Page 45 of Enticed
“Yeah, baby, I’m here.” I hadn’t meant to call her that. It just slipped out. If she noticed, she didn’t say anything.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, alarm filling her tone.
“I-I don’t know. Something is beeping. I was worried your sugar had dropped again.” She listened for a moment then glanced down at her body. She kicked at the sheets until everything from her thighs up were exposed. I drank her in,wishing I was a stronger man, wishing I could resist the sight of all that exposed skin.
Reaching down to grip her insulin pump, she tilted it toward her to see the screen. “Shit. It’s out of battery. I should have changed it before bed.”
“Where are your batteries? I’ll get you a new one,” I offered as she cleared the alert. She instructed me on where to find them, and I returned a moment later with a fresh one. Propped up on her elbows, she watched as I crawled across the mattress again and resumed my kneeling position next to her. I could feel her eyes on me, and my skin prickled with awareness. The heat of her gaze was like a caress, one I was desperate to feel everywhere.
I reached for her pump and unclipped it from the waistband of her shorts. She gasped when my fingers brushed over the exposed skin of her abdomen. My body instantly reacted to the sound. I tried to ignore my rapidly growing erection and focused on replacing the battery.
“All set,” I declared once the new battery was in place. “You should probably try to get some sleep,” I advised, internally warning myself to get the hell out of there before I did something stupid. I was preparing to retreat when her pump started buzzing again.
She studied the screen and let out an exasperated sigh. “Now my insulin cartridge is low.” Her phone beeped, and she plucked it from the shelf next to the bed. Her lips pulled into a frown and her brow creased. “And my sugar is high. There’s not enough insulin for a bolus and to maintain the basal rate on my pump. I’ll have to refill it.”
She pushed herself up into a sitting position like she was preparing to get up, but I stopped her.
“I’ll get it. You stay here,” I instructed. I didn’t know how high her sugar was or at what point she became symptomatic,but I wasn’t taking any chances. Retrieving her insulin from the fridge, I grabbed the bag of diabetic supplies and returned to her. I watched as she filled the cartridge and programmed the pump so I would know how to do it in the future. I needed to learn how to do these things so I could take care of her should she ever become incapacitated.
“Is this what does it for you?” she asked, and I glanced up at her. There was a mischievous glint in her eye and a suggestive quirk to her brow. I shook my head and huffed a laugh. “You’re a menace.”
“Some guys are grossed out by all this,” she said, holding her hands out to indicate her diabetes equipment. And for the first time, I saw a flicker of insecurity. She’d never seemed bothered by it before, but clearly someone had made her feel self-conscious. “You don’t even bat an eye when I change my infusion site or give myself a shot.”
Jealousy at her mention of other men and rage at their lack of humanity and compassion burned in my gut.
“Those are boys, not men. There’s nothing gross about you or your diabetes. This,” I said, reaching out to tap on her pump, “is what keeps you alive. And to me, that makes it the most beautiful accessory you’ve ever worn.” I traced the tubing with my fingers to the insertion site and gently brushed them over the skin around the adhesive dressing holding it in place. Without thinking, I framed her hips with my hands and leaned forward to press a kiss to the spot just above it. She sucked in a sharp breath and reached out to tangle her fingers in my hair. “Never forget that.”
She held my gaze for a long moment, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. Those hypnotic eyes seared into me, the gold starbursts surrounding her pupils glowing like the hottest ember. If I didn’t put some space between us, we would ignite and burn our whole lives to the ground.
I stood and headed to the bathroom to get cleaned up before I did something stupid like put my mouth on any other parts of her body.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
JASMINE
My pulse hammered in my veins, and my breaths came in short bursts. The heat of Gabe's touch and his lips still lingered on my skin. I had wanted his hands all over me, but once again, he’d held back. What would it take for him to finally give in?
My eyes squeezed shut when I heard the shower come on, and visions of Gabe’s naked body flooded my mind. I had to use my imagination, of course, since I’d never actually seen him without clothes on, but I’dfelthim. He was all hard lines and well-defined muscles.
And he definitely wasn’t lacking in, ahem, other areas.
I tried in vain to go back to sleep, but I was too restless. My body hummed with anticipation and need. Gabe had given me just enough to get my blood pumping before retreating.
Long minutes passed and still, the shower kept running. It was unlike him to stay in there for very long. He was usually in and out in five minutes. Worry niggled at the back of my mind. What if something was wrong? What if he was passed out in the shower and I was over here fantasizing about his cock?
Slipping out of bed, I made my way toward the small bathroom. Pressing my ear to the door, I listened for any sounds of distress or movement. After a moment, a pained groan came from inside, and panic seized my chest. I twisted the knob and began to push open the door when a guttural curse fell from Gabe’s lips.
“Fuck. Jasmine,” he moaned, and my blood heated at the desire lacing his voice. Was he…
I glanced through the crack in the door and caught his reflection in the mirror. Only part of it was covered in fog leaving the lower half mostly unobscured. What I saw had me clamping my thighs together and panting for air. Gabe’s muscled back and firm ass were visible through the clear shower door. One hand was braced against the wall while the other pumped up and down. I couldn’t see his hand around his cock, but it was clear he was pleasuring himself. And he was doing it with my name on his lips.
I wanted to push open the door and drop to my knees in front of him so I could finish him off, but I suspected that would send him running for the hills. It was clear he wanted me, but there was no way he’d let things go that far that fast, and the last thing I wanted was to scare him away. Besides, we needed to build up to that, to explore physical intimacy at a pace we were both comfortable with. If I had any hope of him finally giving in to his feelings for me, I needed to tread carefully, to ease him into the idea of letting the things happen that we both wanted, but had been denying ourselves.
My mind raced with possibilities and a plan began to take root. I was jolted from my thoughts when an erotic grunt rumbled up his throat and every muscle in his body tensed.
The temptation to watch him stroke himself to completion was nearly unbearable, but I’d already encroached enough on his privacy. Besides, I wanted the first time I saw him unravel tobe when I was the one causing it. So I turned away and quietly pulled the door shut before tiptoeing back to my bed where I worked out the details of my plan to seduce my dad’s best friend.
“Second place isn’t so bad,”I said, trying to hide my disappointment. I hadn’t been at my best after being up half the night, and it showed in my performance.
