Page 43 of Tripped Up

“I’m fine.”

“You’re stiff as a board.” He’s practically hugging me. “Do you not want this?”

Turning in the circle of his embrace, I spin to face him. He pulls my arms around his neck and slides his hands down my back until we’re chest to chest. I can feel every inhalation he makes.

His icy blue eyes are locked on mine.

I want to kiss him again. I might even want to do more than that. But I won’t do it on the dance floor of this seedy club.

“Elsy,” he says, his voice rumbling through me. “What’s going on?”

“Let’s get out of here.” My voice wavers and I swallow my fears. My eyes flick to his plush, kissable lips, then back up. “Take me home, Wyatt.”

His eyes search mine urgently. “Els⁠—”

“Take me home.”

Withdrawing, he nods slowly. He offers me his hand and, when I take it, he laces our fingers together.

Tipping back his beer bottle, he drains it in one go, the thick column of his throat working as he swallows. Heat sizzles through me. I don’t understand this unexpected attraction to him. It’s completely out of nowhere.

Except it’s not. He’s been different lately. It just took me a while to catch up.

Once we’re out of the club, the evening chill hits like a brick wall. I shiver and Wyatt draws me into his side, his arm draped around my shoulder to protect me from the brisk wind.

“Do you want to⁠—”

“Shut up,” I cut him off.

He falls silent, miming zipping his lips. When we get to the car, he unlocks my door for me to slide in, then hurries around to the driver’s side. He always does that. Opens my door, that is. But I never noticed until he pointed it out.

What else have I missed?

Once he sets the car in drive, his hand falls off the gearshift to land on my knee. I set my hand on his and he looks over at me, sending me a happy smile.

“Yeah?”

Am I ready for more than a kiss? Am I ready to let my guard down, to truly let him in?

So I grab his hand, drawing it up to where I want him, high on my upper thigh. His fingers flex, gripping my flesh before he lets out a gusty sigh and relaxes.

I still don’t know where I want the rest of the night to go. I’m not sure what I’m ready for.

The air in the car is thick with tension. I don’t know what to say, what to do. It feels wrong to make small talk. Hey, you just had your tongue in my mouth, let’s talk about the weather? Come on.

When we reach my apartment, he pulls into the visitor spot out front and cuts the engine before turning to face me.

“What do you want, Elsy?” His voice is as smooth as velvet, his eyes focused on mine. “Do you want me to walk you to your door? Or do you want to call it a night?”

He’s putting himself out there. The least I can do is the same.

“I want you to come in,” I finally say. My hands shake and I clasp them together to hide it. “I don’t know what’s going to happen, but…”

Wyatt swallows. “Okay. Yeah, I can do that.”

Together, we exit the car. His hand finds mine so naturally, his thumb stroking the back of my knuckles as we walk through the building to my door.

It takes me three tries to get the key in the lock. His hand covers mine.