Page 30 of Erotic Temptations 2
Not sure I’d ever run this much in my life. “Maybe I’m motivated.”
He looked at me, really looked, then his lips curved again. He was killing me with that sexy smile. If he wanted us to win, he had to stop hijacking my brain.
We played like it was life or death. I was better than I expected, popping out of cover, squeezing the trigger, and actually managing to hit Joe enough times that he yelled “bullshit!” at least twice. Kane laughed every time my hit counter went up. I couldn’t help it. I started to laugh, too. The deeper we got into the maze, the easier it was to forget everything else.
Once, Kane and I crashed behind the same panel. Our shoulders jammed together, breaths tangled. He looked at me, close enough that I could count the gold flecks in his eyes.
“You’re killing it,” he said.
My hair clung damp to my forehead. “Might be my calling.”
The next round, we went straight predator. Kane pointed to the far end of the room, and we surprised Joe by flanking him at once. I nailed Joe with a triple shot, and Kane whooped, grabbing me in a fast, tight hug, catching me off-balance and making me stumble against his side.
We won by a landslide.
Joe howled and accused Kane of cheating, but Kane just grinned and patted my back. “Told you he’d kill it.” His arm lingered around my hip this time, pulling me a little closer.
On the way back to the lobby, he steered me past Joe, who muttered something about “freaking ringer” again, but he winked at me, all pride and no bite.
Kane’s hand didn’t leave me until we peeled out of the vests. My T-shirt stuck to my side, sweat cooling in the artificial air. I wiped my face, aware of Kane’s gaze dragging down my body in a way that made my knees feel like they’d been hit with a stun gun.
We sat at the bar, elbows touching. Pizza arrived in a greasy box, with thin crust and plenty of pepperoni, plus garlic knots soaked in butter.
The smells were intoxicating. Cheese, tomato, yeast, garlic. My stomach rumbled. Kane loaded my plate before I could make a show of pretending I ate dainty portions. Made sure to give me the biggest knot in the basket.
I dug in, not caring if I looked feral. Years of eating salads alone at my desk had not prepared me for the pleasure of being watched, admired, while I stuffed pizza into my mouth. Kane looked delighted. Joe kept up a stream of commentary about flagrant cheating and terrible luck, but most of it went right past me. My cup of Diet Coke sweated on the Formica. Kane drank cola, too, but kept his focus on me.
Every time he laughed it zipped right through me. Each time his leg brushed mine under the cheap table I pretended not to notice, but my body had zero chill.
I wiped my fingers on a napkin. “So…this still part of the competition?”
“Only if you want it to be.”
He was so confident, so at ease, and somehow, that made me want to lean closer. If I did, I got the sense he’d let me.
After that, everything blurred together. Kane paid for dinner. Joe shook my hand again and gave Kane a weird wink I didn’t want to think about. The night pressed against the glass, the rain heavier now and the parking lot shining like oil paint.
Made me feel sleepy, wet, and giddy.
Kane held the door for me, hand at my waist. His touch was gentle, even as he nudged me toward the SUV. Once inside, I slumped back in the seat, exhaustion creeping up my legs. I barely remember pulling onto the highway, but I do remember the feel of Kane’s fingers brushing mine, then finding my hand and holding it.
Not casual or fleeting. A solid grip, his thumb tracing circles along the top of my hand.
I could’ve pretended to be awake, but it was safer to pretend I hadn’t noticed. My body buzzed from adrenaline, but my brain was running on fumes.
* * * *
Back at our building, the rain had slowed to a mist. Streetlights glowed on wet pavement. I blinked awake, still blurry and disoriented but happy. Kane parked in the garage and put the SUV in Park. For a moment, neither of us moved.
“You want to come up?” he asked.
I could’ve gone home, but my limbs didn’t want to move away from him. “Yeah. Sure.”
We took the tiny humming elevator, harsh with fluorescent lighting, but he didn’t let go of my hand until we reached his floor. He unlocked his apartment, and I stepped inside.
The space was better than before. Rain tapped at the windows. Warm lights edged the ceiling, illuminating the tree in the corner with a soft golden glow. The boxes were mostly gone. The kitchen was dark except for an under-cabinet strip of LEDs, turning everything subtle and expensive-looking.
Kane tossed his keys on the counter. “You want a drink?”