Victory Lap

Excerpt

Caven wound his arm around her waist and helped her up the stairs. Honestly, she’d have made it faster without his kind of help. Not only did he try to hurry her up the short flight, but he pulled her a little too close, making them off-balance.

He got points for sweetness. Not to mention acting grown up. Unselfish.

A fist of sadness sucker punched her right in the solar plexus. She’d loved him so much, and he’d not wanted to grow up for her. He’d told her she’d tried to change him—and for the most part he had been right. But he’d always put his driving and the team in front of her, and that just wouldn’t do. Not when he’d complained about his father doing exactly same thing.

Not when she kept the worst part from him.

Stop thinking about it. You did what you had to do when you left.

The knowledge didn’t make it any easier.

They finally made it up to the landing in front of her unit. She twisted the knob to open the door.

Caven placed his hand over hers. “Wait. Before you go inside, I want to give you something.”

Surprised, she gazed up at him. “What?”

The next breath found his mouth on hers, all warm and firm and yummy.

Willpower shot to hell, she leaned into him, running her hands over the crest of his broad shoulders. Their mouths opened at the same time. Tongues met in a sexy dance. He backed her up to the metal door and lifted her slightly. The action smashed her already incredibly sensitive breasts against the plane of his chest. Rae sucked in a breath at the contact.

Oh, yeah. Blake might be a hot underwear model/hockey player, but his kiss was nowhere as sexy and experienced as Caven’s. Not even close. Caven’s kiss tasted of fire, adrenaline, and passion. And at the moment, a bit of mint gum he’d been chewing.

Wait! Blake. What in the hell was she doing letting Caven kiss her senseless?

This was wrong. So wrong.

The road to ruin was paved with Caven Rusch’s kisses. She knew. She had the scars to prove it.

His hand came up and cupped her right breast. His thumb did a slow dance around her nipple.

A riot of emotions ripped through her. She put her hand up between them and broke off the kiss.

“You shouldn’t have done that.”

A smile lifted the corner of his mouth. “Why not?”

“Blake? You met him the other night. Remember?”

Caven ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. I remember.”

Sadness filled his eyes and he swiped his thumb along her bottom lip. “Thanks, babe.”

He turned and walked back down the stairs, whistling a Luke Bryan tune before she had a chance to ask him if he meant thanks for the kiss or for agreeing to go to Augusta.