She looked up from behind the bar, shot us a smile and a wave, and then grasped the cocktail shaker.
Boxer and I stepped out into the night. It was cooler now, and I shamelessly used it as an excuse to nuzzle closer. I enjoyed the casual ease of being with him.
He unlocked the truck and helped me with the passenger door. Before he shut it, he stared at me for a moment. We drove in relative silence with jazz playing through the speakers. Boxer reached over the center console, searching for my hand. I gave it, linking my fingers through his. It was comfortable, easy. There was no need to fill the void with mindless chitchat.
When we got to my condo, there was a parking space right in front on the street. Boxer easily maneuvered the truck into the spot and turned off the ignition.
“I’ll walk you up,” he said, unlatching his seat belt.
“You don’t have to,” I said with a smile.
“Yeah, darlin’. I do. I want to make sure you get into your place safe and sound.”
I frowned. “My building has a security guard.”
“Humor me.”
With a shrug, I grabbed my purse and hopped out of the truck. Boxer took my hand and linked his fingers through mine, as if he wasn’t ready to say goodbye or stop touching me.
We entered the building. I waved to Jerry, and we continued toward the elevator. I pressed the up button, and a few moments later the doors opened. Boxer and I stepped inside.
“So, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this was your best date ever,” Boxer stated.
A bubble of laughter escaped my lips. “Careful out there on that limb. It might snap.”
He let go of my hand and then draped his arm around my shoulders. Boxer pressed his lips to my forehead.
The doors of the elevator opened, and we stepped out.
His hand slid down my arm to rest on my hip, his finger teasing the denim at my waist. “I’m dying to know if you were yanking my chain, telling me you’re not wearing underwear. Is that true?”
I batted his hand away. “If I tell you, you might get ideas and overexert yourself. I haven’t cleared you for your favorite hobby yet, remember?”
“Give a man a reason to dream.”
“You don’t want to dream. You want spank bank material.”
“You’ve got a dirty mouth, Doc.” His grin was wicked. “I never would’ve guessed…but I like it. I like ita lot.”
I chuckled and placed my hand on his chest, not to force him away but because I wanted to feel his heartbeat. It raced with strength, and I shivered with want.
Boxer saw it.
His eyes darkened, and he stepped closer. “You’re killing me slowly, Doc.”
He gently pushed me against the door, angling his pelvis against me so I could feel how much he wanted me. His hands tore through my braid, loosening the strands and plowing his fingers through my hair.
“Linden,” he growled, right before his mouth covered mine.
I grasped the lapels of his leather cut and pulled him into me. My eyes closed, and my heartbeat fluttered in my neck.
He pillaged my mouth, mimicking with his tongue what I was sure he wanted to do to my body.
My skin erupted with warmth, and I suddenly felt like I had too many clothes on. One of his hands snaked beneath my sweater, his breath catching when he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra. His thumb grazed my nipple, causing it to harden.
He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “I want to see your skin flush with pleasure. I want to see your beautiful blue eyes roll back into your head when I bury my face between your thighs and lick you until you come. And then I want you to beg me to slide deep inside you.”
His vision flashed in my mind, and my legs trembled. I wanted to pull him into the condo, strip him down, and demand he make good on his promises.