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“Why didn’t you do that anyway?”
“Because everything is more fun when you’re there,” he said, as if his words weren’t the sweetest thing she’d ever heard.
“I have fun with you too.” Her compliment felt lame on the heels of his, but he still lit up like a Christmas tree.
“I told Ashley that Corky will be here at your place. She has the spare key,” Blake said. “I dropped it off this afternoon, but I’m starting to think it might be easier if we both just make her copies of her own.”
“That’s not a bad idea.”
Ashley had proven herself to be as good a dog sitter as she was a babysitter. She’d been a godsend, taking care of Corky whenever they were both at work. Blake joked that their dog liked Ashley better than them.
“She’s going to take her out in a couple hours for a walk, then she’ll play with her for a little while, wear her out. Told her we should be back by midnight, and I’ll take her out for her last walk then. Don’t want Ash out with her too late,” Blake finished.
“Sounds good.”
Erika and Blake both gave Corky some goodbye snuggles, the two of them telling her to be a good girl, like there wasn’t a thing weird about them talking to the dog like she could understand every word they said.
Blake helped her put on her coat, then offered his arm as they strolled to the elevators.
During the drive to the hotel, Erika’s nerves settled. She’d obviously built tonight into something too big in her mind. Something that wouldn’t have happened if Blake hadn’t issued his invitation with that mind-blowing kiss of his.
She turned her face toward the passenger window, pretending to look at the stores they passed rather than let Blake see her flushed cheeks. Three days had passed, and she still couldn’t think about that kiss without blushing like an innocent schoolgirl.
Of course, it had been a lot more than just a kiss. She still couldn’t believe the way she’d reacted like a dog in heat, rubbing herself against his thick, powerful thigh. Erika had never responded to a kiss like that, never lost all sense of control. Not that Blake had helped. He’d been the one to shift her to that position, and his grip on her hips had certainly encouraged her to keep moving.
While she would never admit it aloud, she’d been damn close to coming. Just from dry humping his leg. She wouldn’t have even thought that was a possibility until three nights ago.
Erika closed her eyes and shoved the memory of that night away. She had to, or else she wouldn’t be able to face Blake.
This was three times now that the two of them had crossed into uncharted territory—at least for her. Between the masturbation lesson, the all-consuming kisses, and the leg humping, she was starting to have trouble recognizing herself in the mirror.
She’d never considered herself a particularly sexual woman. Her tastes in the bedroom always limited to the boring vanilla variety. Erika had never questioned if her disinterest in sex was because that was just the way she was wired. It’s what she’d always assumed…but now she was wondering if the truth was, she’d never found a lover with enough skill to open her eyes to what she was missing.
Blake was definitely opening her eyes.
Of course he was.
Fate was having a good time with her these days.
After all, it had introduced her to Doug, a man whose interests, hopes, and dreams matched hers. Doug, like her, was looking for a long-term relationship with an eye toward marriage and kids. She should be turning cartwheels that she’d met him without having to keep slogging through online dating. The only problem she could find with Doug was that damn spark. It still hadn’t flared, and the more time they spent together, the less physically attracted she became to him. She hadn’t lied to Blake about letting that good-night kiss make the decision for her. It had been a perfectly nice—ugh—kiss, but in the end, it had left her cold rather than stirring her libido.
Fate had also flipped some switch in Blake that had him doing out-of-character things, with her following suit. Every time he was in the vicinity, so many damn sparks flickered and flared, she was shocked they hadn’t burned down their building. She didn’t even have to be with him. Just knowing he was across the hall turned her body into a sex compass, her tight nipples pointing toward her new north—Blake.
Being sexually attracted to her neighbor was becoming a big problem because, unlike Doug, Blake wasn’t looking for anything more than a roll in the hay. Settling down in his mind seemed to be the equivalent to giving up, something Blake Wright never did.
She’d been right to insist that the two of them simply remain friends, and all the reasons she’d given him at the beginning were still there.
Sticking to her guns hadn’t been an issue once in three years.
Not until now.
“You okay?” Blake reached across the console to touch her bouncing knee. “You’re quiet.”
She gave him what she hoped passed for an easy, breezy smile. “Just thinking about the next few weeks. I still have a lot of Christmas shopping to do.” That wasn’t a lie. The holidays were only a few weeks away, and Erika wasn’t any better at buying presents than groceries, even though she had countless lists of who she was shopping for and gift ideas.
Blake nodded. “Tell you what. Why don’t we check our schedules for next week and the two of us can dedicate one whole day to shopping and wrapping? Because I’m pretty behind as well.”
She recalled they’d done the same thing last year, and it was the most prepared she had ever been for the holidays. “I’d like that.”
