than what it was. Desire. Hot and heavy desire.
“That kiss last night,” he began hoarsely.
Silence.
“What about it?” she asked, voice more than a little rough.
His hand slid along her jaw until he cupped the back of her head and kept her gaze locked onto his.
“Why did you go there, Abby? Why did you kiss me like that?”
Shadows crept into her eyes and for a moment, he thought she was going to ignore all of it. Heck, in the past, it was what he would have done. Just ignore it. Put it in a little box, tie it up and forget all about it. It would have been the easy thing to do, because God knows things were getting complicated, and they were getting complicated fast.
But she surprised him. Abby always managed to surprise him.
“I wanted to kiss you,” she replied.
“Why?”
A pause.
“What do you mean, why?”
Christ, she wasn’t going to make this easy. But had he expected that?
“We’ve been friends for a while now, and I just…” God, he couldn’t get out what was inside of him. “Well I just…that kiss kind of blew me away. I thought about it all night.”
There. It was out in the open and the ball was in her court.
She stared up at him for a few seconds, pulse alive at her throat, eyes wide and expressive. She was thinking things. Wondering things.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Tucker. You had to have known that.” Her eyes slid away, as if she was embarrassed at her own candor, and something about the tremble in her bottom lip tugged at him.
Okay. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised as shit, but holy hell. Tucker was surprised as shit.
He slid one hand up her body until he cupped the back of her head, his long fingers buried in her hair. Gently, he forced her eyes back up to his and—yep—there went his heart, racing like a goddamn drum. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.
What. The. Hell. When was the last time he’d felt so alive? When was the last time his body and mind were in sync when it came to a woman? God, he wanted Abby, he wanted to be buried deep inside her, but it was so much more than that.
This here, what he was feeling, was already so much more than he’d thought it could be, and he decided there and then that he was going to explore the connection. As long as she was willing.
“Why did you wait so long?” he murmured, eyes locked onto hers intently.
For a few moments, there was silence and then she exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I…” She shuddered against him, and he felt something inside him crack.
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t feel the same.”
He groaned, one hand on her hip holding her in place while the other cupped the back of her neck. “Are you crazy? Who the hell wouldn’t want a kiss from you?”
She didn’t answer and her eyes were lowered, so he couldn’t see what was in them. And if anything, Abby’s eyes were a direct path to what was going on inside her head.
He reached for her chin and tugged gently until she was forced to look up at him. “Hey,” he said softly. He had a feeling that he knew what was going on inside her. Because it was the exact same thing that was going on inside him.
“Is it because we’re friends?”
Her eyes flashed and she straightened a bit, a little of her fire back. “So I’m not just some bartender who you barely know?”
He liked the fire. Hell, he wanted to taste the fire.
His mouth found its way to the corner of hers and he whispered. “No, Abigail Mathews. You’re a hell of a lot more than just a bartender that I know.”
And she was.
“You are an amazing woman, and I think that you know me better than maybe I know my own self.” He thought of the endless nights he’d stayed late at The Black Dog, or the excuses he’d made to bring the endless parade of women around. He realized it was because of Abby. It had always been because of Abby.
“I’m not sure what this is or where we’re going and what it could be, but I can’t
“That kiss last night,” he began hoarsely.
Silence.
“What about it?” she asked, voice more than a little rough.
His hand slid along her jaw until he cupped the back of her head and kept her gaze locked onto his.
“Why did you go there, Abby? Why did you kiss me like that?”
Shadows crept into her eyes and for a moment, he thought she was going to ignore all of it. Heck, in the past, it was what he would have done. Just ignore it. Put it in a little box, tie it up and forget all about it. It would have been the easy thing to do, because God knows things were getting complicated, and they were getting complicated fast.
But she surprised him. Abby always managed to surprise him.
“I wanted to kiss you,” she replied.
“Why?”
A pause.
“What do you mean, why?”
Christ, she wasn’t going to make this easy. But had he expected that?
“We’ve been friends for a while now, and I just…” God, he couldn’t get out what was inside of him. “Well I just…that kiss kind of blew me away. I thought about it all night.”
There. It was out in the open and the ball was in her court.
She stared up at him for a few seconds, pulse alive at her throat, eyes wide and expressive. She was thinking things. Wondering things.
“I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time, Tucker. You had to have known that.” Her eyes slid away, as if she was embarrassed at her own candor, and something about the tremble in her bottom lip tugged at him.
Okay. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised as shit, but holy hell. Tucker was surprised as shit.
He slid one hand up her body until he cupped the back of her head, his long fingers buried in her hair. Gently, he forced her eyes back up to his and—yep—there went his heart, racing like a goddamn drum. Ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom.
What. The. Hell. When was the last time he’d felt so alive? When was the last time his body and mind were in sync when it came to a woman? God, he wanted Abby, he wanted to be buried deep inside her, but it was so much more than that.
This here, what he was feeling, was already so much more than he’d thought it could be, and he decided there and then that he was going to explore the connection. As long as she was willing.
“Why did you wait so long?” he murmured, eyes locked onto hers intently.
For a few moments, there was silence and then she exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“I…” She shuddered against him, and he felt something inside him crack.
“I was afraid that you wouldn’t feel the same.”
He groaned, one hand on her hip holding her in place while the other cupped the back of her neck. “Are you crazy? Who the hell wouldn’t want a kiss from you?”
She didn’t answer and her eyes were lowered, so he couldn’t see what was in them. And if anything, Abby’s eyes were a direct path to what was going on inside her head.
He reached for her chin and tugged gently until she was forced to look up at him. “Hey,” he said softly. He had a feeling that he knew what was going on inside her. Because it was the exact same thing that was going on inside him.
“Is it because we’re friends?”
Her eyes flashed and she straightened a bit, a little of her fire back. “So I’m not just some bartender who you barely know?”
He liked the fire. Hell, he wanted to taste the fire.
His mouth found its way to the corner of hers and he whispered. “No, Abigail Mathews. You’re a hell of a lot more than just a bartender that I know.”
And she was.
“You are an amazing woman, and I think that you know me better than maybe I know my own self.” He thought of the endless nights he’d stayed late at The Black Dog, or the excuses he’d made to bring the endless parade of women around. He realized it was because of Abby. It had always been because of Abby.
“I’m not sure what this is or where we’re going and what it could be, but I can’t
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