Page 35 of Anger Bang
Chapter Fourteen
So much for the possibilities, because Kade seemed determined to stay just outside of arm’s reach—at least when it came to her touching him. He, on the other hand, seemed to be always touching her.
His palm on the small of her back to help steady her as she stretched to jab a flower in an open spot near the top of the foam heart.
The brush of his fingers against hers when he handed her a bunch of neon-pink faux roses. He was always there, every time she turned around, so close she nearly ran into him over and over.
She’d never been more aware of someone in her life.
It was like a constant buzzing vibrating through her. She could smell the soap he’d used that morning in the shower each time she inhaled. When she was supposed to be picking out a new bunch of fake flowers to add to the foam heart, her gaze strayed to Kade. For a few moments, she got lost looking at him. The line of his jaw. The way his broad shoulders stretched his T-shirt. How his crooked smile curved upward in the opposite direction of the crook in his nose and balanced everything out. He wasn’t model perfect. He looked like he’d rather stab someone in the eye than spend three hours in the gym, but he also had that thick, hard body of someone who would survive the zombie apocalypse with the help of his trusty shovel that he’d name Beauregard.
A stronger woman than Thea would have gotten mesmerized watching how the muscles in his forearms looked as he picked up the stepladder and moved it over so she could fill the next section of the heart with flowers. She’d never had a hope of not falling under his spell as the low thrum of desire, warm and insistent, made her entire body feel like tinder just waiting for a spark.
Even right now, as she stood on the top step of the ladder when she of the shitty balance should be paying attention to her stance, all she could focus on was the fact that he was right behind her. Oh, she couldn’t see him. But he was there. She’d bet the bank that if she slipped and fell back, he’d catch her.
It was unsettling and enticing all at the same time, because it wasn’t just how he looked that had her on the edge—it was the fact that she likedhim.
There was no way this was going to end well for her, but she couldn’t seem to make herself walk away—not when all she wanted was to walktowardhim.
So why aren’t you?
That was the question.
“You know,” he said, grinning up at her. “If you keep staring at me like that, I might start to worry that I’m growing another head or something.”
Embarrassment at getting caught staring heated her cheeks. “I was just wondering something.”
“What’s that?” he asked.
What would it take to get you to take me to my RV and fuck me boneless right now?
Desperate much? Do not say that out loud.
“Do you—” She hesitated, trying to come up with something—anything—to say other than that. “Do you have any Band-Aids in your RV?” Um. Okay, that was lame as hell, but it was out there.
His jaw tightened. “Are you hurt?”
She was not. She nodded anyway. “Paper cut.”
He looked around. She wasn’t near even so much as a single sheet of paper anywhere near here. After a few moments, theVlines of confusion between his eyes smoothed out, and he leveled a sexy smirk at her. “That sounds awful.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “The worst.”
He took her hand as if to look for the nonexistent cut and glided his thumb across her uninjured palm, sending a wave of tingly awareness through her. She held her breath, biting down on her bottom lip to stop from moaning or begging or making some other embarrassing sound that would tell him exactly how much she wanted him right now. Not that there was any way for him to miss that. Her sports bra and thin T-shirt weren’t exactly made for full, hard nips coverage. Then there was the fact that her breathing had gone all hinky, her voice had turned husky, and she was practically melty with want.
Oh yeah, but don’t make any noise. That would give the game away.
His thumb went from the palm of her hand to the inside of her wrist, setting off sparks of desire that made her core clench. She kept her shit together, though, right up until he lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm.
“We better get you some first aid.” He winked at her and then glanced over at the nearby camerawoman documenting their faux flower DIY before turning his focus back to Thea and dropping his volume to a whisper. “Give me a minute. I got a plan. Meet me at my RV.”
He took a few steps away and pulled out his phone.
“Oh fuck,” he said, loud enough that there was no way the camerawoman could miss it. “It’s Dex. Shit’s about to go down. I gotta go, I’m sorry.”
“Go ahead,” Thea said, playing along.
He dropped a kiss on her forehead and took off around the corner of the barn where the welcome party had been held. She kept on sticking the plastic stems into the heart while listening out for the camerawoman. It took a minute or two, but eventually, curiosity must have gotten the better of the woman, because Thea could hear footsteps moving away. Peeking over her shoulder, she caught sight of the woman quick-footing it toward the barn where Dex was.
