Chapter 15
ALLIE HAD NO idea what else to say now that Dex had apologized. Part of her screamed to show him the door, but that wasn’t what she did.
“Are you hungry? I was going to pop a pizza in the oven, because I’m too tired and sore to really cook.”
“Why are you so sore?”
“Just a lot going on at the hospital. Stress and I’ve been running around. No big.”
Without saying anything, Dex walked to the freezer and pulled out the pizza. “How about you pour yourself a glass of wine and sit down. I’ll put the pizza in the oven.”
“No, really. That’s okay. You’ve been doing so much on the cabin that I’m sure you’re exhausted—”
Waving his hand at her, he laughed. “It’s a frozen pizza, not a four-course meal. Seriously, go sit.”
Allie wasn’t going to stand there arguing, not when her lower back was crying out at her to sit down. Grabbing a bottle of wine and a glass, she sat on the couch. She poured a glass as Kermit trotted over and tried to jump up next to her. She picked the puppy up and let him crawl across her lap as she leaned back into the couch with a sigh.
She heard the tread of Dex’s feet behind her before his hands even touched the sore muscles of her shoulders.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Making you feel good.”
The way he said it, with an almost husky edge to his tone, sent a shiver down her spine. For the first time, she didn’t fight him. She leaned back into his touch as he rubbed, thumbing the knots in her muscles firmly. It was heaven, and the irony that she’d received two massages from two completely different men in the same day did not escape her.
She was practically asleep by the time the oven beeped, alerting them that it was preheated, and he stopped his administrations. She turned around on the couch to watch him go back to the oven, teasing, “You know, if you ever get tired of the search-and-rescue gig, I think you’d kick ass as a masseur.”
“Is that a fact?” He was bent over, his jeans-clad ass with its sexy leather tool belt facing her and spinning all kinds of dirty fantasies in her head. Should she ask him to take it off?
She shook her head to clear her thoughts.
Once the timer was set, Dex came back and her fantasy was realized. The tool belt came off and he set it down on the coffee table before sitting next to her on the couch. Spinning his finger in a circle, he said, “Turn around. I’ll work out the kinks in your lower back.”
Allie didn’t even hesitate, just scooted around, pulling Kermit off her lap and setting him on the floor. She presented him her back and her skin hummed with anticipation as he spread the palms of his hands out and began to knead her sore muscles. His thumb and fingers worked at her, and she relaxed, moaning in utter ecstasy. She didn’t even start when his hands crept up underneath her shirt, his rough, calloused hands against her smooth skin sending pleasure from her lower back down her thighs.
“God, that feels amazing.” Allie hardly recognized her voice, it was so low.
Dex’s hands lifted her shirt higher, and the cool air on her back broke through her stupor. She was just about to ask what he was doing when she felt something soft press against her spine.
His mouth. He was kissing her.
Another brush of his lips on her skin was electric, and she tensed. Not because she didn’t like it, but because the sensation was wreaking havoc on her.
Dex’s hands smoothed over her lower back and around her waist, splaying over her abdomen, and still, she didn’t say no. Didn’t want to say no.
He brought her back against him, his mouth finding the curve of her neck. With a sigh, she reached back, cupping his head with her hand. He twisted her around slowly until he had her draped across his lap, and when his lips closed over hers, it felt like she was being licked by a thousand flames.
Allie opened her lips to his tongue and moved her arms around his neck as he made love to her mouth. Hard and soft, light and teasing, and then his hand was tangled in her hair, pulling slightly until her scalp tingled. The drumming of desire between her thighs made her squeeze them together against the ache, wanting so much more than his kiss.
And then his hand was there, cupping the front of her pants, his finger sliding over her. She arched up into his touch as he rubbed her, and she could feel the warmth of his hands through her cotton panties.
He unfastened the clasp of her pants and slipped his hand inside, and when his finger found the nub of her clitoris, she jerked. He pressed harder, rubbing in tight, fast circles until she was gasping against his mouth, her nails digging into the back of his neck.
Oh, yes, I’m—
As her orgasm rocked her, sending tremors throughout her body, she saw bright, flashing lights behind her closed eyes. She came back down, slowly, and realized Dex was still brushing her lips softly, with gentle pecks that brought her back to reality.
Her eyes flew open, and met his bright green ones.
Good God, what did I just do?
Dex knew the moment was over when Allie opened her eyes. The horror in them was like a sucker punch.
Slipping his hand out of her pants, he refastened her slacks, taking his time without letting his gaze leave hers.
A few moments later, when the oven timer went off, Allie still hadn’t moved or loosened her grip around his neck. Reaching up, he pulled her hands down and set them across her stomach with a pat. “I’ll go get that.”
After Allie scrambled off of him, he got up, silently cursing himself. How could he have let this happen? The moment he’d touched her, he knew he was doing something wrong. He should’ve left, gone home, taken a cold shower, and forgotten all about Allie—but he hadn’t been able to stop. He’d waited for her to say no, to grab his hand, to do something …
But she hadn’t. She’d melted into him, kissing him back so sweetly, and his mind had moved onto one track. Touching her, tasting her. Branding her as his.
It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t real. Whatever this attraction, this passion was between them, he wasn’t the guy for her. He wasn’t the long-haul, “get married and tuck the kids into bed every night” kind of man.
Hunter was, though. Hunter could give Allie what she wanted.
Dex went to the sink and washed his hands, gritting his teeth while the hard-on pressed painfully against the front of his jeans. Ignoring it as best he could, he slipped on Allie’s oven mitts and pulled the pizza out. Once he’d set it on the counter, he cleared his throat.
“Look, I’m sorry. I let things get out of hand.” With a dry chuckle, he tried to go for nonchalant. “We can just forget this. Chalk it up to temporary insanity.”
Allie stared blankly at him over the couch, her blond hair messy and her lips red and raw from his kisses. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and yet, he was going to walk away. They needed some distance.
“Look, um … I’m gonna skip out on the pizza. But thanks for the invite. I’ll just … I’ll see you later.”
Like a coward, he walked out the door without looking back. Because when he’d see the look of relief on her face, he wouldn’t be able to handle it.