Page 60 of Make My Heart Malt

I laugh. “It must run in the family. Garrett’s the same way.” His name is out before I can stop it. I pinch my lips together to keep anything else from spewing out. Even when I tell myself not to talk about him, I still talk about him.

His lips turn downward at his brother’s name. “Yeah.”

Now I made it awkward. “Well, it was good to see you. Tell Georgia I said hi and we need to get together soon.”

“What about me?”

“You can join too, of course. Take care.” He leans in and places a kiss on my cheek. It’s a little startling, for the fact that we’ve never been the type of friends who did that kind of thing. I brush it off. It’s only Tony.

I grip the shopping cart handle and continue my way down the aisle, and Tony leaves in the opposite direction. Glancing at the time on my phone, I realize I only have aan hour and a half before Garrett arrives. The rest of my shopping will have to wait until later.

After I got home from the store, I threw everything into the fridge, spot cleaned the kitchen, and now I’m sitting on the edge of the tub, shaving my legs. I check the time on my phone. Shit. Thirty minutes. My phone rings, startling me. Garrett’s name flashes on the screen. My wet fingers fumble to press the talk button while I simultaneously avoid pushing my phone into the tub. Somehow I manage to tap the speakerphone.

“Hey, you.”

“What are you doing? Have you had dinner?”

“No. I just got home a little bit ago.”

“Why is it echoing? Are you in the bathroom? Did you answer the phone while on the toilet?”

“No! I mean, technically, yes, I’m in the bathroom, but I’m notgoingto the bathroom. I’m shaving my legs.”

“Oh yeah? Plan on getting lucky tonight?”

His voice is deep and sexy which causes goosebumps to prickle my skin. Shit. I’ll have to shave again. “Either way, I’ll be getting off with or without you.”

“Fuck that. I’ll be the one getting you off,” he growls.

His words cause my nipples to pebble. “What if I were to start right now?”

“Fuck. Are you trying to get me hard? My dick is throbbing, and I need to pick up the takeout.”

“Then you better get here quick before I finish.”

“Food’s not important, right? I’ll get there much faster if I don’t stop.”

I laugh. “Don’t worry, if I finish, we can always start again.”

His deep groan echoes through the phone before it disconnects. For the next twenty minutes, I frantically dash around the rest of my townhouse tossing junk into drawers and closets, anywhere so it’s out of sight. A knock startles me before Garrett steps through the door. When I catch sight of him, my heart leaps to my throat. I sprint, meeting him in the doorway and throwing myself into his arms. He wraps one arm around my waist, holding me tight.

“I’m so happy you’re finally here.”

“Me too, Tates.”

He presses his lips to mine. I cup his cheek, my thumb brushing over the stubble. A round of butterflies take flight in my belly when he calls me the nickname. This friendship could develop into more, but again, he lives halfway across the country. While FaceTime is fun, I'm hard-pressed to believe it’s sustainable.

Slowly, I pull away. “Let me help you with that.”

“I got it. How about you show me how good my jersey looks on you? Then, after I’m finished eating my dinner, I’ll have my dessert.”

I flash him a seductive smile while I drag my finger down his chest. “Only because I’m excited for the second part.” I wink and turn to climb the stairs. When I glance over my shoulder, Garrett’s staring at my ass. I give it an extra wiggle before climbing the rest of the way to the second floor.

Once in my bedroom, I yank the jersey from the hanger in my closet and strip out of my clothes. With nothing on underneath, I shrug the fabric over my shoulders and fasten the buttons. The cool fabric grazes my nipples, turning them to stiff peaks. Garrett’s jaw isgoing to hit the floor when he sees me. I twirl around. The hem of the jersey kisses the top of my thighs. If I bend over too far, I’ll be flashing my butt cheeks. I’m fully prepared to skip dinner and dive into straight desert.

As I enter the kitchen, Garrett’s on the other side of the island setting out containers of food along with plates and silverware for us. When I cross from the carpet to the linoleum, he peers at me and freezes. His gaze roams over my body as if he’s studying me for later. My body temperature rises twenty degrees from his heated stare.

“By the way you can’t stop staring, I’m guessing this is what you wanted.”

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