Page 52 of The Offside Rule
“Yes,” he confirmed.
“Friendly dinner in your condo?” I clarified, because if being in a closed elevator with him made me forget my name, what would being in his own very private condo do to me? To him?
His mouth twitched. “You say that like I invited you to an underground fight club.” Then he cleared his throat. “I owe you.”
“For what?” I asked, truly perplexed.
“The shoulder.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “You made the right call. I was annoyed, but you were right.”
I tried not to smile too much. “That must have hurt to say.”
“Deeply.”
“Do you need a minute?” I joked.
“I’ll survive,” he said dryly.
I studied him, trying to decide if this was smart. It wasn’t. Obviously. But my parents were gone for the day. Jaden was gone. Isla was at camp. We lived in the same building. Hunter was offering dinner like it was a peace treaty and not something that made my pulse jump.
“Okay,” I said.
His brows lifted. “Okay?”
“Yes. Friendly dinner.”
“Good.”
We both sat there for a second, and somehow the word friendly had never sounded less believable. We gathered our things and headed toward the elevator. I put my cover-up back on, which did absolutely nothing to make me feel less exposed because my skin was still warm from the sun and Hunter was walking beside me shirtless with a towel slung over his shoulder. The elevator doors opened. We stepped in. The doors closed.
I looked at the ceiling. “This elevator is becoming a problem.”
Hunter let out a rough laugh. “I was just thinking the same thing.”
The elevator started moving down. He stood on the opposite side, which was probably smart. The problem was that the space didn’t help. Not when I could see the drops of water still clinging to his chest. Not when his hair was damp and messy. Not when every inch of his tanned skin looked irresistible.
He leaned back against the wall and looked at me. “I watched you in that bikini all day.”
My breath caught.
“You were driving me crazy,” he added.
My pulse kicked hard. “Hunter.”
“I know.” His jaw flexed. “I know.”
My mouth went dry. “I don’t think us being alone in your condo is a good idea unless you’re planning to relieve me.”
He moved fast. One second, he was against the opposite wall. The next he was in front of me, one hand braced beside my head, his body caging mine without touching me. My breath left me.
His chest rose and fell. “You’re making it very hard for me to resist you.”
I looked up at him, heart pounding. “That’s the point.”
His eyes darkened. For one second, I thought he was going to kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me so badly I almost reached for him.
“Me taking you is trouble,” he said.
“Maybe.” I wasn’t thinking straight, not with the pulse between my legs and my overheated body needing him to touch me everywhere.
