Susan Mallery - Until We Touch

The contact was unexpected and exactly what she wanted. She went willingly into his embrace. Her hands settled on his broad shoulders as her thighs nestled against his. But the best part was how he kissed her.

Gently, at first. Light, barely touching, then more firmly. His mouth lingered. Her eyes sank closed as she melted against him. Yes, he was definitely lingering, she thought. Lingering and moving back and forth. There was a tenderness, but also a hint of something else. Something more.

Heat began to bubble deep in her chest. It flowed in all directions, making her body warm and sensitive to every touch. His fingers stroked her back, holding her with just the right amount of pressure. Thinking became more difficult and the world reduced itself to this man and what he was doing to her.

His tongue brushed against her bottom lip. She sucked in her breath even as she parted for him. He slipped inside. The kiss deepened and then they were straining against each other. She moved her hands up and down his back, wanting more. Needing him to touch her everywhere. He responded in kind. One hand slipped to her rear while the other slipped around her waist and up her rib cage until it settled on her left breast. His fingers brushed against her tight nipple. Electricity shot through her and she jumped back.

They stared at each other, both breathing hard. Passion darkened his eyes. It made her tremble. She tried to speak, but honest to God, what was there to say? Larissa did the only thing that made sense. This time it was her turn to run.

CHAPTER FOUR

“I KISSED JACK.”

Larissa supposed “Hi” or “Can I come in?” was a more conventional greeting, but the words just sort of spilled out. Bailey stared at her a second before motioning her into her small house.

“Wow,” her friend said. “I’d been thinking I was going to have a quiet, if slightly boring, evening at home while Chloe is with one of her friends, and then you come along. Well done.”

“I’m sorry,” Larissa breathed. “Is this an okay time?”

“Of course. Like I said, Chloe’s gone. And you are better than anything on TV. Let’s go into the kitchen. I have some very cheap wine and I made brownies yesterday.”

Another offer of wine, Larissa thought, determined to actually taste it this time.

She followed Bailey into her kitchen. The contrast between the open, modern new space at Jack’s place and this tiny, aging but homey one couldn’t have been greater. Here the counters were yellow and green tile—a holdout from the previous century. The cabinets had seen better days and there was barely room for a tiny table and chairs.

Yet the room felt cozy. There were dozens of brightly colored drawings held to the front of the refrigerator with magnets. A big, bright calendar dominated one wall. It showed lots of activities and dates with friends.

Larissa inhaled slowly and started to relax. Nothing too horrible had happened. Nothing that she couldn’t recover from. Order and balance would be restored. And if they weren’t, she would find another cause and lose herself in that.

Bailey unscrewed the top on the wine and poured them each a glass, then set out a plate of brownies. They sat across from each other at the tiny table. Bailey leaned forward and grinned.

“Okay, start at the beginning. How long have you and Jack been kissing?”

Larissa groaned and covered her face with her hands. “We haven’t. Ever.” She straightened and reached for her wine. “It just happened.”

“When?”

“Like twenty minutes ago. We were talking and then we were kissing.” At least she thought that was how it had happened. The memory was already blurring. At least the memory of the conversation—not the one of the kiss itself. That had been spectacular.

“It’s all my mother’s fault,” she added.

“Telling Jack you were in love with him?” Bailey’s voice was sympathetic. “Yeah, I heard about that. And I can sure see how that would change things. Even if it’s not true, you’re suddenly aware of everything happening with Jack. It’s awkward.” She reached for a brownie. “Unless you are in love with him.”

Larissa grabbed a brownie for herself. “I’m not. I swear. I like Jack. He’s a great guy. But like isn’t love.”

“He’s very sexy. Is that the problem? It’s not love, but something more...earthy?” Bailey smiled. “I’m trying to be subtle. It’s not my greatest strength.”

“I can see that.” Larissa considered the question. “Do I want to have sex with Jack?”

“You did kiss him and sex is nice.”

Larissa stared at her. “Wow. Do you want to have sex with Jack?”

Bailey had just taken a bite of her brownie. She shook her head as she chewed. When she swallowed, she said, “No, he’s all yours. It’s just sometimes having a warm body in the bed can be really great.”

Larissa remembered that Bailey’s husband had been killed in Afghanistan. While it had been over a year ago, she was sure the memories of the loss were still fresh.

“Is there someone else you want to sleep with?” she asked quietly.

“We’re not here to talk about me,” Bailey reminded her. “You’re the one who showed up and announced the kiss. Speaking of which, how did you leave things with him?”

Larissa took a sip of her wine. She was going to need more than a glass to forget that particular memory. “I ran.”

“As in...”

“I just took off. Yeah, not my finest hour. I didn’t know what to say. We’re not supposed to kiss. We’re friends. I depend on him to be there for me.”

“Doesn’t kissing mean he’s totally there?”

Despite everything, Larissa smiled. “Now you’re making me feel better and I’m not sure that’s allowed.” The smile faded. “This is so crazy.”

“Why?” Bailey asked. “You work in really close quarters with three hunky guys who run around naked.”

The smile returned. “They don’t run around naked.”

“Practically. I’ve heard the stories of meetings in the steam room. Taryn talks about it. Plus, you give them massages. I think the real surprise is that it took so long for one of them to come to his senses and kiss you.”

“Why do you say it like that?”

Bailey sighed dramatically. “Have you seen yourself? You’re this tall, leggy blonde with big blue eyes and a tiny butt. It’s discouraging for the rest of us.”

The description was so at odds with how Larissa viewed herself that she wanted to turn and see if there was someone standing behind her.

“I’m boring and normal,” Larissa pointed out. “I wear yoga pants all the time and never bother with makeup.”

“Yoga pants that show off your perfection. I, on the other hand, am carrying around twenty-five extra pounds.” She reached for another brownie. “Pounds I have accepted as a permanent part of my life.”

Larissa looked at her friend. Bailey was a beautiful redhead with lush curves and a sexy twinkle in her green eyes. She would imagine most of the single men in town were trying to figure out how to get her attention.

“You’re sweet, but I’m not all that,” she said.

“Uh-huh. We could take a survey.” Bailey tilted her head. “Unless you are secretly in love with Jack.”

Larissa finished her glass of wine and reached for the bottle. “I’m so not and I swear, next time I see her, I’m going to kill my mother.”

Bailey smiled. “Unlikely.”

“I know.” She sighed. “So what do I do about the kiss?”

Bailey considered the question. “What do you want to do about it?”

“Pretend it never happened.”

“That sounds like a plan to me.”

* * *

WHILE KENNY HANDLED company-wide staff meetings, Taryn was firmly in charge of partner meetings. Both of which happened far too often for Jack’s peace of mind. Did they really all need to know what the other was doing? Apparently so, which was why he found himself sitting in Taryn’s office, listening to her go on about the status of various client projects.