Taking the Heat. Victoria Dahl

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      “All that advice I give? All of the wise insights on love and sex that I helpfully hand out to strangers?” Her voice was getting softer.

      Gabe put his hands on her shoulders. He wanted to lean down and kiss her. Her mouth looked so plump and her eyes so happy. But he couldn’t. Not tonight. “Mmm-hmm,” he murmured, using his hands to hold her steady instead of pulling her close.

      “That’s the biggest lie of all, Gabe. I’ve never even done it.”

      “Done what?” he asked, distracted by the pretty way her neck arched so she could watch him.

      She moved even closer, going up on tiptoe to bring her mouth toward his neck. “Fucking,” she whispered.

      For a moment, his brain stuttered over the provocative word, guessing that she was trying to turn him on. Not that he’d act on it tonight, but it was a nice problem to have. Then the rest of the conversation caught up and overrode his libido.

      He stood straight. His hands gripped her shoulders with more strength. “You what?”

      Instead of reacting with the seriousness he thought the moment deserved, Veronica burst into laughter. “You should see your face!” she chortled, pointing at his face in case he’d forgotten where he’d left it. “Oh, my God, you’re so cute!”

      “You were kidding,” he sighed, feeling a relief he didn’t understand.

      “Oh, I wasn’t kidding. But it’s still funny.”

      He blinked several times. “You’re a virgin?”

      “Pretty much,” she said, her face suddenly getting serious.

      “What does that mean? Can you even be pretty much a virgin?”

      “I mean, I’ve done things. On occasion. But I’ve never really done things. Do you get it now? Look at me! I’m a fraud, Gabe. An undesirable, freakish fraud!”

      He stared down at one of the most adorable women he’d ever met and wondered if someone had slipped a psychotropic drug into his last beer. “You’re...” He couldn’t think what to say. Oh, my God, you’re a virgin! Or... I don’t know what you’re talking about—you’re totally fuckable! His mind spun. He stayed silent.

      “I’m sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have told you. You just have such a nice face. And everything else.”

      “Thank you,” he said carefully.

      “Maybe you’d like to help with my problem?” He wasn’t sure what she meant until she waggled her eyebrows.

      “You mean...with the...?” He pointedly dropped his gaze to a lower point on her body, then realized it was an extremely creepy gesture and snapped his eyes back to her face.

      She nodded solemnly. “Yes. With that.” She pointed at the spot he’d just eyed. When he didn’t respond, her nodding slowed, then stopped entirely before she changed it to a negative shake. “No. Right? It’s a no?”

      “I don’t... Veronica, I don’t know what to say. You’re really drunk. We shouldn’t even be talking about this.”

      “I know. I’m sorry. I’m trying to let people see the real me.”

      He swallowed hard, wishing he had another beer to wet his dry mouth. Or maybe something with caffeine instead of alcohol so he could navigate this minefield more deftly.

      “You’re so cute,” she said mournfully, reaching up to slowly pat his cheek. Her fingers lingered, stroking down his beard. “Huh. It’s soft.”

      “Thank you?” he ventured.

      She looked so startlingly pretty when she grinned at him that Gabe finally snapped out of his shock and stood straight. “Okay. That’s it. Let’s get you to bed.”

      “Yay!” she cheered, pumping her fists in triumph.

      “Just you,” he clarified. “Not me. You need to sleep this off. This might be a little more of the real you than you meant to reveal.”

      “The real me!” Veronica squealed, giggling as he retrieved the keys she’d left in the lock. “Look at her! She’s horrifying!” He set the keys on the table closest to her and closed the door.

      “She’s not horrifying. She’s just being a little more candid than she’d like if she were sober.” Gabe gestured toward the open door of her bedroom.

      Her hip hit the table when she turned, but she bounced off it and moved toward her bedroom. Gabe let his hands hover near her shoulders in case she started to lean. Once they reached her bedroom, he grabbed the blankets and pulled them back so she could just fall in. She tipped helpfully onto the mattress, then twisted around to look up at him.

      “Are you sure you won’t stay?” she asked with the sweetest smile.

      “Something tells me you’re not quite lucid,” he said as he took the purse she’d snuggled up to and put it on her nightstand. He snapped the covers over her before he could let himself notice that her dress had ridden up to expose more of those soft thighs now. Soft, until she shifted and tension added muscle definition. “So...” he said, forcing his thoughts off her legs, “I’m going to get you a big glass of water, and then I’ll leave.”

      “That makes me sad.” Her bottom lip curved into a luscious little pout that made him want to taste her. “I want you to stay.”

      “We can talk when you’re sober.”

      “Promise?”

      When he nodded, her pout turned to a smile. But then the smile wavered. Her eyes glistened.

      “Are you okay?” he asked in alarm.

      “Yes. You’re just so nice, Gabe.” She sniffled and a tear escaped. Then another. “And so hot. Just so, so hot.”

      His laugh was half horror and half amusement. He handed her a tissue, then escaped to the kitchen to get a glass of water. “Here,” he said when he returned. “I think you’d better drink some of this. Can you sit up?”

      She gave him a thumbs-up but didn’t move.

      “Come on,” he said, carefully sliding his hand behind her neck to help her raise herself up. She cooperated with another smile that was ruined by her having to sniff back tears several times, but then she dutifully drank a third of the glass while he watched.

      He pulled the covers up again when she lay down, then backed away. “Need an alarm?” he asked. It was only ten, but she might sleep for quite a while.

      “Nope. I work from home.”

      He smiled at her fit of giggles, then raised his hand. “Good night, Dear Veronica. It was a hell of a show.”

      She aimed a finger pistol at him and winked as she pulled the trigger. “Thanks, Gabe. Don’t forget your promise.”

      “I’ll СКАЧАТЬ