Midway through the movie, I realize that I have absolutely no idea what’s going on. I’m not even sure what the plot is. The only thing I’m capable of focusing on is the way his fingers stroke over me. I’m so tempted to purr and stretch like a cat basking under the warmth of the sun.
Every caress fuels the flame of desire he has carefully kindled to life deep in my core. I have to fight the temptation to turn in his arms and straddle him. I want to pepper kisses along his shadowed jawline. I want to nip his earlobe between my teeth. Part of me wants to sink to my knees and take him in my—
Crap.
As those sneaky thoughts invade my brain like a swarm of locusts, I jolt to awareness before scrambling off his lap. “I need to go.” The words come out sounding ridiculously breathy as need bubbles up inside me.
Unaware of the dirty thoughts running rampant through my brain, his brows jerk together as he points to the television. “But the movie isn’t over yet.”
I wave a hand. “Yeah, I know, but I really should go.” Even though I have no idea what time it is, I add, “It’s late.”
He glances at the silver watch adorning his wrist. The one I’d found so damn sexy when he picked me up earlier. It does nothing to alleviate the arousal crashing around inside me. “It’s only ten.”
“Yeah, but I’m exhausted.” I feign a yawn but stop short of stretching my arms over my head. “It’s been a long week.”
As I back into the dining room area, Colton rises to his feet. “Do you want dessert before you leave?”
Hell, no.
I shake my head and pat my belly. “I’m still full.”
Disappointment flickers in his eyes. “Well, at least let me wrap it up, and you can take it home with you. Maybe have it for breakfast tomorrow morning.”
Argh.
He’s being entirely too nice. I almost can’t take all this sweetness.
“You really don’t—”
“It’s not a problem,” he interrupts. “Give me a couple of minutes to get it packed up.”
Colton disappears into the kitchen before I can decline the offer for a second time. Shifting restlessly, I wring my hands, only wanting to escape before the images rolling through my head have any chance of coming to fruition. A few minutes later, he returns with a transparent container filled with chicken parmesan and a small white box that I assume holds the dessert.
Relief floods through me as I nip my purse from the counter and hold out my hands for the boxes. “Thanks, you really didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to,” he murmurs before nodding toward the door. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”
A chuckle bubbles up from my throat. “Don’t worry about it. I think it’s safe enough for me to walk forty feet.”
He cocks his head as his gaze searches mine. “Escorting you to your apartment has nothing to do with safety.”
And just like that, my belly hollows out, and my chest constricts. It takes everything I have inside not to melt into a puddle of goo. As tempting as it is to argue, I don’t bother. I know a losing battle when I see one. Instead, I scramble out of his apartment, striding down the hallway as fast as humanly possible. The quicker I get to my door, the sooner I can escape from him. No matter how swiftly I move, Colton is right there beside me. His long legs are no match for my shorter ones.
Even though I don’t want to be hyperaware of his presence, that’s exactly what I am. The warmth that emanates from him. His aftershave as it teases my senses with memories. It’s almost too much to bear. Any moment, I’ll come undone.
A puff of air breaks free as I find myself standing in front of my door. With a smile plastered across my face, I spin around and thrust out my hand, only wanting to say good night and get this over with. More like get away from the tangle of emotions he rouses inside me. Further inspection isn’t necessary to realize that they’re dangerous and counterproductive to everything I’ve been attempting to accomplish since my return to Wesley.
He steps closer, and the distance between us gets swallowed up. I tilt my head in order to maintain eye contact as his warm breath drifts over me. Why does it have to feel so intoxicating? It takes effort not to strain forward and inhale a big breath of him.
I clear my throat and glance away, attempting to break the tentative connection that has formed in the span of a few short hours. “Thanks again for dinner.”
My gaze jerks to him as his fingers slip beneath my chin. “I’m glad we could spend a little time together. It was nice.”