“Do they get along?”

“Yes, and no. It’s never seemed like they hate each other or anything, but they definitely know how to get under each other’s skin. So them living in the same house, even temporarily, is a little scary.”

“I bet they’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

“I didn’t know you were getting over an ex. Is that recent?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that’s a lot of why I moved here. It was… messy.”

I had no idea who this guy was, but I wanted to punch him in the face. “That sucks. But I already know you’re better off without him.”

“How do you know that?”

“If he let you go, he’s an idiot. And you shouldn’t be with an idiot.”

She met my eyes and for a second, I was caught. There was hurt in those pretty brown eyes, but also something else.

Heat.

I was suddenly in dangerous territory. It would have been stupid to say I wasn’t attracted to her. I’d fantasized about her too many times to kid myself. But her mom was wrong. I wasn’t going to be the fling that helped her get over her dipshit ex. So even though the way she looked at me gave me very solid kiss me vibes, I wasn’t taking the bait.

Yet.

No, there was no yet. I wasn’t taking the bait at all.

But damn it, I wanted to.

Squeaker moved in my hood, crawling from behind my neck onto my shoulder.

“Oh my goodness, your kitten,” Skylar said, clutching her hands to her chest. “She’s so cute.”

I reached up and plucked her off my shoulder. “I almost forgot she was back there. She likes to sleep in my hood.”

“Can I pet her?”

“Of course.”

I held Squeaker while Skylar gently stroked her.

“She’s so soft.”

“Yeah, she is.” I brought her closer to my face and kissed her head. She squeaked.

“I see where she gets her name. Didn’t you say you rescued her?”

“I found her out by the old railroad tracks the other night.”

“Are you serious? Do you think someone abandoned her?”

“It looks like it. But she has a mommy now, so she’ll be fine.” I lightly kissed her again. “Isn’t that right, Princess Squeaker? So, time to get to work?”

“Do you mind coming upstairs again? Or I can bring my laptop down here.”

“Upstairs is great, actually. That way I can stretch out my leg.” I deposited Squeaker back in my hood and got up.

Skylar handed me my crutches. “Thank you again for coming over. I tried to write this morning, but I didn’t get very far.”

“Never fear, Gavin Bailey to the rescue.”

She smiled and it did something weird to my insides.

We went up to her room and I got comfortable on her bed. I took Squeaker out of my hood and set her on my chest. She curled up, her little purr-motor going.

Like yesterday, Skylar sat at the little desk in front of the window, her back to me. I’d brought her book, so I opened it to where I’d left off last night and started reading.

Sort of.

The book was damn good—she was seriously talented. But my eyes kept darting up to look over the top of the pages.

At Skylar.

I pulled my eyes back to the page and focused on what I was reading. For a while, Skylar wrote and I read, temporarily lost in her words. In the plight of the FBI agent trying desperately to uncover the identity of the killer before he struck again.

I finished another chapter and turned the page, but my eyes moved up again.

Skylar’s hair hung down in a sheet around her shoulders. I could imagine all that silky hair fanned out over my pillow while she looked up at me, her lips parting in a soft moan.

I’d sink my cock into her, driving in deep. Cup one of her tits and suck on her nipple. Thrust in, then glide out through her wetness. In and out, hips jerking, heat and pressure building.

Fuck, I bet she’d feel good.

I took a deep breath and forced my eyes back to the page. Her fingers clicked on her keyboard, the rhythmic sound oddly soothing. She was definitely writing something. Maybe having me here was working again. I had no clue why me sitting here would help her write. But even though this should have been boring, it wasn’t, and it had nothing to do with having a broken leg and not being able to do much anyway. I simply liked being here.

The room smelled like her, and lying on her bed—even knowing nothing sexual was going to happen between us—felt a little dangerous. A little risky.

Maybe that was because she lived with her dad—my boss—and he could come home at any time. I didn’t think he was at work today, so I had no way of knowing when he’d return.

But the real risk wasn’t that her dad might catch us making out in her room. It was the undeniable temptation of her. Holding myself back was the challenge.

I was basically reverse chasing her. And that held a weird kind of thrill.

How much temptation could I take and still resist? It was an interesting question.

So the next time my eyes lifted and my thoughts strayed to things I shouldn’t be thinking, I indulged. Went deeper. Imagined her on her knees, my dick in her mouth. Her sweet brown eyes lifting to meet mine, shining with a wicked gleam. I imagined what it would be like to turn to putty in her hands—and mouth—while she sucked me off, making me come so hard I could barely stand.

I licked my lips, imagining her taste. Burying my face between her legs and eating her sweet pussy until she begged me to stop. Until her back arched and she clutched the sheets, moaning my name as she came in my mouth.

Blinking, I took a deep breath to clear my head. Unfortunately, that did nothing for the aching erection in my pants. Damn. I was going to have to take care of that when I got home.

Maybe I needed to whack off before hanging out with Skylar. Make a habit of it. Coming in hot with a loaded weapon was probably not the smartest move, given the circumstances.

I went back to the book for a little while and it was a testament to her writing that it held my attention, given how hard my dick was trying to distract me. But pretty soon the FBI agent was in serious danger and I couldn’t stop reading.

“Hey.” Skylar’s soft voice jolted me back to reality.

I lowered the book. “Did it work?”

“Yeah. Like you said, Gavin to the rescue.”

“It’s what I do.”

Princess Squeaker got up, stretched, and crawled down onto the bed. I sat up and swung my legs over the side.

I didn’t particularly want to go, but I had a feeling if I stayed much longer, I’d screw up. Temptation would win. Sitting with her, here in her bedroom, was already making it hard to remember why holding back was so important. Why I couldn’t sneak a taste.

“So, tomorrow?” I asked.

“You don’t mind?”

Hell no, I didn’t mind. For one thing, she was cool and I liked her. For another, this felt like a dare. How close could I get to the edge without falling. But I’d also promised to introduce her around, and our little Tilikum town tour had only been the beginning.

“I don’t mind at all. But what are you doing next Friday night?”

Her lips parted in surprise. “I don’t know. But—”

I grinned. “Don’t worry, I’m not asking you out. But it’s my brother Asher’s birthday and they’re having a party at my gram’s house. It’s the perfect chance for you to get to know more people.”