Page 25 of The Wedding Driver
His pulse raced. For years he’d been comfortably numb. It wasn’t that he was void of emotion. It was more that he swallowed them, keeping them in a box in his soul. He’d gotten good at existing. However, now that he’d tasted Tonya, he wanted more. “All I can think about is you.”
“Oh.” Her lips curled into a smile. Her cheeks flushed.
He reached out and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. In the years that he’d known Tonya, he never allowed himself to think about his attraction. If he did, he would find ways to occupy his hands and his mind. He had to admit that in recent months it had become harder and harder, but until Tiki and Lake’s wedding, he could pretend Tonya wasn’t interested. Therefore, neither was he.
“And what exactly are you thinking?”
He arched a brow. “I’m not sure I want to tell you.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to get slapped.”
Laughing, she straddled his lap, resting her hands on his shoulders. “Whatever’s going on in your mind seems a hell of a lot more interesting than that movie.”
He swallowed.
Hard.
This was moving fast, though he thought it might. Doug warned him it would and even suggested it was best to dive right in.
Her lips came crashing down on his mouth before he could manage another word, or even another thought.
He gripped her hips, holding her steady, not wanting her to move. He couldn’t handle the pressure. It had been seven years since he’d been with a woman. Up until this moment, he hadn’t missed it. He told himself he could live out the rest of his life without female companionship. Had Tonya never come into his world the way she had, he probably could have, but she changed everything.
She was soft and sweet and kind. She made him want to be the best version of himself that he could be. Even when she hadn’t made her feelings known and he was still pretending he didn’t have any emotions, he still tried harder when he was in her presence.
His heart pounded in his chest, dropping to his toes and thrusting up to his brain like a rocket.
Taking him by the hands, she stood, tugging him across the family room and toward the hallway.
“Hey,” he managed. “I don’t have any protection with me. I wasn’t even sure you’d see me.”
“Good thing I have condoms.”
He coughed. The Tonya he’d known all these years tended to be on the shyer side. Or at least that’s what he expected her to be when it came to the affairs of the heart because she’d never expressed her attraction.
“Too bold?” She paused midstep.
“Would it have been worse if I brought them with me? Not that I’ve bought them in years.” Jesus, that sounded pathetic. “I’m making this insanely awkward.”
She dropped her head to his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Do you know how many people don’t have the conversation?”
“Actually, I have a good idea.” He lifted her chin with his forefinger. “How about we stop talking altogether and take this to your bedroom?” He licked his lips before kissing hers. It lasted only a few seconds, but it was powerful. It twisted his stomach into knots. It made him light-headed.
They stumbled down the hallway and into her small bedroom which barely had room for a queen-sized bed.
At least he assumed that was the size since it wasn’t as big as his bed in his loft. But he didn’t care.
A bed was a bed and they didn’t need that much space.
He lifted his shirt over his head, tossing it across the room before grappling at the buttons on her blouse. It was as if he’d never taken off a woman’s clothing before.
She batted his hands away and swiftly removed her top. Her bra. And her jeans.
Taking a step back, he stared at her beautiful body, wondering how he ended up in this space and time. Again, he’d never allowed his mind to even fantasize about her. When he took care of himself, he thought about—or looked at—women who didn’t exist. He could never pull it into the real world. That would make him human.
“Wow,” he whispered. He shouldn’t stand there and stare, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. His fingers itched to touch her silky skin.
