Page 30

No one gets to talk to Abby like that. Not even me. Not my type, my ass. I’m learning there couldn’t be anyone more “my type." Maybe that’s why it’s so frustrating.

I’m standing in my room when I hear her door shut.

I turn and face the open bathroom door seconds before her side swings open.

The bewildered look on her face is stunning.

God, I want to see her uninhibited more often.

If this is what’s waiting for me on the other side?

I’ll push her to that point every damn day.

In seconds, her chest is plastered to mine.

Her arms come around my neck as she jumps and wraps her legs around my waist. Her hands slowly slide over my shoulders, then up my neck, coming to rest on my cheeks.

The chill of her palms against my heated skin sends a shiver down my spine as she stares at me for a beat before resting her forehead against mine.

“That was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. ” She whispered.

It’s the only warning I get, before her head moves back and she twists a finger into my chain, pulling my lips to hers.

This time, though, it's full of passion. She’s in control, and I’ll gladly let her have it.

.. For now. Taking a step further into the bathroom, I close the door behind me and flip the lock.

The second her back hits the door a wanton sigh leaves her swollen lips, and my knees damn near buckle. I’m so far gone for her that I don’t even remember why we hated each other to begin with.

“Say yes,” I say between kisses. “Tell me we can see where this goes.” She nods against me, as one of her hands finds my neck, her fi ngernails delivering the perfect bite of pain to kick me into overdrive as our kiss turns frantic. “I need your words, Abby.”

I pull back because I know she won’t, I need to hear her say it. I need to know she wants this as bad as I do. “Yes,” She kisses up my neck before nipping at my ear. “I don’t know how that’ll look for us.”

She runs kisses down the other side. “I pray this doesn’t ruin our entire friend group.

” She softly bites the skin of my collarbone, “But I don’t want to fight it anymore.

” My head rolls back as she presses her lips to the underside of my jaw before saying the words that snap every ounce of self-control I have left. “Take control. Please.”

I pull us away from the door, turning the shower on before placing her feet softly on the floor. Reaching for her oversized, pale lavender shirt, I tug it over her head, letting it fall to the floor, leaving nothing but the pink swimsuit she has on underneath.

Damn, she’s perfect. Soft in all the places that make her feminine, muscular in all the places that let you know she could kick your ass. Exactly my type, I think as I run my hand up the side of her ribs.

My head drops back, a groan rumbling low in my chest, before I pull us both into the shower. Taking control yet losing it at the same time. The water clinging to her lashes makes her look angelic, but the way she looks up at me through them makes her feel like she’s mine.

“Let go, Abby,” I whisper before I run my tongue along the seam of her lips, asking, no, I’m begging for her to let me in.

To my surprise, she does. A soft moan floats through the air as her back meets the cold tile of the shower wall.

I tug the string at the back o f her bikini, as our lips move in a choreographed dance of desire.

She doesn’t fight me for control as our tongues tangle together, no, she lets me lead. She hands me the control she’s held in a clenched fist for years. It brands my soul in a way nothing else ever will.

“That’s it, Sweetheart. Let me have you, all of you.

” I rasp against her ear as I run my fingertips down her exposed back, reveling in the way goosebumps dot her skin.

“I’ve got you, you can let go now.” The water from the shower falls like rain, but does nothing to extinguish the flames burning between us.

Feeling her soft skin under mine solidifies one thing: this is my dream woman. And she’s been in front of me this entire time.

If I knew how good we’d fit together, I would have stopped hating her a long time ago.

If I knew how soft and pliant she’d be under me, I would have said, “Nikki who?” And jumped in with both feet.

Two years, two years of wasted time. I could have had a woman who feels like heaven in my arms for two freaking years.

I watch as she sits in her normal “book club” spot between Monroe and Reed.

She pulls her legs under her and leans her head against Monroe’s shoulder.

He pokes her in the nose with a “boop,” causing her to giggle.

It’s a sound I’ve heard hundreds of times, except now, it warms me in an entirely different way.

One that has me dreaming of all the ways I can get her to make that sound. Can I make her happy? Can I be the one she curls into at night? Can I be who she calls after a hard day? Will she share her ice cream with me while we watch dumb movies?

It’s clear in the way my heart speeds up whenever she looks at me that I have fallen past the point of no return. Ironically, much like my brother did with Hannah. Once her mask slipped enough for me to see the real her, all bets were off.

She and Hannah have seemingly moved past the incident that happened earlier and are taking their turns reading the different points of view.

When they get to a particularly spicy scene from the male’s point of view, Abby’s face begins to flush.

It’s so pretty, the way the pink starts at the base of her neck and travels up to her cheeks.

She fans herself with one hand while the other hands the book to Reed.

“Wanna take over, buddy?” she asks, her voice coming out shaky as she continues to fan herself.

Before my brain catches up to my actions, I grab the book from Zeke. “I’ll do it.”

Abby freezes while everyone else stares at me like I just said I was quitting soccer. I’m going for shock value today, apparently.

Clearing my throat, I drop my already deep voice down a notch, just enough to make the air between Abby and me hum.

“I look down at the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen.

She’s tangled in my arms, a blanket wrapped around us both, her warmth sinking into my bones.

I would die the happiest damn man on the planet if I never had to leave this bed. ”

I glance up, my eyes immediately locking on Abby’s for a beat, long enough to see something flicker in her eyes, something raw and heated, before she tears them away.

She shifts, crossing her legs in front of her like she’s trying to shield herself from the tension building between us in a room full of people .

I lower my head and continue. “A sinful noise escapes her plush lips as I explore the side of her neck; she tips her head back to give me a better angle. ‘You like that, sweetheart?’ The breathy “yes” that escapes her breaks the chains I had holding me back. In seconds, I have her flat on her back and—”

The book is snatched out of my hand before I can finish the sentence. “That’s enough of that.” Abby snaps, her voice high-pitched as her face turns from pink to bright red. Without another word, she slams the book into Zeke’s hand, spins on her heel, and quickly walks into the kitchen.

The laugh that escapes me is sharp, entirely too loud for the quietness of the room. Even Zeke startles at the sound. Ahh, yes, I’m going to like this a hell of a lot.

She busies herself cutting an apple like it’s personally offended her, while the rest of the group sits in shocked silence. “Anyone want a snack?” she calls, her tone clipped as she tries to defuse the bomb of tension sitting in the middle of the room.

I can’t help myself, I lace my fingers behind my head and lean back in my chair. “I was just getting to the good part. Elena was about to be the soup du jour. Plenty to go around.”

Her head snaps in my direction as her mouth falls open.

Hannah gasps as she slaps a hand over her mouth to stifle her laugh.

My brother, sitting to her right, is practically wheezing.

Abby glares, but I don’t miss the way her hand trembles slightly before she sets the knife down. Easy there, killer.

“Kiss your mama with that mouth, Tatum James?” she lobs back at me, her tone biting like she’s ready to get in the ring and spar. Hmm, glad to know she’ll still fight fire with fire .

I smirk, leaning my elbows on my knees. “My mama? No.” My eyes stay glued to hers, daring her to look away. “Pretty women who need a little help letting go? Yeah.”

The words hit their mark. A shocked squeak leaves her as the realization dawns–as much as she tries to mask it, she’s helpless to stop the blush creeping back up her neck.

Her hands tighten around the counter’s edge, her breathing uneven.

I was right, seeing her come undone is the most beautiful sight in the world. Victory tastes so damn sweet.

“Who are you and what have you done with Tatum Wilder?” Zeke whispers.

I snort as I lean back into my chair. Chatter fills the room, and book club is officially over for the week.

We didn’t even make it through a full chapter.

“Let’s take a walk,” he says as he slaps the back of his hand into my chest.

“Alright, man. Spill,” he says once we’re outside on the balcony. The cold air biting at our exposed skin. I shove my hand in my pockets as if it’ll protect me from his knowingness.

I stare blankly at him for a second before asking, “Spill what?” His head tilts to the side as his all-knowing smirk comes into view.

A light chuckle sounds before he says, “Something is different here, you and Abby. I can’t figure out if you’re plotting her demise or secretly writing her love letters, but it certainly isn’t the hate fest I’m used to.”

I chuff and lean against the railing. “Plotting her demise? Really, Z?”