“You’re welcome,” he said, his gaze searching hers. “‘Depraved’ didn’t scare you off, huh?”
She laughed under her breath. “When you’ve been celibate for a long time, I think depraved thoughts are par for the course. Did I mention all the bad dates?”
He lifted a brow. “Oh, so the professor has her own mental file. How depraved are we talking?”
She gave him a saucy grin. “You worried?”
“Terrified.”
“I can tell.”
He pushed her hair away from her face. “I think I need to kiss you now. You know, to see if this agreement is a good idea. Gotta make sure the chemistry wasn’t a fluke.”
“Good plan.” She lifted her face to him, dark lashes at half-mast. “Kiss me, Shaw Miller.”
Shaw Miller. Hearing his real name on her lips did more than it should to him. He couldn’t wait any longer. He brought his other hand to her neck, feeling the heat of her skin, the flutter of her pulse. The second their lips touched, all the anxiety about agreeing to the event dissolved into the background. He couldn’t worry about such things when Taryn’s mouth was so soft and pliant against his, when her body was so warm and lush. She melted into the kiss as if she wanted to be nowhere else, as if she was relieved it was finally now. He knew the feeling.
He also knew this was fucked up. He was kissing one of his brother’s victims. There was no way around that. And he couldn’t offer Taryn more than this. His time here was limited. There was no future for this to grow into something. She wouldn’t even be able to call him by his name around anyone else. He didn’t deserve this. He didn’t deserve a clean slate with anyone, much less this amazing woman, but right now, he didn’t care. Right now, for the first time in years, he was kissing a woman as Shaw Miller.
And she was kissing him back.
She knew who he was and she wanted him anyway.
Chapter
Sixteen
Taryn stood in front of the curved wall, eyeing the thing as if it were a hated ex-boyfriend. She didn’t know how a wall could be laughing at her, but it totally was. She felt its silent mocking. She should’ve gone out to the lobby to wait for Shaw while he showered and changed clothes, but her mind had been racing and restless energy had been coursing through her. After the heavy conversation they’d had, the agreement they’d made, and then that kiss, she needed distraction. So she’d decided to walk around the gym to shake off the nervous energy and to get ideas for the event. However, after one lap around the place, she found herself staring at that beast of a wall instead.
Even though she was in skinny jeans and not workout clothes, she unzipped her boots and took off her socks. Just one try. Her jeans had good stretch in them—as all respectable jeans should. She’d be fine. Probably.
She backed up on the runway and braced one leg in front of her. One, two, three…
She shot forward, using every ounce of power she had, and her feet hit the surface of the wall with a slap. She got three steps up, felt the lift, got excited, and then gravity smacked her right in the face again. Not today, lady. She stumbled backward awkwardly, but at least managed to stay on her feet this time and not land on her butt.
A grunt of frustration escaped her, and she hit her fist against the wall. “Ugh, you big, ugly piece of junk.”
A chuckle echoed behind her. “You’re going to hurt Wally’s feelings.”
Taryn peered over her shoulder. Shaw was heading her way, dressed in jeans and a dark-blue Henley that brought out his eyes. His hair was loose with a little wave to it, the ends still damp above his shoulders. Good God. A hard kick of arousal hit her low and fast. She loved a good man bun but had thought of tugging Shaw’s hair free more than once. Seeing Shaw fresh from a shower with his hair down and his skin a little flushed from the heat of the water? Not fair.
She cleared her throat and tried to look unaffected at the sheer male beauty of him. She smiled to convey See, totally handling this. Don’t I look chill? “Wally doesn’t have feelings. He’s inherently evil.”
Shaw nodded toward the wall. “So he’s still pissing you off, huh?”
She reached down for her socks. “No,” she said haughtily. “I was just killing time.”
“Uh-huh.” He watched as she sat on the edge of the platform and pulled her sock on. “I think we should add to this agreement of ours that you’ll still come for your workouts.”
She gave him a look of warning as she zipped up her boot. “Shaw, if you’re telling a girl on your very first date with her that she needs to work out, you really need some lessons on Things Not to Say to a Woman.”
His smile went sly. “Oh, don’t give me that, professor. I’ve made it perfectly clear how I feel about your body. I’m literally doing everything I can right now not to ogle you.”
“I’m putting on a boot.”
“The collar of your sweater is gaping.” He nodded toward her. “I can see the lacy edge of your bra and the curves of your breasts. If I don’t stop looking, I’m gonna embarrass myself with an obvious sign of how much of a fan I am.”
A curl of need moved through her at the heat in his voice, at the reference that she could make him hard with one little peek. That made her feel sexy…and powerful…and really hot under her light sweater. This Shaw was different. She didn’t know exactly what to pinpoint, but she felt it. He wasn’t the closed-off, tense man she’d talked with earlier tonight. A new confidence was there. He looked comfortable in his skin for the first time since she’d laid eyes on him at the bar. He could be himself. “Oh…well…”