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He told me about hockey, about how he'd gotten into playing, and how he'd been recruited to his team out of college. "Can't play forever, though," he said, sounding almost sad. "And I guess I'm kind of starting to think about that. About what's next."
We'd come to a stop along the edge of the walkway, and faced each other with the cement wall to our side and the sound of the water lapping beneath us as sea birds wheeled above.
"What's next?" I asked him, sensing a subtle shift in the air between us as his eyes met mine again.
"I think next," he answered slowly, his eyes dipping to my mouth and then slowly coming back up. "Next, I'd like to kiss you."
I responded without intending to, stepping closer and tilting my chin up to him, and one of Rock's enormous hands moved gently to cup my cheek, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. And then slowly, almost painfully so, he inclined his head to meet my lips.
The kiss was tentative, at least at first. His lips were soft and gentle, and the touch on mine was just a whispered suggestion, a hint. But a tiny sound escaped me then—a mix of pleasure and disbelief—and it must have been a cue to Rock to increase the pressure.
His arms went around me, pulling me against his solid form, and I found my own hands on his back, trying to get closer to him, to increase the contact between us. His lips moved against mine, his tongue teasing until I opened to him, and he dipped the tip of his tongue into my mouth.
Sparks exploded in my mind—I'd never been kissed like this. Ever.
Rock's mouth moved expertly, coaxing, tasting, teasing me until I was practically wrapped around him, a rag doll in his grip.
Finally, he broke contact, keeping me pulled against him as he gazed down with darkened eyes. "We're going to have to stop or this is going to get out of hand. And there are children around."
That snapped me out of it, and I detached myself from his enormous form as quickly as I could. My legs were a bit shaky. "I, uh. Yeah."
"Shall I deliver you to work?" he asked, stepping back and running a big hand through his wavy hair, sending it standing on end in a very sexy sort of mess.
"Oh. Ah." I was having a hard time getting my brain to click back into place. "Yes. Thanks."
Rock drove me to The Muffin Tin, greeted Lottie with a kiss to the cheek, and then departed, leaving me with a spinning head and a bit of explaining to do.
CHAPTER8
ROCK
DETAILS ABOUT TRANSYLVANIA
I'd done it. Drea didn't hate me. She'd kissed me, so that proved it. But what the hell was I supposed to do now?
The problem, I realized as I drove back to my house from dropping her off at work, was that I actually liked her. In a way I hadn't liked a woman in a really long time. If ever.
I knew it was ridiculous. I barely knew her.
But it didn't seem to matter to the part of my brain that insisted on fixating around the kiss we'd just shared. She'd been responsive, and soft, and the way her body had fit mine had me wondering what it would be like to continue that exploration somewhere more private. And naturally, the rest of me reminded me that we were currently sharing an apartment. Possibilities abounded.
But I also didn't want to lead her on. I didn't live here. Not really. And she sounded like she was figuring things out too.
And furthermore, I told myself as I pulled up to the duplex, I had no business even thinking about this kind of thing. I wasn't looking for entanglements. I needed to keep my head in the game. Except it wasn't. Not in hockey, and not in pickleball. Right now, it was only in one place. With Drea.
I decided I was going to let myself explore this thing—If she was on board, of course. I was here for a week. We'd see what might evolve.
I called my aunt and let her know that we'd worked things out and not to worry about Mr. Mulligan if she didn't want to. She sounded relieved. Evidently Mr. Mulligan's attorney lived in a distant part of some European country and was difficult to reach during business hours.
"Like Transylvania?" I asked her.
"Don't be ridiculous," Aunt Nattie said. "But... I think that's actually right, yes."
"Well, take your time. Things are working out over here."
"Interesting," Aunt Nattie said, catching my drift.
I hung up with her and got to work tidying the place up and getting ready to execute my plan for the evening, which I hoped involved more time spent figuring out why I wanted Drea so badly. And maybe getting to explore her curvy, cinnamon-scented body in a bit more detail.
