Page 163 of The Path to Loving Him
“How was your dinner with Bennett?”
“Uh, it was so good. It feels like ages since we’ve caught up face to face. I’ve missed him.” The bed dips as he adjusts behind me.
“Did you tell him about the foul pole incident?”
I chuckle and turn to my back.He’s really close. Only inches away.Keep it together, Gabby.“I did. He was mad at first because I was stupid for doing it by myself.”
“Thank you.”
“But then he laughed at the image of me sliding down the pole, clinging on for dear life.”
“I’m sad I missed that part since I was blinded by paint.” He plucks a piece of hair off my face and tucks it behind my ear.
“Like I said before, if you didn’t put it on the list, it never would have happened.”
“And like I said, I didn’t actually think you’d complete the list.”
“Well, look who learned their lesson.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” he says in a light tone. And then, from under the sheets, he plucks at my shirt. “I see that you’re wearing my shirt. I assumed I’d be getting it back.”
“Ooo, that’s embarrassing for you, as you assumed wrong.”
He chuckles as his hand slides over my hip, causing goosebumps all over my body. “I might just have to steal it back.”
“If you want it, you’re going to have to tear it off my body.”
His fingers slide along the hem, and I know he’s going to crack me. I can feel it already as a dull throb starts pulsing between my legs. I’m already aroused. The type of arousal that’s never satisfied unless fully taken care of.
“Don’t tempt me.” He tugs on the hem of the shirt and then slightly slides it up my hip to where, lo and behold, I’m not wearing underwear. Why? Because I didn’t account for wearing a pair to bed.
He must notice because I can feel his body grow tense as his fingertips dance across my bare hipbone.
“Gabby,” he says softly.
“Yeah?” I ask, looking at him.
“I . . . I need to talk to you.”
And here we go.
The friends-without-benefits spiel, but this time, I didn’t even get to enjoy the sex beforehand. Now just the lecture. This is what my life has come to, and it’s entirely too depressing.
I turn toward him now and say, “It’s okay, Ryland, you don’t have to say anything. I know, close quarters and all. I wasn’t trying to entice you or anything like that with the no underwear. I just forgot, I swear.”
His brow comes together. “That’s not what I want to talk about.”
I pat his chest, his strong, thick, corded chest. “I know, friends without benefits. The kiss today was a spur-of-the-moment thing, and I’m sorry. I know we really haven’t kissed since, wow, since a long time. I guess we don’t kiss. We just fuck, now that I think about it, and that was intimate. It was just something that happened, and I’m sorry.”
“Gabby—”
“Won’t happen again. That’s why I said I’d sleep on the couch. I know your boundaries, and we can’t keep going around in circles. So if you want me to, I’ll just go out to the couch?—”
Before I can attempt to move, his hand moves around my waist and down to my ass where he cups it and pulls me in closer to his chest.
“Oh,” I say in surprise. “What?—”
“Can you just be quiet for a second?” he says as his hand travels up my back, taking my shirt with him.
