Kat was oh-so-much more lovely than what Dom’s mind’s eye could even fathom. Coughing again, his cock twitched and he willed it to behave.
“A little nervous,” she squeaked.
“It’ll be fine.” He wondered if he sounded as strangled as he felt.
“Stay here?” Katherine reached out to him.
He grabbed a side chair and pulled it close. Her blouse was half-off, revealing a magenta bra strap that contrasted with her creamy skin. Dom swallowed, images of perky breasts with rose colored nipples parading behind his eyes. Face burning, he glanced down and curled his fingers within hers. “Course. Not going anywhere.”
Nathan spun around on his stool and the buzzing of the tattoo gun filled the close quarters.
Kat frowned, squeezed Dom’s fingers and shifted her line of sight over his shoulder. Instincts reacting to the moment of safety, he absorbed how her skirt had pulled up to reveal the curve at the back of her knee and Dom imagined his hand perusing her thighs and shapely ass. He jerked his gaze to her face and their eyes met. A thin layer of perspiration glistened across her forehead.
“All right there?” He ran his tongue over dry lips.
She softly groaned an assent and the lovely sound went straight to his groin. Dom shifted in his chair, confused by his reaction but currently ecstatic he wore loose jeans.
“Feel like I’m being burned.”
“Yeah, it does kind of feel that way.”
Nathan pivoted for an ink refill and Kat took advantage to lift her body and reposition. Her bra gapped during the movement and Dom glimpsed the rounded side of her breast and the darkened edge of her areola.
Holy shit.
This was going to kill him. Loose jeans or not, it soon wouldn’t make a damned bit of difference if he didn’t clean up his thoughts. Popping a boner the size of Nebraska probably wasn’t the best idea. This was Kat, his best friend for God’s sake!
His tongue rolled over the pebble of her nipple
…
stop it!
He took a deep breath, sighed and diverted his attention back to her face, determined to stay there.
Her brows pulled together for a moment while the gun buzzed, before relaxing again. Some areas of the body were much more tender than others. Her pink tongue trailed along her upper lip and slipped back inside her mouth. Dom tensed.
Okay, concentrating on her face isn’t working either.
He had to squash the urge to lean forward and give that tongue something more to do.
“You okay?” She frowned at him.
“Fine.” He squeezed her hand and ran his thumb over the soft skin.
“Sure? You looked a little—”
Turned on? Aroused? Ready to shove Nathan out of the room and rip that form-fitting skirt and blouse open to discover all the prizes inside? “I’m fine.” He repeated, despite a pervading light-headedness.
She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.
Of course she didn’t believe him. She knew him too well.
“Almost there.” Nathan’s voice broke the moment and Dom could have hugged him.
He spent the next few minutes avoiding Kat’s gaze by pretending to study wall art, but the once benign contact of her hand in his continued to plague him with images of silky skin and dusky nipples.
It’s going to be a long night.
“Okay, Katherine. All done!” Nathan gave the piece another swipe with a moist towel before swiveling to grab a hand mirror. “Here. See what you think!”
Kat released Dom’s hand to push up from the table, her blouse gaping again at the same moment Dom pulled his eyes from the wall. He gritted his teeth but turned it into a smile with great effort.
She shifted the mirror this way and that to view the artwork on her back in the wall mirror behind her. “Thank you so much! It’s beautiful!” Dom loved how she’d chosen a delicate flowing design with soft lavenders and pinks to contrast with his basic black tribal pattern. It reminded him of how well they complimented one another.
Nathan secured a bandage to her skin, much as he had Dom’s. “I’ll meet you at the front!” With a big smile, he disappeared behind the door, pulling it shut in his wake.
She threaded one arm through her blouse, and Dom prayed he did a good job of hiding his disappointment.
“So, was it good for you too?” His voice sounded rough to his own ears, but he grinned when a blush colored her cheeks.
Could it be possible she was as turned on as he was?
“It’s quite an adrenaline rush.” She slid off the table with enviable grace and he bit his cheek.
“Uh-huh. It does feel like that.”
She stepped forward, confirming his hopes, and caressed his chest, nails raking lightly, pupils enlarged.
Or am I just seeing things?
“I’d like to see yours again.”
“Well sweetheart, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.” Smiling, he sidestepped and circled her waist with his arm. “Let’s grab some food
first
. Your body’s going to need a little…protein now.”
Katherine nodded but in the moment before her attention fixed on the door, he could have sworn he saw the curling of her lips and a glimmer of primal hunger. He fought a shudder.
Oh boy.
Things were going to get interesting between them and now he wasn’t entirely sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
****
“You’re just gonna have to go topless.” Goading her, his eyes stayed fixed on the road.
“What?!” Her mouth sagged as she stared at him.
He glanced over and smiled…a smile she was sure had had many women creaming their panties during his long and illustrious past. “You’re the one complaining about friction, not me.”
“I wasn’t exactly complaining, just making an observation.”
“Uh huh.”
“Even
I
know not all friction is a bad thing.”
His smile melted away when he swallowed and coughed into one fist. His attention fixed back on the road, muscles in his jaw knotting and releasing.
Ha!
She grinned at him, sure to flash every tooth she could. While she waited for a comeback, she twisted to reach into the back seat. Dom had stopped at the drugstore and she was curious to what he’d picked up.
“Nuh-uh. No touchy.” He stopped her with a large hand against her arm. The tingle from the warmth of his skin was immediate and she blinked several times before taking a breath to quell it.
“Why?”
“It’s a surprise.” Dom paused. “Well, there’s ointment in there to help take the soreness away, but the rest is not for you right now.
He didn’t offer any further explanation so she locked her eyes on his profile. “Does it involve chocolate?”
“None of your business.” His voice lowered, a smile flickering around his lips.
Kat blew an irritated raspberry at him and his smile widened.
One more stop snagged them some Chinese food before he was guiding the car up the driveway leading to her dollhouse-like bungalow. He cut the engine and shifted his body to face her.
“Your humble abode madam.”
“Are you deserting Payton tonight or is she with Jenny?” Her eyebrows rose when she mentioned his daughter but tried to remain neutral regarding his ex-wife. It hadn’t been a pleasant separation.
He shook his head. “Alas,
she
has deserted me in favor of five other teenage girls in the form of a slumber party.”
“I see.”
“Regarding her social network, I rank at the bottom.”
Katherine tried not to laugh, but a snicker slipped through anyway. “Can’t imagine why.” Being an ex-cop turned college professor, he held an intensity that made some people inherently uncomfortable. Especially his daughter’s friends and—god forbid—any boyfriends she dared to bring home. Dominic was an imposing six-foot-four and wasn’t shy about using it to his advantage.
“What? You don’t think they find me charming?”
“I’m sure Dom. Especially when you interrogate them.”
“I would never!” He sounded sincerely affronted and she snickered again.
“When was the last time her friends hung out at your place?”
“Um…”
“That’s what I thought. You can’t have a proper pajama party with an overprotective father hovering.”
“Hey, I’m not…” he stopped in mid-thought. “
Proper
pajama party?”
“Sure. Movies, painting nails, boy talk, pillow fights…”
He loudly cleared his throat, voice a little higher. “Have a lot of experience do you?”
“Mmm…not too much in high school, but I came into my own in college. I think it helped to live in a dorm.” She smiled, trying really hard not to burst into laughter at his “deer in headlights” expression.
Images of a younger Katherine bouncing on a bed in panties and tank top tormented Dom’s mind. Her smile would have been huge. She, no doubt, would have been braless with perky breasts shimmering and vibrating with every movement. Maybe her panties were a light pastel to betray the silky auburn curls hiding within the “Y” of her legs…
“Dom? Are you okay?”
He snapped back with uncomfortable pressure filling his jeans once more. “Um, yeah.” Dom smiled tightly, sure she knew where his thoughts had landed. Grabbing the bags, he launched out of the car. “Food!”
Striding around to her side, he pulled open the door, keeping the bags in front of his crotch, alternating between embarrassment and a burning hope she’d notice what she was doing to him.
“Always thinking with your stomach!” The words came out with a laugh and she fell into step beside him.
“No honey. That’s not the only thing I think with.” They stood on the front stoop and he hardened even more as her lips dropped open in surprise. Perfect raspberries, prime for tasting and exploring, among other things.
“Seriously Dom?”
Despite the words, her tone didn’t betray any hint of offense.
He cleared his throat, still gazing at her lips before breaking away and nodding toward the door. “Are we eating out here tonight or did you want to go inside?”
Starting, she diverted her attention toward the lock but wasn’t fast enough for him not to catch the pretty flush spreading across her cheeks. He bit back the smile.
It was good to know he wasn’t the only one affected by the current turn of events.
She slid inside ahead of him, turning on lights as she went. Her hips swayed and the round cheeks of her ass moved beneath the tailored skirt. He darted toward the kitchen and dumped the bag of Chinese food on the table on his way to the freezer to place her surprise within. Pivoting, he stopped short of bouncing off of her as she craned her neck to look past him.
“What was that?”
“What was what?” He sidestepped to block her.
Her brows rose.
“Oh, you mean
that
.”
Kat nodded.
“It’s a surprise.”
She huffed, wisps of hair dancing near her cheek. Without thought, he reached up and gently brushed them behind one ear, his fingers lingering against her soft skin. She was so close her fading makeup betrayed the adorable spray of freckles crossing her cheeks. He longed to run his lips and tongue across every single one.
He grinned. “You can see after dinner.”
“Fine!” She didn’t move though, continuing to gaze up at him while chewing on her lower lip.
Dom wanted to chew gently on that lower lip, too. He wanted to scoop her up in his arms and head for the closest soft surface. Or even hard surface would be okay in his current state of mind. His body popped with electricity and need as his world shrank down to all that wonderful heat rolling off of her. Instead, he stepped to the side. After their tattoos, sustenance would be a very good thing.
****
Dom stood to help clear the table, a little more relaxed with food in his belly and safe dinner conversation. Discussing student issues was always sure to bring easy laughter to any given situation.
“The essay was called, I kid you not, ‘My Green-eyed Apollo’!” Kat giggled as she gathered empty containers. “I know I shouldn’t laugh but…”
He grimaced. It made him happy he taught criminology and didn’t have to deal with grading questionable stabs at creative writing.
She reached for a plate when he did and his hand brushed against the warm flesh of hers. A low gasp popped from between her lips and the plate clattered back to the table. Her face reddened.
“Are you okay?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“Um, yeah. Just a little shaky I think.”
Grunting, he made no comment but moved around the table to curl his fingers around her slender wrist. She trembled under his touch and he tried not to smile. “Why don’t you sit down? I’ll take care of this.”
“What? Oh no, I’m all right. I just…”
He pressed in closer, his fingers trailing down from her wrist, across her palm to wrap around hers. “Go. You should clean up your ink anyway. Dishes can wait.”
Blinking, she stepped back and took a breath. “I guess you’re right.” She paused, a little frown puckering between her eyes. “How would I clean it? Normally I just use a loofah.” Her eyes met his for confirmation.
Holy shit
. Images of a wet, dripping loofah caressing her firm skin, smoothing over perfect breasts, nipples hardening at the contact, across her flat belly and shapely hips before sliding between plump feminine lips…Dominic took a deep shuddering breath, his cock stirring once again. “Uh, mild soap and just your fingertips. It’ll be too tender…for anything else.”
“Ah.” She took another step back, eye contact holding. The tip of her pink tongue touched the top of her lip and his gaze dropped to her mouth.
He wondered how that tongue would taste. Like Orange Chicken? Probably. But it would sweeten with Tiramisu ice cream later. Dom resisted the urge to groan.
Katherine sashayed down the hall. She was, in fact, one of the few women who could actually sashay and pull it off. Her hips swayed enticingly and Dom’s eyes were glued to her ass.
Maybe it was time to go. Maybe this was a really bad idea. Maybe it would wreck their friendship. But then again, maybe it
wouldn’t
. Somehow his legs refused to move and his boots remained rooted to the warm Mexican tile of the kitchen long after she’d disappeared from view. Gritting his teeth, he finally willed his body to obey and shambled off toward the fridge in search of beer.