There’s been a few times I’ve caught Shawn looking at me from his yard. He’s never been disrespectful or acted inappropriately, but I’ve seen his interest. I use that to my advantage now by placing my hand on his arm.
“I’m afraid it can’t. I wanted to have the kitchen clean before he gets home, and I was right in the middle of doing the dishes when it clogged.” He looks down at my hand before lifting his eyes back to me, indecision filling his expression. I plaster on a sweet smile, and feeling like a hussy, I bat my eyelashes. “Pretty please.”
“Okay, sure. Yeah.” He clears his throat as he tosses a thumb over his shoulder. “Let me grab a shirt real quick.”
“Thank you!” I’m already turning away from him to walk back to the front yard when I throw over my shoulder. “And don’t worry about the shirt. This will probably only take a minute.”
I feel like a bitch and a tease as I lead him into the house, but I push the feelings aside. I’ve pretty much moved beyond desperate, so being a bitch and a tease just sits on top of my pile of pathetic maneuvers.
Leading him into the house, I go to the room where the pool table is, which is right before the kitchen. I turn and face him. Shawn looks around the room, his brows pulled down in confusion.
“I thought I was looking at the sink in the kitchen,” he comments.
“There’s not really a clog. I just wanted to get you alone.”
His brows go up, but his eyes drop down to my chest before they quickly move back to my face. “Yeah?” he asks gruffly. “And why’s that?”
I tip my lips up into a sexy smirk. “I think you know why.” I step so close to him the toes of our shoes touch. I run my hand up his bare muscular chest and look up at him through my lashes. He lets out a ragged breath. “I’ve seen the way you look at me, Shawn.”
He doesn’t touch me, but I can feel the waves of lust coming off of him.
His voice is rough when he speaks. “You’re a beautiful girl, Aleah. You must know that.”
“And you’re very handsome,” I tell him.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
He tries to make his protest with strength in his voice, but from the look in his eyes, I know he doesn’t mean it.
“Today’s my birthday, Shawn, and I want you to help me celebrate.”
I know I have him when he wraps his hands around my waist and tugs my lower half closer until our hips touch. I feel slightly nauseous when his erection nudges my stomach.
This is ten shades of wrong. It shouldn’t be Shawn’s hands on me. It shouldn’t be his brown eyes staring down at me like he wants to lick every inch of my skin. It certainly shouldn’t be Shawn’s body I’m pressed against.
But if this is what it takes to finally open Spencer’s eyes, I’ll do it. Even if I’m nearly eaten alive by guilt.
When Shawn drops his head for a kiss, I turn my face to the side. No way am I letting him have my lips. It’s too intimate. “No kissing,” I whisper in his ear. “At least not there.”
He pulls his head back to look at me. “No?” He pushes me backward until my butt hits the edge of the pool table. “Where else can I kiss you?”
I look up at him and give him my best seductive smile. “I’m sure you can think of a few places.”
As his eyes fill with unrestrained lust, my stomach fills with knots.
I hope like hell Spencer gets here soon.
Chapter 7
SPENCER
Tapping my hands on the steering wheel as I wait for the red light to turn green, I wonder what in the fuck is wrong with me. All day at work, I was looking forward to going out with Carla and the others. Well, I wouldn’t say I was looking forward to it. It was more like anticipating the results of fucking Carla so my dick would stop lusting after Aleah.
When it came time to actually head out, something stopped me. I just couldn’t do it. Flashes of Aleah’s face from last night hit me like a ton of bricks. I felt her pain, and it hurt like a bitch. I have no plans to touch her, but I also can’t go out with another woman when I know it hurts her that much. Especially on her birthday.
The light finally turns green, and I press down on the gas pedal. Aleah never answered me earlier about what she wanted to eat, so I picked up her favorite. Chicken parmesan from a small Italian place in town.
A few minutes later, I pull into the driveway beside Aleah’s car. I grab the food and get out. As I walk up the sidewalk leading to the porch, I notice the neighbor’s lawn mower sitting out. I find it odd because Shawn is usually meticulous about putting away his lawn care equipment when he’s done.