Page 22 of Catch Him
Wide shoulders, narrow hips. A six pack that surprised her when she’d finally been able to touch him. He was harder than he looked when clothed, stronger. In his suit he’d seemed elegant and in his jeans he’d seemed casual.
Naked, he was a bit of a beast.
“Don’t go,” he said, his arms crossed over his chest.
“As fun as last night was, I don’t think even you have another round in you.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t mean that… I meant… don’t go to work, don’t go home. Stay with me for however long we have. Let’s not waste a minute of whateverthisis.”
It was tempting to say yes. To forget who she was and all her responsibilities and just go with it. Like she did with the dress and the shoes. Like she did with the sex. With him she was spontaneous and wild. Without him, she had no doubt her life would go back to normal. A normal that was colorless and bland. Boring.
Still, it was her life. If she called out for work, that meant someone would have to cover for her. If she called out a few days, whoever was covering for her would start to get annoyed. Then there was her father to consider. While he might not notice she’d spent the night somewhere, she liked to think he would notice her absence over the course of a few days.
She could only imagine his reaction when she told him where she’d been and who she’d been with. He would immediately know then what she’d been doing. Not that she was going to let him slut shame her. She knew herself too well for that.
No, playing hooky from her life sounded like a solid plan, but the reality was it would only burn her in the end. Because when her time with him was over, it’s what she had to go back to.
Not to mention the added precautionary measure she needed to take of not allowing herself to get too emotionally connected to him. He said he was leaving her. He didn’t know when that would be. Any more time spent with him and she might do something so completely stupid as to fall in love with him.
“You’re overthinking it,” he said in the absence of her answer. “I can see the gears in your head moving.”
“I’m working through all the scenarios. It’s the cop in me.”
“Aiming to be detective someday?”
“Someday, yes. I like solving puzzles.”
He held his hands wide. All that beautiful man on display for her. “There you go. Perfect. I’m a puzzle. Solve me.”
So very tempting, but she had to be careful.
“Three days and then I’m yours,” she finally said. “Next time I’ll cook.”
She could see the disappointment in his face and oddly it made her feel good. Like she mattered to him.
“All right. Three days. Can I call you in the meantime?”
She nodded. “I work the seven p.m. to seven a.m. shift, but you can call me any time before that.”
“Can I sext you?”
She laughed. “You can, but as I’ve never sexted anyone, I’m not sure how proficient I’ll be.”
“I can tell you’ll be a quick learner,” he muttered.
“We’ll see. Now move your naked ass out of my way so I can change.”
“I think you like my naked ass, as well as my other naked parts. I know this because you can’t stop looking at them. I’m actually sort of offended. I do have a face after all.”
She rolled her eyes as she brushed by him to get to the bedroom. A glance at the bed and she could tell it had the look of destruction that only vigorous sex could provide. She’d been part of that vigorous sex and she knew she was probably going to have a smile on her face for the next three days.
Once in the bathroom, she changed quickly and did the same routine with the toothpaste on her finger until she made it home. Next time she would be smart enough to pack an overnight bag.
Three days. That was all she had to wait. If he thought he might be gone before then, he would have told her.
In the meantime they would talk and send sexy texts, which would serve as a delicious foreplay until the main event. And that little bit of distance would allow her time to take stock of her emotions. Help to keep them in check. Fun dates, hot sex, a break from the mundane.
That’s all David Whitmore could be for her.
Sinead lifted her face to the mirror and looked at herself. “You can do this. You can control this,” she said to her reflection.
Why did she think she was lying when said it?
