Page 17 of Feels Like Falling
“It’s just one of the many things I love about you.” She swims closer, biting her lip and turning enough for the porch light to reflect off the tiny diamond stud in her nose. “Know what else I love about you?” she asks as she nears, and my gaze only locks on her tits below the water for a second before I meet her eyes.
Her Cheshire-cat grin is back, but I just shrug because they’re really great tits.
And she knows it.
“What’s that?” I finally manage.
“You’re always willing to give everyone the shirt off your back.” Her eyes widen innocently and I know the drill.
Sighing, I reach behind my head and pull my T-shirt off and hold it toward the pool as I look away. “I can’t believe you didn’t bring clothes.”
“I did bring clothes,” she sasses back, “but why would I make them wet when I can just wear yours?”
It’s hard to argue with that logic.
Especially when water splashes and then falls onto the concrete patio, her wet feet barely making any sound over the blood pounding in my ears. I don’t even need to look to imagine how fucking insane her body is as rivulets slide over every delicious line of her.
She plucks the cotton shirt from my outstretched hand, and I’m momentarily relieved. Part of me thought she’d hug me from behind—press her wet, naked breasts to my back just to fuck with me.
I’m such a sucker for this woman, butGod, I missed her.
“You can look now, scaredy-cat,” she taunts, and I roll my eyes as I turn to see her gathering a pile of clothes from the lounger. My shirt is plastered to her, her nipples poking at the fabric, and I groan.
She preens.
“You’re gonna give me an ulcer.”
“Oh please.”
“How’d you know I’d be the one to respond tonight?” I ask, both curious and pissed at the thought of anyone else finding her naked and wet in the pool.
Shrugging, she says, “I didn’t. But my dad said that you’ve responded to some of the on-call issues and I liked my odds.” Popping up on her toes, she places a kiss to my cheek, her eyes sincere when she says, “I missed you, Max.”
I’m sure this wasn’t what her father intended when he shared that little snippet of information. That’s a road I definitely don’t need to go down tonight. Especially with how all over the place I am seein’ Ellison. Grabbing her hand, I twine my fingers with hers as I lead her out the gate. “I missed you too, Eddie.”
I missed you every damn day.
The words play on repeat in my mind, but even I know they’re better left unsaid.
At least for now.
“Why aren’t you stayin’ here?” I ask as we walk out to the driveway.
She scrunches up her face like she ate something sour, and I hold up my hands in surrender.
“It’s like you don’t know me at all,” she grumbles, and while it’s meant to be teasing, the words are a sucker punch to the gut. She pushes my shoulder, and my skin tingles under the simple touch. “Oh, stop. You know that’s not what I meant. This isn’t home; it never has been.” She waves up at the monstrosity, and then she adds wistfully, “Besides, I’m hoping Grandad will make me breakfast in the morning.”
“Glad to know I rank so high.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. You know as well as I do that he makes the best breakfast,” she says as she shimmies into her cutoff shorts, forgoing her bra and panties and tying my shirt on the side, exposing her flat, tanned stomach.
“That shirt will never be the same,” I lament while nodding at the knot that’s undeniably gonna stretch out the fabric.
She looks down then back up at me. “Who said you were getting it back?”
So fucking bossy.
Her lips curve up into a sinful little smirk, and I want to back her up against my truck and kiss the hell out of her. She must know what I’m thinkin’ because she takes a step toward me, forcing me to take one back.
