Holding Strong
Page 36

She squared her shoulders, which made his attention drop to her impressive rack.
“Guys talk about boobs all the time,” she accused.
“Maybe not as often as you think.” But yeah, often enough to make her accusation accurate. Reaching out, he cupped her left breast. She was braless, her breast heavy and firm. By habit alone, he moved his thumb over her nipple. “As nice a set as you have, you can believe I won’t be sharing details with any of the guys at the rec center.”
She stared at him, guilty and flushed, and he felt bad for continually doing this to her, touching her in ways that excited her—and him—when he knew they couldn’t do anything about it.
He withdrew his hand even as his curiosity ramped up. “What else did you tell her?”
Struggling to compose herself, she braced one hand on the door, the other on the seat beside her hip. “You want to hear it all?”
“Hell yes.” Though God knew there were other far more important things they should be working out while she felt up to it. “You can summarize for me.”
Bracing herself, she stated, “I told her how incredible you are. You know. In bed.” And then, with feeling, “Because, Denver, you really, really are.”
Sensation washed over him as he recalled how it had felt to be inside her, feeling her squeeze him tight as she rocked out a hard release. The way she affected him, visually, emotionally, with her body and her words and those damn sweet smiles, was almost alarming. “I think maybe we were just incredible together.”
“And see, you’re humble, too.” She gave him another of those boner-inspiring sweet smiles. “I also told her how hot you look naked, how indescribable you smell—”
“Yeah?” Bragging was better than if she’d been disappointed and complaining to her friends.
“—and how badly I wanted to do it all again and again, and instead you’re stuck taking care of me.” She grabbed another pretzel. “Rissy was appropriately bummed for me that I’d get sick now.”
All in all, Denver figured he could take that type of gossip.
“I’m where I want to be, so don’t think I’m stuck, okay?”
Unconvinced, she hunched her shoulders. “You’re a trooper, I’ll give you that. But no way can you be enjoying this.”
Her being ill, no. But caring for her? He sure as hell didn’t want anyone else doing it.
“Granted, it’s not how I thought I’d be spending my time with you.” He made a point of looking at her body—specifically her lap. “I’d rather have you naked on your back again.”
She went wide-eyed, her gaze locked on his face, slowly eating a pretzel without blinking.
He thought about her breasts, her narrow waist, and that gorgeous ass; the sounds she made while coming; how physical exertion had intensified the scent of her heated skin.
Thinking it fired his blood, because damn, she had a gorgeous body.
Shifting, he murmured, “The things I want to do to you...”
She stopped chewing.
He had to get it together. She wasn’t up for sex, so there was no point in continually teasing them both. Plus, he had ground rules to set up. When she was well, that needed to be his priority—before he got involved any deeper.
Scrubbing a hand over his face, he said, “But shit happens and we’ll both deal with it.”
“You sound...”
“Turned on? I’ll probably stay that way until I can have you again.”
She swallowed hard. “I was going to say annoyed.”
“No.” He cupped his hand around her nape. “It’s just now that I’ve seen you and tasted you, I know what I’m missing and it’s making me nuts.” True, she looked more with it, as if the nap and fresh air had done her good. But even though her skin wasn’t as hot as it had been only hours ago, she was still too warm.
Nowhere near ready for everything he wanted.
Trying to lighten the mood, he said, “If you want to make it up to me later, I won’t complain.”
Putting the pretzels aside, she whispered, “I do. So much.”
Even sick, she sounded almost as turned on as him. “Good.”
“I already feel a little better.” She laid one small hand on his chest, stroking him and inflaming him. “I think I’ll be okay pretty soon.”
“Hope so.” But he figured it’d be at least two more days. “We’ll both be patient and it’ll just add to the anticipation.”
Her fingers trailed up to his neck, then his jaw. “You’re being so nice about all this.”