Page 60 of On the Ropes
She dropped her hand. “If you need a friend—tonight. After.” She hooked her thumb over her shoulder. “You can knock on my door. If I’m still awake, I can ply you with food and/or drink until you feel better.”
My eyes closed briefly. Sleep-deprived, low on restraint and about to have a tough conversation. I couldn’t knock on her door tonight. Not if I wanted to keep avoiding those right hooks.
“Thanks,” I said. “I appreciate it. I appreciate—” I waved my hand at the scene in front of us. “All of it.” You.
She turned, running a hand through her hair. “Please, you’d do the same for me, Mr. Machine. And I’m technically your lady so…” Her lips curved into a sexy smile. “It’s my pleasure.”
She was every dream come true—standing in the middle of the street, bottle dangling from one hand. Shirt falling off her right shoulder, exposing the line of her collarbone.
I was ready to break wide open and knew Tabitha would do the job for me.
“I’m going to head to bed,” she said. “You can still knock though. I’m here to listen or…whatever you need.”
“Okay.” I barely got the word out.
She froze, balanced on the ball of her front foot. She looked ready to take flight. I raised an eyebrow in question.
“This feels like a hug moment to me, but I didn’t want to launch myself into your arms if you don’t want to.”
“It could be scandalous,” I said, lips twitching.
She looked unconvinced. “Jesus, what kind of hugs are you handing out?”
The look on her face—like the sound of my laughter was some kind of miracle—had me opening my arms without thinking at all.
I thought the next part would be awkward because without my gloves on my whole body always felt clumsy. But Tabitha stepped directly into my space and wrapped her arms around my neck. I felt her body align and press against mine—her breasts, her hips, her face at my neck.
There it was. The breaking.
My hands curled around her ribcage, and then I was hugging her back. The position had my face buried in her wet hair. I nudged my nose through the strands, against the side of her throat. We were pressed too tightly together for either one of us to hide our body’s reaction. I heard her quiet gasp. Felt the tremors. I canted my hips back an inch, very aware that my cock had never been harder.
I slowly released the breath I’d been holding. Tabitha arched subtly into me. Her nipples were hard. I could feel them against my chest. I repressed the growl waiting at the back of my throat but gave in to the sweet citrus smell of her skin. I dragged my nose up her neck, through her hair. She made another sound, like a whimper.
Or a plea.
I smoothed my hands down the lovely curve of her spine. They hovered on her lower back. My joints ached with urges I barely managed to ignore. To grab Tabitha’s ass with the possessiveness screaming through my limbs. To hoist her up around my waist and simply carry her inside. Right to my bed.
The sound of whistling caught my attention. And then Rowan’s fucking voice.
“Hey, big guy, oh—whoa. Um…hey?”
We sprang apart, and I only got the briefest glimpse of Tabitha’s face, wide-eyed and shocked. Probably matching my own. I forced my face to be impassive as I turned on my heel.
Rowan stood on the sidewalk with a paper bag of groceries in one arm. And a look of total bullshitting amusement on his face.
“Hey, Rowan,” Tabitha said, sounding out of breath. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and took two steps away from me. “Long time, no see. Your grandmother’s a hoot, by the way.”
He nodded, grinning. “Or a menace to society, as Dean has described her.”
“I stand by that statement,” I said.
“And it’s good to see you too,” he said. “Looks like the dumpster worked out, yeah? I can’t believe how good it looks.”
“It’s really somethin’,” Tabitha said, backpedaling toward Linda’s stoop. “Really somethin’. Dean’s been great. Is great. I mean, all the work he’s done, he’s good at. He’s a good…good friend and worker.”
Rowan clapped me on the shoulder with a look that said I was fucking in for it. “I tell him he’s a good friend and worker all the time.”
She reached behind her, opening the door. Raised her beer bottle at us. “I should let you two get to dinner, then. See you in my dreams. Have sweet dreams is what I meant.”
