Off Base(61)

His eyes smiled down at her as the heel of his hand glided along her arch, exerting the perfect amount of pressure. Her feet wept for joy, but that wasn’t the only part of her reacting. Pleasure radiated from her feet and traveled up her legs, settling between her thighs. A low throb pulsed there as he cupped her heel and ground down on the flesh with the pad of his thumb. Sensation shot to every nerve in her body.

“Ohhhh, your hands are amazing,” she moaned.

His grin deepened. “I’ve been told.”

She tossed one of the smaller couch cushions at his face. “I bet.”

They fell into companionable silence, the awkwardness of earlier gone. She turned her face into the couch to stifle another moan. When his hands glided up her calves and started working into the tense flesh, she was lost. Her knees turned to pudding, falling slightly open in invitation.

“Huntley?”

“Hmm?”

“We need to talk.”

She frowned. She didn’t want to talk. Not right now. She just wanted him to keep doing delicious things to her with his hands. Maybe he could add his mouth next. She wouldn’t be opposed to him unsnapping his jeans either and taking out—

“Huntley?” he pressed. “Last night …”

Dread pooled in her. Nothing good would follow those words, she was sure.

“It was good,” he continued, his thumb tracing circles on the inside of her leg. Her heart tripped inside her chest.

Good? She snorted. That’s all it was to him? She pulled her legs away, tucking her knees against her chest.

“But?” she said, her tone sharper than she intended. She propped her chin on her knees. “I can hear the ‘but’ in there. Is this where you let me down easy? You don’t have to do that, Cullen. I know you. I’m not one of your other women you have to evade.”

“Other women?” His gaze narrowed on her face, the softness of his mouth disappearing as his lips hardened into an unsmiling line. “What are you talking about?”

“We’re friends who just happened to sleep together. I get that. You don’t have to worry that I’ll want something more from you.”

He leaned back on the couch, tossing his arm along the back in a casual pose that felt anything but casual despite his calm tone. “You done?”

She nodded once, uncertain at his tone of voice.

He continued, “So that’s it then? We just had a romp in the sheets and it’s out of our system now?”

She nodded again, her uncertainty growing.

“I see,” he said, looking away, his gaze falling on the TV.

“We’re still friends. We’ll always be—”

“Friends,” he inserted, looking at her sharply. “That’s what you want?”

She held his gaze, no longer certain of anything. “You don’t want that?”

“You’re asking now, Huntley? Sounds like you have this all figured out. But hey, you’re moving back home. Right?” The words hung between them, a challenge waiting a response.

“Uh. I’m considering it.” What the hell was she saying? She wasn’t leaving. She liked her life here.

“Well, it makes sense to keep things casual. Just f*cking for f*cking’s sake.”

“Right,” she murmured, staring blindly at the TV, wondering why his words felt like such a slap to the face.

The ringtone of her phone jarred the silence between them. She grabbed it off the coffee table and answered it without looking to see who was calling, glad for the sudden distraction.

“Hey, Huntley, it’s Greg. How are you doing?”

Cullen tensed beside her and she knew he could hear Greg’s voice.

“Uh, fine. How are you?” He’d sent her a few texts since their coffee date. She replied to one or two but ignored most of them. She couldn’t even imagine seeing him again. Even if her heart wasn’t invested in Cullen, they weren’t a good match.

She snuck a glance at Cullen’s face, not hearing a word Greg was saying as she eyed him. His jaw was locked and his gaze drilled into her, bright and intense. There was a look in his eyes that reminded her of him at the coffeehouse when he had watched her with Greg. A dark little thrill raced through her as she remembered how that night had ended.

“Mm-hm,” she murmured to whatever Greg was saying. Something about another date.

Cullen inhaled sharply and she knew he could hear every word. She winced. God. She wasn’t trying to make him jealous. Truly. And he had no reason to feel jealous. They weren’t in an exclusive relationship. Her feminine hackles rose even as some other part of her wakened and trembled, craving his hands on her again. His body hard and strong, taking over hers and making her want things she never knew she wanted.

She gave her head a small shake and tightened her fingers around the phone, getting off on that glint in Cullen’s eyes that warned her he was close to losing it.

He stood from the couch and stopped before her, his belt buckle on level with her eyes. She gulped and flicked her gaze up to his face. Eyes like flint.

His hands circled her ankles and yanked her until she was flat on her back on the couch. She gasped into the phone.

“You okay, Huntley?” Greg asked into her ear.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She squeaked as Cullen slid his big hands up her legs.