He stood in front of her, lightly holding her hands. Their eyes met, that moment of gravity hitting him again, but this time, he knew she could feel it too.
“What would I have to do,” he whispered, “to get first place?”
The feeling between them became more intense. Rylee took a small step toward him, balancing on her good leg and putting some pressure on his hands. He was falling into her eyes, and he was obsessed with her lips. They seemed to be getting closer and closer, full, lush, and red.
Gage felt her breath on his face. They were definitely getting closer to each other. He could smell the heat rising from the skin between her breasts, the deep, lovely scent of a woman hiding beneath her perfume.
Rylee’s fingers tightened on his, and she tilted her head up, an expectant look in her eye. Warmth shot through his body, wiping his mind clean of all thoughts but one.
Take her. Now!
Gage let go of her hands suddenly. He took a step back, turning to his desk. There was a little bar fridge behind it that had a few ice packs, and he focused on it as if it were his salvation.
“Just make yourself comfortable there on the couch,” he said, not looking back at her. “I’ll grab a couple of ice packs for you.”
While I’m at it, I might shove one in my pants. What the hell was I thinking?
Gage cursed softly under his breath. He’d almost lost it there. He clearly had to be careful around this woman because he couldn’t think straight while she was near him.
He needed to do better. He had to help her … not maul her with his bear strength.
It only took Gage a second to grab the ice packs, but he stared into the fridge for a few seconds longer, not having a single clue how he was going to get through the next few minutes.
He knew the second he turned around, all he would want to do was wrap his arms around her, kiss her, and never stop.
THREE
RYLEE
Rylee was grateful when Gage turned to get the ice packs. She let herself fall into a little heap on the small couch, trying to get control of her breathing.
Her heart was fluttering around in her chest like a caged bird trying to get free. She felt shaky and weird as if she’d almost fallen off a cliff.
While they had been standing close and looking into each other’s eyes, she’d been sure he was going to kiss her. The trouble was she didn’t know if she wanted him to. Rylee hadn’t had sex in a long time … she really couldn’t blame her body for coming alive this way.
Especially since I haven’t been close to a man this hot in…well…ever!
While Gage rummaged around in the fridge, Rylee stretched out on the couch and tried to calm down. There was a throbbing deep between her legs that was not going away. Her nipples were starting to feel sharp enough to poke right through the dress.
I need a cold shower, not an ice pack.
Rylee closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it. After a couple of seconds, she felt much calmer, even though the throbbing between her legs still didn’t go away. She realized she had no idea what had happened to Maeve and the others and pulled out her phone.
There were no missed calls, but everyone had dropped a message in the group chat to say they were fine and heading home. She texted a brief message of her own, letting them know she was still at the club but on her way out. There was no point worrying them by telling them about her ankle.
She also didn’t feel like mentioning she was holed up with a world-class hottie. She didn’t need those questions and winks first thing tomorrow morning.
As she slipped her phone back into her bag, she saw Gage approaching with the ice packs. He laid out a towel and wrapped the squishy packs neatly inside, and then asked her for her foot.
For a moment, Rylee was confused and almost stretched out her hand. She shook her head and giggled, holding out her sore foot.
Almost like I was going to wiggle my ring finger at him … what the fuck are you thinking?
She tried not to be too hard on herself. She probably wasn’t thinking too much at all. It was late, and she was tired and injured. Rylee couldn’t expect to stay completely coherent under these conditions.
Then Gage touched her leg.
She blinked her eyes shut, twisting her lips to keep in an ecstatic moan. His fingertips were warm, and his touch was firm but gentle. He held her calf with one big, beautiful hand while he slipped off her shoe with the other.