For Seven Nights Only - Sarah Ballance Page 0,20

still did. Touching her fingertips to her lips didn’t erase the mark he’d left on her, and she had a feeling that no amount of standing in the rain would remedy that. She swallowed hard under his silent, lingering scrutiny and fought an ache that shouldn’t be anywhere near their corner of the rain-soaked world. “We just shouldn’t.”

“Yeah,” he said, his voice impassive.

Clearly they were on the same page.

So why did she suddenly feel so alone?

…

The rain had significantly thinned the foot traffic on the sidewalk, lending to the surreal and odd romanticism of a lightly traveled New York side street. The cool water hitting the warm pavement gave birth to a mist that clouded the reflection of city lights, but nothing could dim the effect Kelsie had on Sawyer.

Nothing.

With the first taste of her lips, the contact light and teasing, he’d expected her to tense or remind him for the umpteenth time that they had a hands-off deal. But instead of the brush-off, he’d tasted her whimper. Felt her hesitance roll away like so many raindrops finding a course against her heated skin, and then her. Kelsie Reed, falling into him. Clutching at his nape, her back convex with the effort to get closer.

Wrecking him.

Like just a kiss could possibly matter.

It was a precursor…to nothing.

He didn’t just kiss for hours on end. He barely kissed on the mouth during sex. It was too intimate. Too much of a promise he refused to make. It never bothered him before. Had never been anything he wanted—always a means to an end. Only a means to an end. But standing there on that damned street with her, he wanted to kiss her while the rain poured and washed away the last of his resistance.

Only he needed it now more than ever.

She was still looking at him, eyes shining intensely from behind rain-streaked lenses. He wondered what she saw…if she still wanted him out of her life.

He hoped like hell not.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have done that.” And he meant the words, no matter how empty they made him feel.

She swallowed. “It’s okay. I’m not throwing myself into your bed, so of course your drunk self is up for the challenge.”

He took her hand and tried like hell not to notice, for the second time in as many days, the points of her nipples straining against the clingy fabric of a soaked dress. No granny bra this time around. “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” he asked. “Or would you rather go back inside? It didn’t look to me like you were having any trouble finding prospects. One of them might be your guy, and I promise this time to keep my hands to myself.” As long as no one touches you. Yeah, whatever.

She held out her free hand, and rain splattered off the little purse thingy she held. “Are you kidding me? I’m drenched.”

He’d just bet she was. But that wasn’t his problem. What was his problem was how one stupid kiss had been better than sex. But he had a feeling that was an avenue left better unexplored. “Coffee it is.”

He flagged down a cab, and they tumbled inside, wet, laughing, and headed straight for hell. Time for a detour. A big one.

“Can you take Monday off?”

Her eyes narrowed but didn’t dim her smile. “I’m working remotely for now, so sure.”

“Good.”

There, that was better. That gave him a whole day to gain some distance and get back his equilibrium, and if that didn’t work, at least there was a bright side.

Come Monday morning, at least he wouldn’t be the only one climbing the walls.

Chapter Six

So much for equilibrium.

Kelsie took Sawyer’s fucking breath away.

His tongue had been dragging the floor since she’d opened her door to him bright and early Monday morning, her body smokin’ and tight in a pair of stretchy pants that hugged every curve. He caught the barest glimpse of her tank top as she yanked on a stupidly oversized tee that hung past her hips. “You’re early,” she said.

He stared, exceptionally grateful she hadn’t put on the shirt before opening the door.

“What?” she’d asked. “Is this okay? You told me to dress for a workout.” Her eyes narrowed. “Was I supposed to be naked or something? Is that what you meant by workout?”

If only he’d thought of that. Hell, if only he’d thought about anything else. Despite her fully logical interpretation of his request, he’d wholly expected her to be back to buried-under-fabric status.