Hold Me Close (13 page)

CHAPTER 9

T
his was it. Shane Callahan was kissing her and oh my freaking God was it good. A giggle bubbled up but was squashed by how good the kiss was. She tried to focus to remember what it was like to be kissed like this, but she couldn’t concentrate. His tongue ran along her lip and eased into her mouth. Shane was gentle and slow, but he controlled every move, every shift, every second of pleasure.

She grabbed his shirt and held on, needing to pull him closer, to feel his body touching hers. She felt the tingle of excitement and wanted to hold that feeling. Shane deepened the kiss, his tongue swirling around hers. While his hands stayed near her face, touching her jaw, her neck, her hair, hers roamed down his chest.

Time ceased to exist. The only air was the breath they shared.

By the time he pulled away, she was pliant and beyond relaxed, yet her nerves still thrummed with excitement. Maggie opened her eyes.

Shane’s thumb stroked her cheek. “You okay?”

“More than.” She leaned forward, wanting more.

Shane took the hint and shifted closer, angling his head and capturing her mouth again. Part of her wanted to feel silly. This was Shane, her buddy. She never knew he could do this. She imagined an awkward fumbling between them. Not this kind of simple magic.

Her heart raced and then her blood weighed heavy in her veins as lust took over. His fingers threaded into her hair and pushed it aside. His lips left hers and he kissed a trail across her jaw to her ear and down her neck. His hands finally—finally!—began to move over her body. He skimmed down her sides, barely brushing the sides of her boobs.

She gripped his head as he continued to lick and suck at her neck, his hands spanning her rib cage before they moved up and pressed against her breasts. Her nipples were hard points, sticking out, begging for attention. Using his whole hand, Shane kneaded one breast and then the other while he returned to her mouth just in time to swallow a moan.

Her entire body hummed and thrummed. If she had never vibrated with need before, she knew exactly what it meant at this moment. She tugged at his T-shirt and pulled it up to reveal his tight muscles and line of hair leading below his waistband. Desire pooled low in her belly and she welcomed it.

She trusted Shane to make this happen. She shoved at his pants, barely getting past his hipbones before he shot away from her.

“Whoa. Slow down, there.”

“What? No!” She reached for him, but he pulled his hips away.

He grabbed her hands and held them. “Maggie.” His voice was strangled. Inhaling deeply, he leaned his forehead against hers. “Slow, Mags. I’m not stripping you on the couch.”

“We can go to my bed. It’s not that far.” The bulge in his pants made her mouth water.

He sighed, then kissed her cheek. “Good night, Maggie.”

He stood.

Wait. What? He was walking away? She jumped off the couch to follow him. “Shane Callahan.” He looked over his shoulder. “Get your butt back over here and finish what you started.”

“I will. Just not tonight.”

“Why the hell not? What’s the point of getting me all hot and bothered and then walking away?”

He walked back to where she stood and held her hand. “You trust me, right?”

She nodded.

“We do this my way.” He kissed her again, this time on the mouth. Their lips interlocked and she still wanted more, but he pulled away. Again.

Damn him.

He walked to the door, and as he opened it, facing the hallway, he said, “One more thing. Don’t finish without me.”

The man was crazy. He got her horny and now he expected her not to get off at all?

When she didn’t respond, he turned to face her. “I mean it. You agreed to do this my way.”

“You’re insane.” She crossed the room and poked his chest. His very hard, muscled chest. “You don’t get to control my body. I can do whatever the hell I want.”

He smirked. “But what you want is me. Whatever you can do alone won’t be enough. Trust me. It’ll be worth the wait.”

He didn’t wait for a response. He walked across the hall to his apartment, leaving her gaping at him from her door. He waved with a smile as he opened his door.

She slammed hers shut. Unfortunately, it barely took the edge off her frustration.

Shane stood at the doorway to his apartment and withheld the laugh at Maggie slamming her door. As he was about to cross the threshold, Janet stepped out into the hall.

“So, you and Maggie, huh?”

He smiled. “Yeah.” At least as far as he was concerned.

“Yet . . .” She pointed back and forth between the two apartments.

He lifted a shoulder. “It’s complicated.”

She then pointed at his hard cock and smirked. “Nothing should be that complicated.”

He swallowed a groan and waved. “See you around.”

He couldn’t explain to a stranger what was going on between him and Maggie. He knew it sounded crazy.

Christ, his dick hurt. He hadn’t walked around like this since he’d first discovered girls. Why he’d thought a make-out session on Maggie’s couch was a good idea now escaped him. He eased his sweats off and cringed as the elastic bumped his hard-on on the way down.

Fuck this. He told Maggie not to take care of herself, but he’d never made any such promise. Once the shower had hot water flowing, he stepped under the spray. Wrapping his fingers around his cock, he stroked. The only thought in his head was Maggie: the way she smelled, the way lust filled her eyes, the way she moaned when he’d barely touched her.

His whole seduction plan might kill him before he could get her off. His hand pumped his heated flesh. It didn’t take long until he spurted across the tiles. He finished washing up and got out. He’d managed to take the edge off, but thinking about Maggie sitting in her apartment all horny wasn’t doing him any favors.

Both he and Maggie were working at the bar tomorrow night, so there would be no date and no sex. He wasn’t about to rush anything after working until closing. The weekend would have to do.

His biggest concern, besides the obvious—the effect having sex would have on their relationship—was that he worried about making sure she was comfortable with the idea of him touching her long before they had sex. She hadn’t been able to go all the way with the last guy because he didn’t know her and therefore couldn’t understand her. Shane wouldn’t make the same mistake.

He lay in bed and listened to the sounds of the building. The music from downstairs still filtered through the floor. He could hear Maggie banging around in her apartment. She always did need a physical outlet when she was frustrated. He rolled over with a smile on his face.

Maggie hadn’t seen Shane before or after he worked his construction job, so she went down to the bar without waiting to see if he was on his way. She’d spent a good portion of the previous night scrubbing her bathroom. Although the space now sparkled, it had done nothing to ease the ache of lust.

She put on her apron and got ready for her shift. Once again, she was relieving Kelly, so she got the lowdown on remaining customers and cleaned off unoccupied tables. As soon as Shane entered the room, she knew it, felt his gaze land on her back. It was like he homed in on her every time he walked into a room.

She ignored the shiver that skated down her back. If he could play it cool, so could she. It wasn’t like he was the first guy she’d ever made out with and hadn’t gone further. As she walked back to the bar to place an order for one of her tables, she smiled at Shane. “Hi.”

“How are you?”

“Good. And you?”

His gaze wandered the length of her body and every one of her nerves perked up at the attention.

“Very good,” he answered.

She wanted to ask if he’d spent the night thinking about what they could’ve done, but the bartender set a martini and a glass of scotch in front of her. After placing the drinks on her tray, she smiled and said, “See ya.”

As she walked away, she emphasized the sway of her hips. She was out of practice, but she knew what drew a guy’s eye. If Shane wanted to watch her, she’d give him something to see. Luckily for her, the table waiting on drinks faced Shane’s location. She set the drinks in front of the customers and bent over more than necessary to set napkins down and collect menus.

If the customers thought anything was odd, they said nothing, but when she straightened, she saw Shane shift in his spot.

For the entire night, they played a game of cat and mouse. For every time she bent or stretched in his direction, he’d pass by and glide a hand along her hip. An innocent gesture one might make as he passed, but with Shane, there was an added flex of his fingers. When she licked her lips suggestively, he groaned.
Point Maggie.

His heated glare let her know he’d get even. Whether planned or not, Jenna asked him to carry a case of beer from the back. Shane lifted it over his head to bypass customers. Biceps bulged and his shirt rode up from his pants, revealing that delicious strip of stomach. A hint of muscle, a patch of hair. Just enough to make her want to explore.

It was her turn to groan.

Then when he got behind the bar with the case, he bent over to fill the cooler. Damn. The man earned extra points for that.

The night sped by with their nonverbal game in play. It was a blur of orders and tips interspersed with strategizing. When she’d asked Shane to sleep with her, she’d agreed to doing it his way, but she’d thought they’d actually do it.

By the time they were done with their shift, Maggie was horny all over again. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d flirted with one guy for so long. And it was Shane. She’d witnessed his flirtation skills before. Hard to have such a good-looking guy friend and not see that in action. But it felt so different when it was directed at her.

He followed her to the back door and asked, “Good night?”

“Pretty good. Weekends definitely have better tips, but it’ll do. Kind of quiet.”

He held the door open and she braced herself against the cool air. “Quiet is good. No fights.”

He shook his head at her as she crossed her arms outside.

“Quiet also means less money in tips.”

“Why not wear a jacket if you’re cold?”

“Because it would be one more thing for me to remember. Plus, it’s a quick trip upstairs.” She jogged up the stairs as if to prove her point. Inside the hall, she paused at his door and waited for him to catch up. She tilted her head toward her apartment. “Want to come over for a while?”

“Sorry. Not tonight. I have work early in the morning. Are you free tomorrow?”

“I work the lunch shift.”

He grabbed the waistband of her jeans and pulled her closer. His lips brushed hers and then he licked at them. When she opened her mouth in invitation, he pressed her against his body. She became slightly light-headed and giddy. Was it the lack of oxygen or was something else about him intoxicating?

He pulled away and whispered, “Dinner tomorrow?”

“How about a late-night snack now?”
Please say yes.

“Sorry. Work, remember?”

“Stupid job.”

He chuckled. “Tomorrow will be here soon enough.”

“So tomorrow you’ll finish what you started yesterday?”

“Maybe. But there’s lots of fun to be had between starting and finishing.”

Her fingers curled into his T-shirt. “But I
really
want to finish.”

He peeled her hand away and kissed her palm. “Soon.”

“Jeez. I’ve never heard of a guy playing hard to get.” She stepped away and swept a hand over her body. “Lots of guys would jump at the chance.”

“I’m aware.” He winked. “I’m also not most guys. Good night, Mags.”

She huffed out a sigh. “’Night.”

She entered her apartment resigned to play Shane’s way.