Page 68 of Dare to Dance
I giggled softly. We’d found a hotel not far from the cemetery. I’d offered to pay, but Kross wouldn’t let me, which was fine. Payment for a hotel wasn’t a reason to argue. I’d taken my time in the pristine tiled shower, sampling the soaps and shampoo, washing my hair twice, making sure my nails were clean, and brushing my teeth. I’d purchased a razor, toothbrush, and toothpaste in the hotel store, so I was able to shave my legs and other spots.
“Almost done.”
Pulling the brush through my hair, I smiled at myself. The dark circles underneath my eyes that I’d had for so long were fading. Norma had even noticed how much healthier I looked. She did as well. We’d both gained some needed weight. As I set the brush down on the sink, I wondered if she had been able to see her parents. I couldn’t exactly call her since we didn’t own cell phones. I frowned. Not only did I want to find out how she was doing, I wanted to tell her about Kross, our kiss, and ask her for advice on sex.
My pulse accelerated as I slipped on my underwear then Kross’s T-shirt that he’d given me to sleep in. I giggled again. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, not with Kross beside me in that king-size bed. I checked my stomach to ensure I wasn’t covered in hives, which often occurred when I was nervous. I braved a quick look in the mirror. Red colored my neck and the upper part of my chest. I checked my arms and stomach. All clear. I inhaled and exhaled, splashed water on my face, then patted it dry with a towel.
After another calming breath, I smoothed down the T-shirt, which fell to my knees, then opened the door. A wave of cool air swooped in as I went out. The TV was on, but muted. Outside the window, the snow came down in big flakes. On the bed, Kross sat bare-chested with his back to the headboard, his denim-encased legs kicked out to cross at the ankles. He wiggled his bare feet, absorbed in something on his phone. Lazily, I continued to assess the man I wanted to spend my life with. Yellow briefs peeked out of his unbuttoned jeans. His rippled abs had a couple of drops of water that lingered from the shower he’d taken before me. The man was downright gorgeous with his freakishly toned chest, six-pack abs, and biceps that flexed and relaxed every time he typed on his phone. The urge to feel all that hardness beneath my fingers was enough to cover me in goose bumps.
When he lifted his gaze, my knees went weak, my stomach tumbled, and a fuzzy, tingly sensation throbbed between my legs. Even though I’d pleasured myself in the past, my arousal was different, stronger this time.
He tracked me from head to toe in a slow, languid path as though he was snapping picture after picture. I thought about locking myself in the bathroom because I wasn’t sure I would survive if he had his way with me. I would want more, more, more. “So”was all my subconscious said.But will he want more with me?And not just sex. A life. A family. Those two things were a tall order.
He patted the spot next to him on the down comforter. “Come here.”
I moved on his command, the sweetness in his voice seemingly the trigger to get me to put one foot in front of the other as I crossed the carpeted floor to the bed.
He gave me one of his dimpled grins. Yep, I wouldn’t survive the night. I wouldn’t survive the next five minutes. I climbed up on the bed, adjusted my T-shirt, and crossed my legs underneath me as I faced him. Then I toyed with the hem of the T-shirt, not sure what else to do or say.
“Breathe, Ruby.” His voice was hypnotic and packed with raw male strength intertwined with pure silk. “We’re just two adults watching TV.”
I giggled through the nerves. I either had a frightened look, or my damn neck was splotchy again.
He set his phone on the nightstand. “Do you want to watch a movie?”
No.“Sure.”
He flipped through channels as the last of daylight spilled in through the window. I should probably turn around to see what movies he was searching for. Maybe the distraction would quell my racing heart. But I had one problem. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Anticipation sparked through my veins, giving me a full cup of courage to trace the writing on his left arm just above the crease of his elbow. In cursive, the tattoo read,blood comes first, and behind the writing were five hearts. When I dragged a finger over the words, a string of goose bumps popped out on his arm.
“Family,” he said as sure as it was snowing outside, “always comes first.”
It was then I knew without a shadow of a doubt that Raven would be loved and taken care of as though she was his princess. My heart tripped as I also realized that the feelings I had for Kross just multiplied. “And the hearts?”
“My sister, Karen, loved them. Each heart represents a sibling. One for her, Kade, Kelton, Kody and myself.”
If I hadn’t believed him about family, I certainly did now. Tears stung the backs of my eyelids. I wanted to be part of his family. I blinked once then twice to dry the tears. This wasn’t a night to cry or feel sorry for myself, or worse, have Kross pity me. It was a night to relax, to sink my head into a plush pillow, to feel the softness of the sheets against my body, and just maybe sleep in Kross’s arms, or better yet, do more than sleep.
“So a snake, huh?” I asked. Raven would like that. She loved lizards and worms and frogs, anything related to nature.
“Rattlesnake. Some reporter dubbed me with the name after one of my fights.”
I remembered someone at my fight shouting out “rattlesnake” at Kross.
“Every boxer has a tell. Mine is that I curl my lip on one side before I go in for the kill. Since then, it’s stuck.”
“Does the snake bite?” I asked playfully.
“Only if you want him to,” he returned with a menacing grin.
I chewed my lip. “As long as he’s not poisonous.”
“His venom is filled with sugar and all kinds of pleasure.”
A heady rush of bravery washed over me. Before I could grasp what I was doing, I was straddling him.
He grinned all kinds of sexy as his hands disappeared under my T-shirt. Immediately, my skin pebbled in goose bumps. Then he dragged his fingers lightly over my thighs, the feeling soothing, yet keeping me alert. He watched me as though he were waiting for permission to continue. So I wiggled against him.
He sucked in a sharp breath as he pulled me closer. I closed my eyes, disbelieving I was alone in a hotel room, in a huge comfy bed, sitting on Kross Maxwell. The throbbing between my legs intensified, even more so when I adjusted myself on his rock-hard erection.
