“You were attaching the wires from the wall to the new light.”
“Yeah, something like that.” He takes a deep breath and rests his head on the wall. “Christ, I can still feel your tit on my nose.”
Talk about the perfect icebreaker.
We both chuckle.
Thank God for Brig’s fun personality.
“I can still feel the short spurts of breath through your nose. You made my nipples moist.”
“Got to say”—he chuckles—“first time a girl has ever said that to me.”
“Glad I could be your first.”
He nods at my feet. “Maybe you can step down one rung, you know, so I’m not making your boobs moist.”
“Sure,” I say, scooting down one and extending my hands higher above me to hold the light. “That better?”
He turns toward me again but this time our faces are mere inches from each other. So close that I can feel our breath mix, the beat of our hearts growing closer, in sync with each other. The air thickens between us, electricity bounces off my chest to his, and it’s so clear that there’s something going on. Something brewing.
Even though I’m the one who put us in this position, I feel a bout of regret creep into the back of my mind because being this close to him, looking him in those penetrating eyes, I feel my resolve start to weaken.
I want him.
Bad.
My body leans into his, itching to be closer, needing to be held.
Do I press my hand to his chest? Steady my wobbling legs? Do I reach out, caress his face like the girls said? Do I pretend to swoon and then accidentally press my lips to his?
Indecision weighs heavily as the tension continues to build. Our eyes search each other, our minds both turning, wondering.
What would he do if I kissed him? If I pulled his head into mine and pressed my lips to his? Would he accept me or turn me away?
I try to tell myself he’d pull me in closer, convince myself of it, but my courage falls flat and just as I start to lean away, his hand falls to my hip, holding me in place.
Did I just sway? Or did he pull me closer?
Either way, he’s holding me tightly, our noses almost touching. Our lips mere inches apart.
This could be the opportunity I’ve wanted for so long.
Seize the moment . . .
Kiss him, Ruth.
Take what you want and kiss him.
“You almost fell,” he says softly right before licking his lips.
“Lost balance,” I say breathlessly. “Thank you for catching me.”
“Of course.” His eyes fall to my lips as I wet them with my tongue. “Wouldn’t want my girl to fall off my ladder.”
“Your . . . girl?” I reply, my heart running a mile a minute.
“Yeah, my best girl. Best friend.”
My face falls, hope for seizing the moment plummets to the floor, and once again, I feel like any progress I’ve made for an us has been pushed back further and further.
“Wait, is that too soon?” he asks reading my sullen expression.
Trying to regain my composure and act like him putting me in the friend zone once again isn’t absolutely heartbreaking, I say, “You consider me your best friend already?”
“Maybe,” he says, reaching up and tucking a stray hair behind my ear. “I’m always with you. That has to mean something.”
His fingers linger. Maybe all hope isn’t lost?
Baby steps.
Pull down the blinders, even if they keep snapping back up.
“I was thinking the same thing. It must mean something,” I say, using my free hand to snag a finger in his jeans pockets to keep myself close. He takes that moment to turn on the chair so he’s facing me. Feigning being off balance, I bring him a little closer with a tug on his pocket.
Like the gentleman he is, he takes the cue and steadies me by gripping my hip again but this time, he doesn’t move his hand away.
“Should we get best friend bracelets?” he asks with a lazy smile that paints him in such an adorably sexy light that all I want to do is throw my body around his, forget the fixtures, and lie on the floor with him, kissing him whenever and wherever I want.
“Friendship bracelets? I don’t know. That would forever put us in the friend zone,” I say, alluding to more. Frankly, I’m shocked the words came out of my mouth.
And I’m not the only one who’s shocked, because his brows shoot to his hairline followed by a sly curve of his lips. “Not wanting to be permanently in the friend zone?”
Oh God.
Be cool, Ruth.
Casual, fun.
Don’t expose all your feelings and thoughts and possible love for this man.
“Friendship bracelets forever seal the deal of eternal friends. That’s risky. What if when we’re both forty, still no love prospects, and we don’t want to die alone? If we have friendship bracelets, we’d never be able to marry to ensure we’re not alone for life.”
“Like a marriage pact.”
“Exactly. Friendship bracelets would ruin that.”
His thumb grazes my hip, sending a shot of lust straight between my legs. He thought it was easy to turn him on. All it takes is one stroke of the thumb for me. “You know, I’ve never heard that rule, but the more I think about it, the more I believe it.”
“So that’s a pass on the friendship bracelets?” I ask, tugging on his jeans.
“That’s a pass.” He smiles and says, “Does that mean we’re making a pact? If we’re both single at forty, we get married?”
I shake my head.
“No?” he asks, confused.
“If we’re both not married at forty, then we bang first. I have to test the equipment before I commit to it for life.”
“Are you saying I might be bad in bed?” His hand slides up my side, and it takes everything in me not to shiver.
Not to cheer.
Not to swoon right here on this ladder.
“Possibly.”
“Who’s to say you’re good in bed?” he asks.
Slowly, my hand climbs up his chest, skimming his abs, gliding over his thick pecs. I love the way he takes in a sharp inhale from the pass of my hand. I move up to his neck, my thumb to his chin, and then the bottom of his lip where I tug on it.
When his eyes darken and his mouth slightly parts, I say, “You don’t have to worry about me, Brig. I’m excellent in bed. Flexible, adventurous, and I love going all night. Plus, I give good head.”
He must swallow wrong, because all of a sudden, he starts coughing and turns away. He hops off the chair and digs his hands in his hair, looking up at me in disbelief.
“I, uh . . . I just remembered. I have to make a phone call. Let me go do that. I’ll just be . . . yeah. Okay. Yup.” He takes off, leaving me with a light fixture in hand and a winning smile on my face.
“Good morning,” I say, bouncing up and down in the bra I know affects Brig the most.
And as I predicted, his eyes go straight to my chest before quickly pulling away.
Okay, so flaunting my body was my last resort. I’d rather have the guy fall in love with my mind, but that failed and I was quickly placed back in the friend zone. So now, I’m reminding him that hey, his friend has boobs—boobs he likes to stare at.
He finishes closing the space between us and stands next to me awkwardly. Not letting a second go by, I slip my arms around his narrow waist and pull him into a hug, pressing my boobs against his thin shirt. My nipples are hard from a brisk chill in the air this morning, so I hope he can feel that through my shirt.