Page 22 of Off-Limits Bad Boy

“Are you cold?” he asks, before his gaze flicks to mine. “Or is it something else?” His fingers brush against my arm, sending a jolt of electricity through me.

I swallow hard, unable to tear my eyes away from his. “Something else. Rage, probably.” But my voice is barely a whisper, and I know he’s not convinced.

“Let me warm you up.” he says as if I hadn’t said a word. That trademark smirk plays on his lips, but there's an edge to it now, a promise of something more that makes every drop of saliva in my mouth dry up.

My heart thuds as the thought of his hands on me fills my mind. I think about his powerful hands peeling away soaked layers of my clothing and the excitement is almost too much to bear. My lip catches between my teeth, holding back a sound of pure desire.

“Kade,” I say, breathing out and relieved the word doesn’t betray all the confusing feelings warring within me.

He leans in, inches from my face. “Yes, Emma Riley?” His rich voice sends a shiver up my spine and leaves goosebumps breaking out across my skin. I’ll blame the cold for both reactions, of course.

I don’t know if he knows my secret - even though we’ve joked about it - and I need to be very careful not to give into these feelings. Besides, he's everything I shouldn't want—my brother's best friend, the jerk who's made driving me mad into a sport.

“Stop looking at me like that,” I whisper, watching his gaze drop to my lips. My heart feels like it’s about to burst, and the electric thrill crackling through my body is almost too much to take.

“Like what?” he asks, as if daring me to say that I know he wants to kiss me. He's so close now, his breath mingles with mine.

“Like you're going to devour me.” That’s... not what I meant to say. But he seems unfazed.

“Would that be so bad?” His thumb grazes my jaw, tilting my head up to meet his smoldering gaze.

“Kade,” I say as alarm bells begin blaring in my mind. “Don’t. We can't.”

“Can't we?” His voice is barely above a whisper, and it's all I can do not to close the gap and kiss him myself.

“Alex would kill us,” I manage to say, even as part of me screams for him to ignore my protests.

He arches an eyebrow. “Alex isn't here...” As his eyes search mine, I see them darkening with desire.

“That doesn't make it right.” I can’t believe I have to explain this to a full-grown man.

“Sometimes,” he whispers, his hand cupping my cheek before his fingers slide through my hair until he’s holding the back of my head, the sensation so intense I inhale a deep breath, “it's the wrong things that feel the most right.”

And in that moment, with the heat of his body enveloping me, I'm dangerously close to letting him prove it.

“Are you okay?” His gentle voice brings me back to the moment, and I feel like I snap out of his hypnotic hold over me.

I glare at him, feeling the damp fabric clinging to my skin, a reminder of what he’d done. “No, I’m not okay. I'm wet and it's all your fault.” My words come out sharper than I intend, but the annoyance is real—even if it's tangled up with an ache for his touch.

A wicked smile crosses his lips, and he winks—a clear indication he understands the double entendre of my complaint. “Well now, that sounds like a good problem to have.”

Heat floods my cheeks as I realize just how he's taken my words... and what I’d said.

Damn him and his ability to twist innocent comments into dirty innuendos, and double damn him for making me uncomfortably warm at the thought.

His mind is a playground of dirty thoughts, and it somehow both infuriates and thrills me. Without warning, he pulls me into his arms, his breath warm against the curve of my ear. “Want me to help you with that?” The deep, throaty growl of his voice reverberates through my body, unbalancing my senses.

My knees weaken, and something inside me roars to life, a hunger that's becoming harder to deny. Maybe I do want his help, but that’s never going to happen.

“No, thanks,” I say with a confidence I don’t actually feel.

“Are you sure?” Kade's hold tightens just slightly, his fingers splaying across the small of my back, sending shivers through me. “Because I've got a few ideas that could make you feel... better.”

I swallow hard, trying to steady my racing pulse. I know exactly what he’s offering, and every fiber of my being screams to give in. But I plant a hand on his chest and push him away, needing space to think, to breathe.

“Kade, stop.” I mean the words.

Because if he doesn't stop now, I might not have the strength to make him stop.