Finally.
Then there were two. She rocked back on her heels, clutching her tote as a lifeline. Otherwise, she might embarrass herself by clawing at his chest and trying to rip his T-shirt off. The man shouldnât be allowed to wear clothing. It was criminal to cover up that much perfection. âYou, uh . . . you did really . . . good.â
Brilliant, Kara. And next, you can make a lackluster comment about the weather.
He grinned slowly, those sinful lips curving to reveal bright white teeth. âThanks. The competition felt pretty great. Hope weâre ready for the All Military games.â
âYou look ready. You looked amazing.â She blinked as his eyes darkened. âI mean, your boxing. You know, your . . . bam. Pow.â
Oh, my God. I just said that. Someone please direct me to the nearest hole in which I could crawl into.
He chuckled softly. âI know what you meant. And youlook amazing, too.â He stepped closer to her, taking a gentle hold of her elbow. âPow,â he said, leaning in for a kiss.
She turned her head at the last minute, chickening out. Zach was in the car, probably staring. She didnât . . . she couldnât . . .
Oh, hell. She was going to. When he started to pull back, she rose up on her toes and brushed a light kiss across his mouth. He didnât push, didnât press for more. But the way his breath hitched, just a little, told her he was affected.
âWe have to get going.â When he didnât release her arm, she made a flapping motion. âI need that to drive.â
âRight. Sorry.â He stepped back, letting go to run a hand over his hair. âHave dinner with me.â
âZach is still grounded,â she began, but he cut her off.
âJust us. I need to see you.â
âI . . .â Ah, hell. This was not going to end well. âIâll think about it.â
âDonât think. Just say yes. Tomorrow night. Weâve been given Monday morning off, so Sundayâs a good night for grilling. Please.â
âIâll think about it,â she said again, because saying no when he was standing in front of her was impossible. âCongratulations.â She ran for the driverâs side, opening the door before he could try to do it for her and sliding in. As she closed the door and sighed, Zach leaned forward between the seats from the back.
âMom? Were you kissing Graham?â
âAdults kiss people theyâre close to,â she said neutrally, watching Graham walk back toward the gym doors.
âHow close are you?â
Getting closer every day, whether it was right ornot.
CHAPTER
8
G raham settled down in his reclining love seat, a beer in his lap, and handled his phone. The device flipped from hand to hand, rolled over fingers and mesmerized his turned-off brain . . . until he dropped it and it clattered to the floor.
Another super Sunday night for him. He could call friends, though most had lives of their own and would be busy on Sunday. His teammates could possibly make it, but they each had their own women to be home with, or had already made plans to fully utilize their morning off tomorrow. Didnât seem fair to drag them away from their happy cocoons to come wallow with him.
He could call Kara.
That caused him to grimace and take another swig. Yeah. Because punishing himself was a top priority. Why would he call just to get rejectedâagainâfor dinner? Heâd asked, and sheâd hedged. Because she was too polite to come right out and say âNo, now stop asking.â The fact that she hadnât called him meant it was a definite no.
Time to move on.
Yeah. Right.
His phone vibrated on the floor, and he nearly pitched himself out of the recliner struggling to pick it up. When he saw Gregâs name on the display with the text, he grunted and nearly let it drop again. But he swiped a
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