Page 51 of Riding Dirty

He grins, winks, then closes his door. I laugh softly as I slip into my own apartment. Flipping the dead bolt into place, I drop my bag and keys by the front door before I shuffle straight for the shower.

Turning on the water, I let it warm up before I step inside. The moment the warm, almost too hot, water touches my skin, I let out a hiss and then moan as it massages my muscles. I stay in the shower longer than I should, washing my hair, shaving my legs, washing my face, anything and everything I can think to do to stay under the warm water a little bit longer.

But as the water begins to cool off, I know it’s time for me to get out. Then my stomach growls, and I really know it’s time. Turning the water off, I stifle a moan as I dry off my body, then slip the black robe that’s hanging on the back of the door around me, tying the waist before I step out into the bedroom.

The instant I stand in the middle of my bedroom, which is also the middle of my apartment, I know I’m not alone. My eyes widen as I lift my head and connect with the man who is standing just a few feet away in my living area.

I don’t scream. There’s no need to. Because I know this man standing in front of me, and I’m pretty sure the only way he could hurt me is my heart, not my body. And judging by the way he’s watching me, he doesn’t want to hurt me. He wants to fuck me.

And that’s not going to happen—at least that’s what I tell myself.

“Elodie.”

The way he says my name, it’s like he’s actually inside me. Murmuring it while he moves, while he brings my body to the edge, ready to push me over. And for a moment, I think I might actually be able to feel him.

Trouble.

This is complete and total trouble, and I’m going to be in the thick of it again in about five seconds.

I can feel it.

CHAPTER

FORTY-ONE

ELODIE

Coast closes the distance between us. I watch as he shrugs his vest off, tossing it on the back of the sofa. He reaches behind him, gripping his T-shirt between his shoulders, and pulls it off over his head, exposing the tattoos and muscles that cover his body.

I want to lick them.

I want to trace every square inch of him with my tongue.

It’s almost as if I’ve completely forgotten every single thing that naked woman said to me just yesterday. Because he’s here, in front of me… stripping down, and my desire to see him naked, to feel his body against mine, suddenly outweighs what that woman said and all of the tears I cried.

He kicks his boots off, sliding them to the side of the room with his foot. I have no idea where they land, and more importantly, I don’t care. Then I watch as he takes another step so he’s directly in front of me. He only stops when he’s just a few inches away.

Coast is so close, I can feel his heat radiating from his body to mine. It’s almost as good as his touch, but not quite. I need that touch. Crave it. And in this moment, I forget to be angry with him. At least right now. Maybe I’ll be upset again after.

But right now, I just want him.

He reaches out, and my breath hitches when his rough, warm palm slides along my jaw, cupping my cheek as his gaze searches mine. I am frozen. Every muscle in my entire body is completely frozen as he looks into my eyes.

“You got any idea what you do to me, Haze?” he asks.

My frozen body jerks, and I shake my head, taking a step backward as I hold the sash of my robe a little tighter. Tilting my head to the side, I stare into his eyes. His words were the wrong ones because they instantly broke the spell.

“Do you mean that I am so forgettable you don’t even come back for your drink? Or maybe you don’t even contact me for two days and then just show up at my house, with the key I let you borrow for what I thought was an hour or two?” I ask. “Or maybe it’s the women you’re fucking down at your clubhouse every time you go back there? Is that what I do to you?”

The asshole has the nerve to smile at me. A grin tugs at his lips as he closes the distance that I tried to put between us by taking half a step forward. Then he surprises me. He wraps his arms around me, placing his palms against my back, and hauls my body against his.

My chest presses against his as I tilt my head back slightly so I can look up into his eyes. His light-brown eyes search mine. They are glittering, and my whole body trembles in his arms at the beautiful sight.

“Woman,” he growls, shifting his head down closer. His lips touch mine, and as much as I wish I could stop my body from trembling even harder, I cannot. “You fuckin’ undo me.”

His mouth slams against mine, his tongue dipping inside me, swirling, tasting every part of me. He’s kissing me like he’s dying of thirst in the desert and I’m the mirage he’s found with a fresh spring that can quench his thirst.

And I let him.