Page 56 of Hearts on the Table
“…Can’t believe he could do that to her, you know? Just forget about her like that. Or ignore her. And not how you ignore me, sometimes, you know? Ignore her likehe forgot her birthday, Sam.”
“Hold on—”
“Which makes no sense. Because she’s soooo pretty. Don’t you think she’s pretty?”
“Yes.”
When I frowned over at Sam, he was frowning back at me. Matching.
“I bet you wouldn’t say that if we were dating.”
“What…” Sam swiped a hand down his face, trailing off. “What do you mean, I ignore you?”
“You never text me first.Ever. But that’s probably since we’re not dating.”
“I’m sensing a trend.”
“Would you text me first if we were really dating?” I asked, still twisted up like a pretzel in his front seat. He gazed out the windshield after throwing the car into park and shutting the garage door behind us. His frown didn’t budge.
A moment or two of silence passed.
“Hello?” I’d gotten used to his unfiltered thoughts. The way he spoke to me now mirrored how he interacted with his brothers—easily and without too much forethought. Seeing him revert to his more contemplative state put me on edge.
He scoffed, mouth quirking in response to my impatience. “You know, if I could, I’d date the crap out of you, right?”
“Sounds unpleasant.”
“You’d love it. The only reason we’re doing this trial period is so you can ease in here.”
I nodded. “And the plausible deniability.”
He chuckled. “Lainey, no one at work is going to come after you for hanging out with me. You’re too important to the department.” His fingers stroked over my thigh. I cursed myself for wearing leggings today and not shorts, but I couldn’t risk exposing the bite mark. It was fading, but it still had a few days to go. “You let me worry about the work stuff. As for the rest of it, I’m trying to respect your boundaries.”
“My boundaries would appreciate a text every once in a while.”
His teeth flashed. “Alright. Thank you for telling me that. Anything else?”
I leaned over the console, only to be stopped short by the seatbelt suddenly tightening across my chest. He rolled his lips under his teeth and reached over to untangle me, releasing the belt.
“My bites are fading,” I pouted. He swallowed. “You should probably give me some new ones, just in case.” Just in case ofwhat, I didn’t know, but it seemed like the right thing to say, especially when his eyes dropped to my mouth.
He reached out to stroke my bottom lip with his thumb. “You liked that?”
He had no idea. I wanted to get them permanently tattooed on my body. Evidence that I could drive Samuel Reese so crazy he lost all control.
“Mmmhmm.”
“Then you’d better come in so I can take a closer look.”
On the way up to his living room, I whirled, nearly crashing down the steps. He caught me around the waist and lifted me up the last few stairs to set me down on level ground. “Did I totally interrupt your night? I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. I like you here.” He fisted my ponytail gently to tip my head back and drop a kiss on my lips. It felt really nice. Natural. Like we were meant to be kissing in his living room, maybe forever? “I was going to grab a bite to eat and go to bed. Adding you to the equation drastically improves the next hour.”
“Even though I’m a little wobbly?”
“I’ll take you however I can.” He squeezed my waist before heading into the kitchen to fill up two glasses of water. He moved like a boulder, slow and steady. It was oddly comforting to watch.
“So, about those bite marks…” I wandered to the kitchen island, hoping to seduce him into letting me spend the night. He pushed a glass in my direction and I gulped it down, attempting to quell the fire that started smoldering in my belly whenever he was around now. Again, I had to ask myself:How had I not noticed him before?
