Laid Bare - Lauren Dane [76]
So they sat, his arm holding her close, and waited for the crowd to thin.
Finally, they left, holding hands until she wrapped her arms around him as they rode back to her condo.
“You want to come up? I’m not going to be able to sleep for a while.”
He looked her over and nodded.
He apologized once they entered her condo. “I’m really sorry about the game. I didn’t think.”
She kicked her shoes off and left her sweater and bag near the door.
“Truly, I had a great time. I promise. Two years ago I couldn’t even have gone to a game with that many people. I don’t know why it freaks me out so much. It’s not like crowds are what killed my daughter.”
“God, you’re amazing.” He shook his head.
“Meh.” She shrugged and suddenly he was very close.
“I’m going to go. Because I want to kiss you and you’re clearly uncomfortable with me like this.” His words hung in the air.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable with you. I’m not. You know I’m attracted to you and I know you know Todd is beyond fine with us being together while he’s away.”
She’d spoken to her man every day, even as they were driving to Yellowstone. Todd hadn’t said Hey, fuck my friend or anything; he’d just said Ben had mentioned wanting to hang out and they’d talked for a while about things. Things.
She swallowed, the sexual tension in the air ramping up. She wasn’t going to have sex with Ben. No matter how much Todd thought it was hot. No matter how much she thought it was hot. She wanted Todd to be there when she was with Ben again. It felt like Ben was theirs—not so much hers, not so much Todd’s, but theirs—and because of that, she wasn’t comfortable sharing all that with him when it was just the two of them. Maybe in the future it would feel all right, but it felt like betrayal to fuck anyone else.
But a kiss was another thing and his lips were soft and warm. She looked up at him. “I can’t fuck you without him here. It feels wrong. I know he’s more than all right with it.” She slid a palm up the warm, very hard wall of his chest, up to cup his neck and pull him down to her lips. “But a kiss? I want that.”
His arms went around her and his lips bridged that small gap and were on hers, stealing her breath. He kissed differently than Todd. Todd, who was bold and sure and aggressive with his kisses. Ben was still sure, but he took his time, he wasn’t aggressive; instead he listened to her body, waded into the kiss like a negotiation.
He was taller than Todd, so she had to stretch up and he had to bend down, but that only made the kiss more delicious.
He broke from her lips after a long taste, chest heaving a bit. Neither of them spoke. He wasn’t used to thinking so hard about being with a woman, but this wasn’t just any woman, and that was double-edged. He liked that she didn’t just jump on his cock even though Todd was fine with it. He liked that she thought carefully about what it meant to be with him, even as need beat at him to have more of her.
“Come on, let’s sit outside and stargaze.” She stepped back and turned some music on. Pink Floyd’s Animals. If the woman was any more perfect he wasn’t sure he could stand it.
23
Todd looked up from his phone call to catch a pair of gorgeous legs walking down the stairs into the office. He’d returned home really late the night before and had called Erin to let her know once he’d woken up. He’d considered showing up at her place, but it was three in the morning and he knew she had to be up early to open the café.
So he’d crawled into his bed, lonely for her, and slept until Ben showed up with coffee and breakfast. Todd had to admit he’d loved how her voice sounded when he called. She was clearly thrilled to hear from him, which made him glad because he was sure as hell thrilled to know he’d be seeing her that day.
He stood, still on his business call, and she ran into his arms with a happy laugh.
“Gotta go,” he said, hanging up and hugging her back. “You are a sight for sore eyes, honey. I’ve missed you so much.”
She pressed against him tighter. “I can see