“Next to you, anyone’s tall.” He pats me on the head.
“Hey!” I bat his hand away. “You’re only thirteen inches taller than me!”
He laughs. “I could toss you around without even breaking a sweat.”
I poke him in the chest. “Well, since you’re never going to toss me around, I won’t have to prove to you how fierce I am.”
He scrubs a hand over his now-stubbled jaw, looking at me all curious like. “I think you could stand a little tossing around.”
I flick my hair over my shoulder and stand up straighter, reaching for my maximum height. “You don’t believe me, but it’s true.”
“Uh-huh.”
I narrow my gaze. “I grew up with two older brothers who were ruthless. I know how to fight dirty.”
“Is that so?”
I lean forward. “I can get very dirty.”
His navy eyes flash. “You know you shouldn’t say stuff like that to a man.”
“Why? It’s true.” I give him a smirk. “You should be thanking me for warning you who you’re dealing with.”
He steps closer, stares down at me.
I sink my teeth into my lower lip to keep from craning up to him and begging for his mouth on mine. I want it so bad. Even though I’m not supposed to want it. Even though I can’t want it.
I do.
Just once.
Can’t I have just once? Is it really so wrong?
There’s that fight again.
His big hand slides onto my hip, and goose bumps break across my skin. His fingers wrap around the curve, not tight, not forceful, just enough to make me hyper aware of his strength.
His attention shifts to my lips, which part involuntarily.
“Cat.”
“Yes.” The word is filled with anticipation.
His head dips.
I raise my heels, just a little.
“You’re in my way.” He pushes me to the side and steps up to the blue line.
I jerk out of my haze of lust and straight into infuriated, sharp arousal.
Some sort of demon possesses me because I yell, “You jerk!” and lunge at him, climbing onto his back and pummeling his shoulders while he’s throwing.
He laughs, catches one bare thigh with his free hand, and squeezes.
The dart lands on the wall, bouncing off and falling to the floor.
He shifts and dips me, swinging me around his front somehow. “Look at you. You do play dirty.”
“Don’t mock me!” My feet hit the floor, and I try to swing at him, but he renders me useless when he wraps one of his arms around my chest and arms, immobilizing me.
“Hey,” the bartender calls. “Everything okay over there?”
“We’re all good,” I yell back, leaning forward, trying to get Caden off me.
His entire body is pressed against my back, and I can feel every delicious inch of him.
“Settle down, little girl.” His voice is in my ear.
“Shut up. I hate you.” I press against him shamelessly.
“I know you do.” His breath is warm on my neck.
I arch again, and he captures my hip, forcing me still. “You’d better stop that, or we’re going to do something we both regret.”
With that I stop pressing and grinding against him, aware of how hot my skin feels, the rapid rise and fall of my chest, the sound of my harsh breathing.
It’s the first acknowledgment of our attraction, that we have chemistry and there’s no denying we’re veering into dangerous territory.
I nod.
When he speaks, it’s directly into my ear. “Are you going to be a good girl?”
His words make my knees go weak, but since he’s holding me up, I don’t have to think about standing.
I shake my head. “No.”
He laughs. “But I can let you go.”
“Yes.” My voice has regained some equilibrium.
“Fair enough.” His arms release me and he moves, giving me an inch of space. “We should probably head home.”
I swallow hard. “That’s probably for the best.”
I repress the crushing disappointment. My reprieve, my little slice of heaven where I could shake the responsibility from my shoulders, is over.
Caden
All I need to do is get her upstairs, make sure she gets safely into bed, and leave.
That’s all.
Three things. Easy.
Under no circumstances am I to touch her. I’m finally finding my stride, and I’m not about to fuck it up because her pussy has cast a spell over me.
We’ve just pulled up to the main house, and she’s leaning against the window, her eyes closed. I’m not quite sure she hasn’t drifted off to sleep, so I give her a nudge on the shoulder. “You’re home.”