CHAPTER FIVE
“WIFE?” BEN LAUGHED. “Dude, I don’t have a wife.” His eyes turned serious. “Bridgette’s my sister.”
Bridgette couldn’t stifle her smile at the lost look on Bodhi’s face.
“I’m sorry. I just assumed when you said Dalton . . .”
Ben glared at him. “Should we talk about you two seeing each other in various stages of undress?”
“No, we should not,” Bridgette snapped, wondering if Bodhi knew Aurelia or if he’d just picked her up. Aurelia Stark had been raised by her grandparents, who had owned the only bookstore in Sweetwater for more than forty years. She’d gone to school with Willow and had moved away after college.
“Come on, Benny.” Aurelia dragged him away.
Bodhi’s gaze bored into Bridgette as wordless seconds ticked by like a hundred fuses nearing explosion. His arm swept around her, bringing her against his magnificently hard frame. One large, strong hand splayed across her lower back, and the other threaded into her hair, like he owned her. And oh, how she wanted to be owned by him. Just for a night. A very steamy, sexy night that she could relive a trillion times over. It was such a bad idea, lusting over her neighbor. She was almost glad that somewhere in the back of her lust-addled brain she remembered he had been dancing with Aurelia, and jealousy gripped her.
“Did I mess up your nightly hookup?” She felt his entire body flex against her.
He remained silent for a long moment, pressed so close not even air could fit between them.
“I don’t hook up,” he said in a low, rough voice.
“Aurelia . . . ?”
The muscles in his jaw jumped. “She’s a friend from New York City, where I live. She dragged me to the dance floor while I was busy watching you.”
He guided her hands around his neck as the weight of his confession sank in. Feeling his warm skin beneath her fingers for the first time sent adrenaline rushing through her. The back of his neck was smooth save for a few thin, bumpy lines. Scars. He made a very male sound of appreciation, a cross between a groan and a grunt, and it was a surprisingly huge turn-on. The two drinks she’d had lessened her inhibitions, and she was glad for the high. She told herself she deserved it as she touched the back of his neck again, hoping to earn another wanton sound.
The song “River” by Bishop Briggs came on, and Bodhi picked up the erotic beat seamlessly. She closed her eyes, giving herself over to the music, reveling in the feel of his hard heat against her belly. She matched the pulse of his hips, enjoying the graze of his powerful chest and his ragged inhalations. She’d kept this sensual part of herself suppressed for so long, it was freeing to get lost in the music, lost in him. His body moved with fluidity and virility, reminding her of a powerful boa constrictor seducing its prey. Oh, yeah, baby, wrap around me and squeeze me tight.
He pressed his scruffy jaw to her cheek. It had been so long since she’d felt the scratch of a man’s whiskers, the hard press of his chest, her whole body lit up from the inside out.
“You were right,” he said beside her ear. “We definitely have a problem.”
Oh Lord. She hadn’t been this turned on since Jerry. She should say something, anything, but her mind was too swept up in him to speak.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he said heatedly.
His warm breath slid over her skin, sinking into her pores and taking his confession with it.
“You’re not mine, but seeing you with another guy . . .”
She shuddered at the intense way he said mine.
His lips grazed along her cheek, and she held her breath, anticipation building inside her. When his lips brushed lightly over hers, her whole body rose, trying to capture the kiss, but he drew back, a full-on battle raging in his eyes.
“We should talk,” he said firmly.
Man, she had it bad. She would have ended that sentence with kiss.
“Your sister’s party . . . ?” He searched her eyes with a serious expression.
“Over,” she said quickly. “We’ve been here for hours. Most everyone has already left.”
The edges of his mouth tipped up, softening the inherent command in his granitelike features.
“I just need to say goodbye,” she added.
For a beat, neither of them moved. Was he already mourning the impending distance between them, as she was? She slid her hand down his arm, slowing to enjoy the feel of each muscle as it reacted to her touch. She’d been dreaming of touching him since the first night they’d met, and he was even more magnificent than she’d imagined.
She wrapped her hand around his long fingers, and his eyes heated, never wavering from hers. She’d never met a man so intense. Her nerves were on fire as she led him toward the table where some of her family members were talking. Awareness of the significance of her decision, of the signals she was sending, slammed into her, and she slowed to catch her breath. Was she ready for this?
He put a finger beneath her chin and lifted, as he’d done at his front door, gazing thoughtfully down at her. “Would you rather I leave?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m just . . . I’m good.” And she was. She’d needed that pause to acknowledge and accept what she was feeling. She was nervous, but she wanted this. She wanted him. Her smile came genuinely, and earned her one in return. “Come on.”
She became more nervous as they approached the table. Willow was practically sitting in Zane’s lap as they mooned over each other. Piper and Talia were scoping out some guy across the room, and Ben was in a heated discussion with Aurelia. She shouldn’t be nervous. This was her normal.
Except normal didn’t usually include holding hands with a man she wanted to strip naked and devour. Oh boy . . .
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the naked neighbor.” Mischief danced in Piper’s eyes as she pushed to her feet and strutted around the table in her skinny jeans and slinky little blouse. She set her hands on her hips, running an assessing eye over Bodhi.
His jaw clenched.
“Bodhi, this is my sister Piper. She works in construction and is around guys all day, which means she has absolutely no filter. Please take her with a grain of salt.”
He flashed a cocky grin. “For the record, I had a towel on.”
“For the record,” Piper said, “she wished you didn’t.”
“Piper!” Talia called across the table. She sounded, and looked, like the astute professor she was, with her long dark hair secured at the base of her neck and wearing a pretty white blouse and a black pencil skirt.
Bodhi’s expression turned serious again. “I’m pretty sure Louie wouldn’t have appreciated that.”
She swallowed hard. Did he know that watching out for her son was better than foreplay? “You knew Louie was outside?”
“As I said”—Bodhi leaned closer and lowered his voice—“I notice everything.”
Can you tell my nerves are on fire, too?
“Being attuned to your surroundings is an admirable quality,” Talia said. “I’m Talia, by the way. Also one of Bridgette’s sisters.”
Bodhi nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
Zane stood and reached over the table to shake Bodhi’s hand. “Willow and I were leaving the bakery the night you and Bridgette met. I’m Zane Walker, Willow’s fiancé.” Zane had grown up in Sweetwater. He was Ben’s best friend, and had always been close with their family. Before Willow had gone away to college, she’d secretly asked Zane to help her lose her virginity. Ten years later, Zane had needed to clean up his bad-boy reputation, and he’d asked Willow to be his fake fiancée. It hadn’t taken long for their love to rekindle, ten times stronger than it had been years earlier. They were proof that true love could appear out of nowhere and overcome anything.
“Walker.” Bodhi’s brows drew into a serious slant. “You’re an actor?”
“Was,” Zane answered. Looking at Willow adoringly, he said, “Screenplay writer now.” He turned his attention to Bodhi. “Bridgette said you were checking Willow out the other day. I’m cool with that. Just don’t get handsy with my woman or I’ll have to have you killed.”
Willow laughed. “He’s kidding about the killing part.”
“And I was kidding about the checking-out part,” Bridgette insisted. “Gosh, you guys. Way to scare him off.”
“Aren’t you glad you met me, Bodhi? Now you have a famous friend and the Dalton clan to drive you bonkers.” Aurelia rose to her feet and tugged at Ben’s shirt. “Get your butt up and drive me home, Benny boy. You guys wore me out.”
“You and Ben?” Bridgette asked skeptically. “What have I missed?”
Aurelia rolled her eyes. “Please. He’s my chauffeur. I walked here, but I’m too tired to walk home.”
Piper tapped Bodhi’s shoulder, and he leaned in close to hear something Bridgette couldn’t. She wondered what type of hell Piper was giving him now.
Ben hugged Willow. “Congratulations, sis.” He nodded at Zane. “Congrats, bro.”
That sparked the end of their gathering, as everyone got ready to leave. Bodhi stepped closer to Bridgette, placing a hand possessively on her lower back. Heat blazed through the thin material of her blouse, making her want to be in his arms again. Now.
“Bridge? You okay? Need a ride?” Ben asked.
She glanced at Bodhi, who looked like he was just as ready to be alone with her as she was with him. “I think I’m good, thanks.”
Ben pulled Bridgette’s phone from his pocket and handed it to her. She’d forgotten he had it.
“Piper? Need a ride?” Ben asked.
Piper pointed to the bar, where Harley was watching her like a hawk. “I think I’m going to hang around and harass Harley.”
After a round of goodbyes that took far too long, Bridgette and Bodhi were finally alone—in a bar full of people.
“Would you like me to hold your phone?” Bodhi’s gaze trailed over her body. “Do you have house keys?”
“I have a key hidden at home so I don’t have to carry one.” She slipped the phone into the back pocket of his jeans. “Thank you.”
He leaned in close. “I need to give you a lesson in safety for the single woman.”
“Is it a hands-on lesson?”
His eyes went volcanic. “What time do you need to be back for Louie?”
Chalk another one up for best foreplay ever. How many men would think of Louie first and not the inferno raging between them? “He’s spending the night at a friend’s house.”
He hauled her onto the dance floor, and there was no calming the dizzying currents racing through her.
BODHI WAS STUCK somewhere between paradise and hell. Meeting Bridgette’s family and friends had given him enough time to think things through, but he didn’t like the answer he’d come up with. He knew he shouldn’t be leading her on, or wondering if she kissed like a tigress or a kitten, or what she had on underneath that slinky little outfit. But every glance, every brush of her warm, soft skin, made him want more, and for the first time in his life, he wanted to do the wrong thing and risk getting burned.
Gone was the shy woman he’d seen earlier. Holding his gaze with a glimmer of fierce possession, Bridgette mouthed angsty lyrics about paradise and war zones, dancing like rhythm ran through her veins. The tempo climbed fast and frantic, exploding into a storm of vibrations. Bridgette tossed her head back, her long hair sweeping over her shoulders, her breasts brushing against Bodhi’s chest. The beat faded to a dull hum that wound around them, drawing them closer. His hands moved along the dip of her waist, and hers came to rest on his chest. When she set her beautiful green eyes on him, the rest of the world spun away, and he lowered his mouth toward hers.
The second before their lips touched, he tangled his hand in her hair, holding their kiss at bay. “Bridgette . . . I’m not . . . I can’t . . .” He had no words. How could he tell her he wasn’t looking for a relationship when he wanted her this badly?
“Unless you’re married, just kiss me.”
He caught sight of Piper in his peripheral vision, awakening his brain and reminding him that despite feeling like they were the only two people who existed in the crowded bar, they were far from alone. Fuck. With an arm around her waist, he headed for the door.
“Where are we going?” she asked as he hurried outside and around the side of the building.
“I’m not married.”
“Then why . . . ?”
He drew her against him, and holy fuck did she feel good. “Because I don’t want you to be the talk of the town tomorrow.”
“Oh . . .” Her lips curved up.
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and brushed his lips over hers, trying to slow himself down long enough to do the right thing. “Bridgette?”
“Yeah.”
“I need my mouth on you.”
“Yes,” came out like a plea.
He tightened his hold on her, hoping it might keep her from blowing him off when he said what he had to. She was trembling, and for the second time that night he wished he could be an asshole and not reveal his truth. But he wasn’t an asshole, and Bridgette deserved honesty. “As badly as I want you, you’ve got a son. You need someone who will be around. I’m only here for a couple weeks, and my job . . . I never know when I’ll be around. I can’t make promises for more than tonight.”
Her arms circled his neck, and those delicate fingers brushed over his skin, sending shocks of heat straight to his core. “Bodhi?”
“Hm?”
“I hear you, and I have a lot of questions, but can you please just kiss me before I lose my frigging mi—”
Her words were smothered by the hard press of his lips, and sweet baby Jesus, he devoured her succulent mouth, crushing her to him. Her body was warm and soft. She made a sexy sound of surrender, melting against him and somehow kissing him harder at the same time. He wanted to savor this kiss, to memorize the feel of her. His hands moved along the dip at the base of her spine, and she arched forward, pressing deliciously against him. Lust pooled deep within him, bubbling up with every swipe of their tongues. She was torture and pleasure, sweet and sinful, and he never wanted to let her go. He couldn’t remember ever kissing a woman like this, and when she gripped the base of his skull and held on tight, he deepened the kiss with such force she stumbled backward and hit the building.
Fear of hurting her rose above all else, and he tore his mouth away. “Are you okay?”
Her cheeks were flushed, her swollen lips curved up in the sexiest smile he’d ever seen. “God, yes.”
She pulled him into another kiss, and it took all his self-control not to lift her into his arms and wind those gorgeous legs around his waist. He angled her head, plundering and sweeping his tongue over every crevice, like he wanted to do to the rest of her body. His hands moved down her bare thighs, then up, lingering at the edge of her skirt.
“Christ, Bridge,” he said between kisses. “You’re too sexy.”
She smiled against his lips, and he took her in a demanding kiss, grinding his rock-hard cock against her. She moaned into his mouth, and that sexy plea did him in. He clutched her ass, holding her tighter, letting her feel every inch of what she was doing to him.
“Bodhi,” she said in one long breath.
“Fuck,” came out before he could stop it, and then all hell broke loose with his verbal control. “I knew one kiss would never be enough. I want to strip you naked, drop to my knees, and pleasure you until you feel me licking you in your sleep.”
“Ohmygod,” rushed from her lungs. She clung to his chest, her fingers digging into his skin through his shirt. “You don’t say much, but boy, you do know when to use your words.”
He kissed her again, cringing for his crudeness. “I’m sorry. It’s been a really long time since I’ve done anything like this.”
“I’m sure I have you beat.”
His lips came down softly on her cheek and traced the line of her jaw. “I’ve been dying to do this.”
He sealed his mouth over the base of her neck, pressing his tongue against that frantic pulse that had taunted him since he’d first set eyes on her.
She whimpered, holding his head in place. “Don’t stop. Oh God.” She bowed off the wall. “It’s been so long. That feels good.”
He sucked and licked and kissed and tasted, until she was writhing, moaning, digging her fingers into his skull. He needed more, and he wasn’t about to take it here where anyone could see her.
He reluctantly tore his mouth away, both of them breathless.
Framing her face with his hands, he kissed her over and over again, unable to tear himself away completely. “What do you say we get out of here?”