Page 22 of Wild For You

With the light streaming in through the high bay window and her face free of makeup, she looks younger, more carefree. The scent of my shower gel wafts over.

I imagine myself rubbing the shower gel onto her skin. Massaging her to get more lather. Pressing her dripping wet body against mine.

The thought’s driving me crazy with want.

“Why?” Erin asks, interrupting my little fantasy with her.

The question’s simple enough, yet I’ve no idea what the hell’s she talking about. “Why, what?”

“Why do you want me to leave?”

“Because we can’t work together,” I clarify, leaving out the part that I could never focus on any kind of work with someone like her around. She’s too sexy, too much of a distraction.

“You don’t want my help. I get it,” she starts. “You think accepting anyone’s help would make you appear weak. But you need the training. You need to get your muscles working the right way. You need someone who’ll push you to go beyond your limits.”

“I can do that on my own, thank you,” I mumble.

Her eyes meet mine through the open slit. “Please, be honest with yourself. You can’t. It doesn’t work that way. You need the physical therapy to help your joints regain mobility. If you don’t start soon, your muscles will get weaker. They’ll become incapable of supporting the injured structures, which, and I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, will predispose you to further injury. Trust me, you don’t want that…unless you don’t mind being in pain and on painkillers for the rest of your life. No patient can ever do it on their own.”

“I’m not taking any pain killers.”

She sucks in a sharp breath. “Right. That’s very brave of you, but it doesn’t change a damn thing.” Her gaze holds mine. “I’m only here to help, Cash. Don’t make it hard on us.”

“It’s Cash, now? What happened to Mr. Body?” I cast her a sideways grin, which she doesn’t return. She swings the door open and peers out, exhaling a heavy sigh. She’s growing frustrated, I can tell by the frown on her face and the annoyed look in her eyes. But I can’t help myself.

She is too naked, too close, too sexy. From up close, with half her breasts on full display and my towel barely covering her ass, she looks more perfect than in the daydreams I’ve been having about her. My lusting for her is slowly turning into a ravaging hunger. I take her in, all of her, while fighting the urge to rip off her clothes and take her right here, on this very spot, on the floor, against the wall, in as many ways as I can get her.

I want to bind her to my bedpost and fuck her day and night. I can almost taste her skin, smell her scent as she comes with my name on her lips. “You know what would make me feel better?”

“What?” she asks warily.

“Kissing you.” My gaze trails her lips. They’re full and ripe, and so very ready for me. “I want to kiss you, Erin.”

Her breath hitches, and her eyes grow just a little bit wider. But it’s not with shock.

It’s arousal.

For a few seconds, she’s rendered speechless, her emotions clearly written across her face.

She wants it. She wants me.

“You can’t kiss me,” she protests weakly.

“Why not? It’s not like you don’t want me to.” I inch toward her, closing some of the inches between us, as I watch her reaction. “Right?”

Her eyes shimmer with want, her silence affirming my words.

She doesn’t need to declare her attraction to me. It’s right there, reflected in the way her chest is heaving and her lips seem to part just for me. Her gaze lingers on my mouth, then lifts back up to my eyes, as if she’s indeed considering it. Imagining it. Weighing the ups and downs.

The knowledge turns me on.

My heart slams against my chest. My breathing grows heavy, labored.

“You want it as much as I want you. Don’t pretend otherwise, Erin.” I close the last bit of distance between us, bringing my mouth so close to hers, our breaths intermingle. “I can’t imagine two people living together and be attracted to one another, not pursuing that attraction. It’s not possible. Not with a woman like you.”

Her brows shoot up. “A woman like me?”

“Yes. Someone who’s going to have to touch me on a daily basis. I’m a man. I can’t have your fingers all over me and not think of sex. So, let’s skip the part where I’m lusting after you like a teen, and do something about it.”

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