Page 10 of Spring Break With A Gold Medalist

“I know it shouldn’t be that way.” Damn it, the sting of tears fills my eyes. As though this situation isn’t terrible enough already.

“Maya, baby doll, I don’t care that you’ve got a couple inches on me. You don’t need to try to be something you’re not with me. Don’t hide your glorious height, the strength you carry as a woman. Shit, don’t cry, honey.”

He catches a stray tear with his fingertip, stares at the glistening droplet for a long moment, then wipes his finger on his jeans. “I need to kiss you.”

“Please.” My plea escapes on a whispered sigh and he closes the distance between us. The soft press of his lips against mine isn’t tentative nor demanding. It’s a promise.

Then he kisses my cheeks before easing back. “Maya, if you want to wear six inch spike heels when you’re with me then wear the damn things. You will never, ever be too tall for me.”

His words ring with truth and I believe him. “I’d never be able to walk wearing six-inch heels. Especially now with my knee.”

With one brow arched high, he tilts his head and grins. “I never said anything about walking in them, baby doll.”

six

Phil

Afew moments pass before what I’ve suggested registers with Maya. Her face flames and her eyes go wide. I can’t help myself and draw her into my arms for a much more satisfying kiss than our first. Her back is straight, her shoulders stiff and it feels like she’s fighting to keep from responding. I’m determined not to allow that to happen. I need her response.

Coaxing her lips to part the slightest bit, I run the tip of my tongue over her lower lip then close mine around it, giving a soft tug. Finally her hands lift to my shoulders and her fingers flex. If we were in private, I’d accept her unconscious invitation and deepen the kiss. Out here, I don’t want to give those kids any more of a show, so I ease away.

Aching to take her home with me, I’m afraid my smile is sad. “We’d better go.”

“Yes.”

When she rises, she turns a narrow-eyed gaze toward the teens then squares her shoulders and lifts her chin. Her back is straight showing every inch of her height. I take her hand, kiss the back, then turn it to brush my lips over her palm. A shiver travels under my lips and I trace it to the inside of her wrist. Then I smile at her. “Good girl.”

She catches her lower lip between her teeth. Dear god, this woman is going to kill me. She returns my smile. “Thank you.”

“Any time, honey.”

When I pull up behind her apartment and put my car in park. Maya reaches over, turns off the ignition, and removes the key. “You’re coming upstairs with me.”

My cock jumps to attention. Telling myself she might not mean what I hope doesn’t do anything to curb my body’s enthusiasm. I find my voice. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you?”

“So my brother loves to tell me. The bossy part anyway. Sometimes being straight forward and bossy is the only way to get what you want.”

“What do you want, Maya?”

She holds my gaze without flinching. “You.”

Once in the apartment though, her bravado fades and she faces me, dismay conquering her expression. “Phil, I’m sorry. I want to… be with you. I just don’t know how this is going to work. My knee…”

I’ve been thinking about this possible moment way too frequently and my mental list of possibilities races through my brain. “Will you trust me, baby doll?”

“Yes. Even if all we do is make out, that will be enough for me tonight.”

“Really?” I circle her, skimming my palm around her waist.

“I… yes. For tonight.”

Pressed against her back, I catch her earlobe with my teeth and nip hard enough to make her gasp. “Not for me, Maya.”

“Phil, I can’t promise… I don’t know how to manage with my knee.”

“If I… if we do anything that causes you pain, tell me immediately.”

“Like a safe word?”

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