The atmosphere around us shifted, and it took all my strength to resist kissing her.
“This is not me invading your space, by the way. I’m an LH girl for life.”
Life? “What brought you to Lenox Hill?”
“My parents, when I was born.”
“You grew up there?” I asked.
She nodded. “Seventieth and Second. Then after college I got a studio apartment with a loft up on Eighty-Third with my ex-boyfriend.”
“Studio with a loft, that’s not bad.”
She shook her head. “By loft, I mean there was a space above the kitchen to throw a mattress into and literally crawl into bed. Then last year I moved down First Avenue.”
“Why didn’t you move someplace cheaper?” I asked. Granted, after I graduated, I stayed in Manhattan as well.
“Jersey or Brooklyn or Queens? I’m a Manhattan girl. Lenox Hill just has this down-to-earth feel. It surprises me you’re not on the west end closer to Central Park. What brought you to my neighborhood?”
“I like the area.”
“Me too.”
“And I like it even more knowing you’re there.”
Her cheeks turned pink and she bit down on her lower lip before stepping out of my arms. “We should go,” she said. I couldn’t stop watching the harsh rise and fall of her chest.
Stepping forward, I cupped her face with one hand and pulled at her waist with the other. She drew in a sharp breath right when my lips met hers.
There was no pushing away, no angry outburst, just a soft moan that moved from her to me. Pure, utter perfection. All I wanted to do was devour every inch of her. It took all my strength to pull away, but I managed.
“We should go,” I said, mimicking her own words.
She nodded in agreement before walking back over to her bag and grabbing it and her phone. I put my hand on her lower back as we walked, desperate to feel her close.
The traffic had thinned out, shortening what I knew to be a longer drive and leaving me with less time with his spicy scent filling the small space of the car—the kind of scent that had me wanting to rub up against him. I was able to control myself when at the office, but being so close to him, staring at his hand resting on the gear shift, it was difficult to keep myself from climbing into his lap and pressing my lips to his. Or putting my hand on his crotch to tease him to hardness.
These were thoughts that were not supposed to be going through my mind, but I couldn’t seem to stop.
“This is me,” I said, pointing to a five-story brick building with a self-proclaimed best pizza pizzeria, a laundry, and a sushi place occupying the first floor. To their credit, the pizza was really good. Even better as leftovers after a night of drinking.
“Which one?” he asked as he swooped into a spot against the curb.
“I don’t know if I should tell you. You might try to sneak over in the middle of the night and take advantage of me.”
His tongue peeked out to wet his lips as they drew up into a grin. “I don’t know where you got that idea, but it’s a damn good one.”
That small movement proved to be too much for me to handle.
I grabbed his neck and pulled his lips to mine. It was instinctual, and I could see the surprise in his eyes before they closed. A small moan left us both when our tongues met. When his hand slipped behind my back, I retreated. It was already escalating too much, and there was no way I could invite him up.
“If you’re a good boy, maybe I’ll tell you one day.”
“Tease. You know I could just knock on every door until I find you.” I believed that he would.
“Patience, Mr. Carthwright. Good things come to those who wait.”
“If it gets your lips around my cock, I’ll be the best boy in the office.”
“Keep dreaming,” I said with a wink before exiting the car. “Only boyfriends get those.”
“It will happen. You will be mine.”
My heart began to race at the determination in his words. “Goodnight, Thane.”
He grinned at me. “See you later, beautiful.”
My whole body felt charged, and I missed him the moment he sped away. A tingling lingered on my lips, and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face as I entered my building. He was persistent, which I was enjoying, but my heart sank every time I remembered he’d run as fast as he could the moment he found out about Kinsey. After grabbing the mail, I ran up to the second floor and knocked on the door to apartment one.
A few moments later, the door creaked open and I was greeted by a sweet smile. “Roe. Good gracious, they worked you to the bone tonight.”
“They did. Thank you so much for helping me today,” I said as I stepped in, my gaze searching out my nugget.
“No problem, dear. She made my evening.”
“Hey, chubby cheeks,” I said with a smile. My heart settled when she crawled over to me, baby talking in high-pitched squeaks.
“Ma, ma, ma, ma,” she babbled.
I scooped her up in my arms. “Were you a good girl for Mrs. Walsh?”
She kicked her feet in excitement.
“She was a doll, as always.”
“Thank you so much for your help.” I leaned over to pick up her diaper bag. “Say bye-bye,” I said to Kinsey. She waved her open hand at her. “Thank you again.”
“You’re welcome, sweetie. See you later, Kinsey.” Mrs. Walsh blew Kinsey a kiss and waved her arthritic hands.
I probably thanked her too many times, but she really saved me. It wasn’t often I asked for her help, but the few times I had, she was always willing. We had a barter system going, and I knew a list of items she needed would show up under my door in a day or two. I didn’t mind helping her at all and would have done it even without her help with Kinsey.
Kinsey waved back as we turned toward the staircase. “You ready for a bath?” I asked. I kissed her forehead, loving her giggle in response. “We’ll get your little blue doggy. You’d like that, huh?”
We headed up the stairs, and I was hoping she would be out after her bath because I was dead tired and it was already past her bedtime.
“Roe,” a familiar voice called out when I reached the landing.
In front of me stood Ryn, and my stomach dropped. Why is she here?
“I’ve had a really tough day. Can we not tonight?” I asked.
Her hands were shaking, and she couldn’t stand still. The itch had her, and I really didn’t want to let her in. I hated Kinsey seeing her like that, even if Kinsey had no clue who she was.
“You’re high.”
“Please, Roe. I just need a place to stay tonight. Please.” A squeak drew her attention, and she finally looked down to the bundle in my arms. Her lips pulled up into a smile. “Hey, pumpkin.” She leaned over and took Kinsey’s hand. “How’s my baby?”
“If you really cared, you’d be around more.”
She looked back to me again. “Roe…”
I blew out a breath. “Are you hungry? There are some leftovers in the fridge.”
“Thanks,” she said, stepping back and allowing me to unlock the door.
We entered, and I threw my bags down on the coffee table and slipped my shoes off. There were some leftovers that might not be good anymore, so I pulled out my phone to order something for her. I was still full from sushi, but some junky and carb-filled appetizer to top it off wouldn’t be bad. Just as I turned to ask what she wanted, Ryn opened the door and three men filed in.