Page 11 of Surprising Bones

She starts unpacking immediately, kneeling to open a box and pulling out stacks of neatly folded clothes. She sorts them into piles and then stares at the piles, like she’s surprised how little there is. Her next box is all books. She lines them up on the shelf I hung last night.

After an hour, she’s got everything put away. Her laptop sits on the tiny table under the window, papers sorted in a neat stack next to it. Her plant is already looking perkier on the kitchen counter. The place already feels different. Lived in.

“What time do you want me to start tomorrow?” She glances over at me.

I shake my head. “You can come down at 6:45. The garage opens at 7am.”

She gives me another of those almost-smiles. I get a little high off it. “I’ll be there.”

Fuck. I’m running out of excuses to stay here, and I can’t stomach the thought of leaving. “You hungry?” I ask. She shrugs and I know the only thing she’s eaten today is donuts. “Let me buy you lunch.”

She follows me out, and we hit a little sandwich shop a few blocks away. She orders a breakfast croissant and a coffee, then proceeds to inhale it like she hasn’t eaten in a week.

We talk—sort of. She asks about the garage, what to expect, who she’ll be working with. I answer, filling in details she can’t get from the job description. She listens intently, face never betraying more than a flicker of surprise or approval. I get the feeling she’s memorizing everything, storing it away for later.

When we get back to the apartment, the sun’s higher and the city is awake. I help her haul her empty boxes to the dumpster, then walk her back up to the apartment. She unlocks the door and stands in the threshold.

I want to push my luck and ask to come in, but I can tell she needs some time. “If you need anything, you call me. Day or night.” I say, fighting the urge to stay with her.

She nods, eyes wide and unreadable. I make myself step back, one hand on the doorknob to keep from closing the distance between us.

“See you tomorrow, sweetheart.” Before I can stop myself, I lean over and kiss her lips. Electricity flows down my spine as my brain shuts the fuck down.

Her lips are soft as silk and taste like coffee and stubbornness. Fuck, my entire body draws so tight I’m seconds from completely losing my shit on her. The little moan she gives me when I sweep my tongue against hers? Yeah, that one’s going in a special file in my head labeled “Jack Off Material.” I want to eat her alive.

But I keep it light. Barely. One more second and I’d pin her against the wall like a fucking animal, and we’re not there yet—not quite. I ease up, pulling back a breath before I lose all control.

She blinks up at me, eyes wide and stormy, lips swollen and red from how hard I’ve been on them. Fuck, she looks wrecked. “What was that?” she asks, her voice a little rough, not fooling anybody.

I grin down at her, caging her in with my arms, close enough to feel her breaths coming fast. “That was me staking my claim, sweetheart.”

She lifts a brow, totally unimpressed, like she’s already figured out I’m a total goddamn pushover for her. I can’t get enough of her, and I never will. “It’s a little early in our relationship for your caveman act.”

God, her words send all the blood in my body straight to my cock. I lean back in, greedy, giving her another slow taste. My lips move over hers, dragging it out until she shivers all over. “This isn’t an act.” It kills me to step back, hands itching to drag her in again and bury myself in her mouth. “Lock the door behind me,” I tell her, voice low and raw. “If anyone tries to mess with you, you call me first.”

“Yes, sir.” She stares up at me with those wild fucking hazel eyes, practically daring me to kick the door down and haul her straight to bed. Shit, I want to. My self-control is frayed, and I’m dying to have her naked and writhing on my cock. But I get the feeling if I push her too fast, she’ll pull all the way back.

Walking away is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I remind myself this is a marathon not a sprint. Fuck. I’m so done over this girl, I’m using yuppie quotes to justify my actions.