“Saw Kim Penton in town today,” I tell him. “She said to tell you to call her.”
He laughs softly against my shoulder. “Guess she hasn’t heard that I’m taken.”
That’s not the answer I expected, so I go for direct. “We should end this. It worked while I was trying to get back on my feet after Bodhi knocked me down, but I’m fine now. You should go back to your harem.”
“Harem? Seriously?”
“You can tell everyone you were just doing me a favor.”
He goes quiet a long moment before resting his chin on my shoulder. “What if I don’t want it to end?”
All my air exits on a heavy exhale. He’s throwing me curves when I’m expecting fastballs. He kisses my jaw, then my neck. Flares ignite in my brain, signaling danger, but he feels so good. “I…we… What?”
“This chemistry has been burning between us from the day we met. I want to see where it goes.”
I cross my arms on the deck, so I use less energy holding us both up.
“Is that really want you want? To end all your freedom with other women?”
“I’m only entertaining other women because I’ve been waiting for you.”
Everyone close to us has said as much, but he’s never admitted it before. Angst fizzes in my gut.
“I’m not Bodhi,” he says, his voice soft. “I’m always upfront and honest, even if what I have to say is hard to hear. This thing between us has never been a lie for me.”
He’s making my heart beat double time.
I turn to face him, forcing him to deal with the floatation issue. He holds the swim deck with one hand and me with the other arm, so I’m flush against him. And, damn, his body…
My brain tries to slide out from under me, but I force it to stay on duty and speak from my heart. “You have no idea how much our friendship means to me. I’d never trade that for sex, no matter how good. Never.”
The reality hurts the way it does every time I think about having to keep my feelings for Xavier in a box.
He kisses me. It’s a lingering kiss, and when he pulls back, his gaze is so…affectionate. My heart flutters, demanding to be let loose.
“They don’t have to be mutually exclusive,” he says. “Isn’t that what the best relationships are? Being in love with your best friend?”
Whoa. Love? Did I just hear Xavier Wilde talk about being in love?
It’s enough to shoot my blood pressure through the roof. “What’s…” I look around for normalcy, for something to ground me. “What’s happening right now?”
I don’t wait for an answer, I turn away, plant my hands, push up on the deck, and manage to get out before he drags me back, but before I can even stand, he’s got a solid grip on my ankle, and his devious smile is back.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Away from you. Were you drinking on duty today? You’re not acting right.”
He pushes up and out of the water, then he’s kneeling over me, grinning, streaming water onto me. I sputter, laugh, push at his chest. “Wilde, you’re acting like a crazy man.”
I crab-walk backward to put space between us, but he follows, that boyish grin making me laugh. Until he reaches out, cups the back of my neck, and pulls me in for a kiss. A hard, meaningful, mind-tipping kiss.
And, fuck, yeah, I kiss him back, even though I know I shouldn’t.
Just when I’m sure he’s going to pull away, he tilts his head and strokes his tongue into my mouth. It’s jolting in the most sensual way, and I know I’m walking right into the perfect trap he sets for all women—making himself irresistible until they take the bait, then moves on.
Thinking about that moving-on part breaks the spell. I pull back and find his gaze dark and dreamy.
“I want you,” he says. “I want you in a way I’ve never wanted anyone. It won’t ruin our friendship. It will make it better. Deeper.”