CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Sneaking out of this bed is like trying to get past Mrs. Mac when I was sneaking back into the house at sixteen.
Indy carefully moved Draven’s hand for the second time, and immediately it went straight back to her boob. A spark ignited where his skin touched hers and she peered up into his face.
Is he awake?
If he’s awake, I’m going to knee him in the balls.
Her knee was in prime position to do it, given how he was wrapped around her. But untangling their legs would take a hot minute. She tried to ignore what his hand was doing, and there was no way in this lifetime that she was ever going to admit that while his fingers were stroking where they had no business stroking, she wanted more.
You are a glutton for punishment.
He’ll just walk away again.
Start what he doesn’t finish.
Get out of bed and go freaking pee.
She bit back a moan when his hand cupped her breast and squeezed lightly. She caught his hand and wrapped her fingers into his, backward thinking that would stop him. Instead, he just used her hand to plump at her flesh, his throaty growl sending a shiver right down to her pussy.
Oh, god.
That should not feel so good. But it did. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She swallowed and tried again. “Drave?”
“Mmh?”
She wanted to kiss him. To have him enfold her in his arms and not let her leave. But she really did need to go to the bathroom. “I need to pee.”
“Huh?”
His eyes blinked open, and for a brief moment they just stared at each other before it was too much and she lowered her lids to hide from his gaze. “I need to pee.”
What did you say that for?
Are you crazy?
You are in bed with Draven. He’s not wearing pants and you are talking about peeing?
“Um—okay.”
“I—ah—” She could hear the confusion in his voice and glanced at his face. “I’m kind trapped here.”
His eyes followed her gaze to where their hands were intertwined over her breast, and if it hadn’t been so mortifying… no, not mortifying… exhilarating, exciting, thrilling, all those words fit better, she’d have laughed outright at the stunned look on his face.
“Shit. Sorry.” He tugged on her hand, obviously trying to untangle himself, but inadvertently pulled her with him until she was sprawled across his chest.
Graceful and her had never, ever belonged in the same sentence, but who the frick-frack knew that applied to when she was lying down, too? But there slap her butt and call her a biscuit because she wasn’t going to let him see it. And seriously, if there was a woman on the planet who objected to laying on Draven Kilkenny’s chest as he woke up, then her girlie parts needed looking at. “Um—hi.”
“I was asleep.” He was freaking adorable when he got all flustered. One hand moved the fingers on the other, as if the hand clasped in hers was reluctant to let her go. “I swear I didn’t know what I was doing.”
Mortification receded, and she couldn’t resist teasing him just a little. “Call all the newspapers. I have a front-page story for them.” Now free of his hand, she sat up. “Draven Kilkenny doesn’t know what to do when a woman is sprawled on his chest in bed.” She giggled for all of two seconds when his mouth opened and closed twice as if in disbelief. That giggle turned to a groan when he planted both of his hands on her waist and lifted his hips, pressing against her with his morning wood.
“Doesn’t know what to do?” His growl should be illegal. “Are you sure about that?”
“I—”
“Go pee, baby.” He shifted his hips and helped her to stand. “Before I show you exactly what I can do.”
“Promises. Promises.”
What are you? Five?
Before she could get herself into more trouble, she turned and fled toward what she hoped was the bathroom, and if her hips had a little bit of extra sway in them then she wasn’t mad about it.
“Other door,” Draven called just as her hand touched the door handle. “If you pee in the closet, Gunnar isn’t going to be pleased.”
Jerk.
“Thank you,” she replied sweetly over her shoulder, then entered the bathroom and closed the door softly behind her. There was something infuriating about a man who could make her feel like she was sixteen and turn her on at the same time. “Get a grip, sister. Remind him you aren’t that kid anymore.”
“Did you say something?”
She paused mid pee and narrowed her eyes at the door. “Are you listening to me use the toilet? Pervert.”
“Come out here and I’ll show you how much of a pervert I can be.”
“Whatever side of the bed he’d woke up on must be the infuriating ‘keep me off balance’ one. I’ll show him off-freaking balance,” she promised herself almost silently as she washed her hands. Was it healthy to be all kinds of petty? Probably not. But did she care? With that man in a bed and no pants on… that would be a big fat no. She unbuttoned the pants she’d just closed, pushed them down her legs, and stepped out of them. “I need shorts to sleep in, and they are in my ruck.” She gave herself a little pep talk in the mirror. “That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.” She couldn’t stay in the bathroom all day, so she found her metaphorical big girl panties, pulled them firmly into place, and left the room. “Crap.”
Draven caught her wrist and tugged her to one side with her back against the wall. “Did I scare you?”
“Seriously?” There was no way she was telling him that she could feel her heart hammering like she’d had multiple rounds of awesome sex or hiked up to an altitude where lack of oxygen was a serious concern.
“What?”
“Against the wall outside the bathroom door again.” Not that she was objecting, mind you. He didn’t need that tidbit of information though. “Classy, Draven. Really classy.”
“Do you object?”
He pressed against her, hot, sexy, and a whole host of feelings which Indy knew she would struggle to describe. If he would just move his hands from the wall and onto her body, then maybe they could see where this went. If he backed off again, she wasn’t going to be responsible for her actions. Maybe if she explained to a jury the reasons why, if enough women were in on it, she could avoid jail time. “Only to the fact that you have me pinned to the wall with your penis when there is a perfectly comfortable bed about five steps away.”
His eyes widened slightly, and his nose flared. “Then let’s take this to bed.” He scooped her up and turned on his heel.
Yes. Finally.
Doing a whoop or a fist pump would be crass, right? She decided it would be, so she settled for wrapping her legs around his waist and hooking one foot over the other to keep them there.
He lowered her onto the bed, followed her down, and paused, hovering over her. “I’m not sure what we’re doing here,” he whispered softly. “What if this changes things between us?”
She’d wanted him off balance… she had that now, for sure. But she also wanted him to be him. She didn’t understand why he couldn’t be both. “I’m kinda hoping it will.”
“But—”
She lifted one finger and placed it against his lips, silently asking for him to let her continue. When he nodded, relief soaked into her. “I don’t see us as an either-or thing,” she said slowly. If he got up now and walked away, she’d never forgive herself. But more than wanting sex to happen between them, she only wanted it if it was leading somewhere. “I don’t just want to be your friend.” She waved a hand between them. “I also don’t want this to be just sex or scratching an itch. If we do this, I want—need it to be more.” She could tell by the way he was watching her that he was thinking. She’d bared her soul, and now it was time for him to decide what she meant to him. His smile was slow, lazy, and all male when it came, and so totally, in her opinion, worth waiting for.
“I want that, too.”
Sweet baby Jesus, grab your bicycle because I have a basket full of thank yous to send you .