my panties pretty much completely useless at this point. “I’ve never been to Tennessee before,” I whisper in a voice that doesn’t even sound like my own.
“Then it’s my solemn duty, as your friend, to show you how gorgeous Gatlinburg is in the fall.” He moves his hand slightly lower, his fingers dancing across the cheek of my ass.
“I think that sounds like a brilliant idea,” I tell him, gripping onto the back of his jacket as if it were a life vest and I’m floating in endless miles of ocean.
“Yeah?” he asks, teasing the corner of my mouth with his tongue.
“Fuck yes,” I gasp, practically grinding against the front of his pants where his erection presses hard into my stomach.
We continue to sway to the music, but I’ll be honest, it could have switched to a fast song and I wouldn’t have a clue. My brain isn’t firing on all cylinders and the lust in my body is threatening to take over completely. In all my life, I’ve never felt this wanted, this appreciated.
This adored.
“I have another idea,” he says, his mouth now dancing beside my ear.
“You’re on a roll. Keep talking.”
I can feel his lips turn into a smile as he tries to keep our dance PG. I’m pretty sure we already went way past that and are one nipple peek away from being straight out porn. “How would you like to get out of here?”
My heart skips a beat and pirouettes in my chest like a damned professional ballerina. I stop moving and pull back just slightly. Not enough to show the entire hall full of alumni what’s going on down in his pants, but enough he can see my face when I reply, “I thinkthat’sthe best idea you’ve ever had.”
The smile that spreads across his face does things in my chest, and I already know, at the end of this week, I’m going to be crushed. I’m not going to want to go home, to leave him back in Tennessee while I fly home to California. I’m going to hurt and probably cry when this ends. I know it, yet I don’t want to be anywhere than with him. Even if that means I’m left gutted and alone come next Friday night, I already know the line between friendship and more has already been crossed. It’s in the rearview mirror, waving dramatically and begging me to come back. But I don’t.
I can’t.
I want more.
Even if there’s an expiration date.
Chapter Twelve
Rueben
I’m ready to fly out of this room, dragging Cricket behind me as I go, but I don’t. I can’t. See, I have this little problem in my pants and if I move, everyone and their mother is going to know just how badly I want this woman.
That’s why I keep dancing, even when the song changes to a slightly upbeat one, I keep us close, but put just a little more distance between us. If I don’t, if I keep her body pressed against mine and the temptation of her lips so dangerously close, I’ll never get this hard-on down enough to walk out of here.
And believe me, since the moment she uttered those words, it took Herculean strength not to throw her over my shoulder and run from the room. But I don’t want to embarrass her any more than I already have, considering I’ve practically mauled her in the last five minutes in front of a room packed with people.
Definitely not my finest hour, and my mama raised a gentleman, which is why I keep her out on the dance floor just long enough to get my libido under control and keep my lips to myself. When the upbeat song finally ends, I take her hand and lead her off the dance floor. I can feel eyes on us, but I keep mine focused on our table and away from their judgmental glances.
When we finally reach our destination, my intention is to just grab her clutch purse and run, but I know that’s not what will happen. She hasn’t seen her friends in years, and I need to give her a chance to say goodnight.
I glance over at Bridget, who’s wearing a cat that ate the canary grin as she sips her champagne. Her husband whispers something in her ear, making her smile widely and nod. I probably don’t even want to know what he said, so I just give her a wink and reach for Cricket’s purse.
