Kite tapped his foot, then started gathering up empty bottles. Between the three of us, the bar would look presentable within a few hours.
Bent over the sink with Marina, we scrubbed glasses while the less filthy ones ran through the automatic washer. Kite had vanished into the backroom, working harder than I'd seen him ever bother with. What had motivated him so suddenly?
It's her, I realized with a start. Marina. She's made him more... responsible. She'd asked me, once, if Kite had always been reckless. She'd said I was always taking care of him, and I had to admit, then and now... it was true.
I would always protect my best friend.
Water flicked onto my sleeve, staining it from blue to black. “Sorry,” Marina winced, though her lips were too curled to be sorry.
Narrowing my eyes, I showed her the edge of my teeth. “It's fine, just an accident.” Dipping my forearms into the warm suds, I casually splashed her back. The wetness soaked onto the front of her shirt, glinting off her enticing cleavage.
Jumping back, Marina gawked at me. Her arms were up, soap dripping onto the floor. Then, with a slow burn of wickedness, she flipped the glass in her hand and emptied the cup over my chest.
I saw it coming, didn't dodge. Standing there, I looked down at the soaked cloth. With patience, I lifted my gaze back to her. Though I was staring her down with building energy, the threat of revenge, Marina didn't sway.
If anything, she beamed and stood taller.
“You did that on purpose,” I observed.
“Oh, most definitely.”
My hands were free, then they were full of her wrists. I'd moved quick, trapping her tight. She twitched, a mixture of fear and something else—something far more alluring—dancing in her dark eyes.
It was a wonder she didn't drop the glass. I pried it free, then snatched her arm up once more.
Marina was pinned against the sink, water making parts of her shirt sheer. Those windows exposed the bits of her I'd seen naked. As if it were the first time, she got my cock beyond stiff with desire.
She wound me up so easily. I couldn't let her know.
The more time I spent with her, the more she cracked my calm mask. The more she cracked it, the more desperately I fought to rebuild the protection. Each time, it became weaker.
Breathing deeply, causing her breasts to rise, she looked up at me. “You're as fast as ever.”
Through her wrists, I felt the hammering of her pulse. “And you're as brave as ever.”
Her tongue ran over her plump bottom lip. It became glossy, I could see myself in it. “Nothing to be brave about,” she said. “You let me soak you. I assumed you wanted to play.”
My smile smoothed into a neutral line. Not only had she noticed, she'd called me out on it.
One step, and our bodies were touching. A droplet slid down the curve of her throat. I felt her swallow, saw her neck vibrate. Nothing was more addicting than making Marina react.
This was the danger, this was what I had to keep myself aware of.
She was infecting my lifeblood.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, darting her stare from mine, to my lips, then back again.
My nails inched up her forearms, grazed the sensitive pits of her inner-elbows. What was I doing? “I don't know yet,” I admitted, taking a slow breath in. My lungs flooded with her spicy scent, my skull throbbing. “Do you want me to stop?”
Her hands made fists, testing me; my muscles were bunched. I didn't budge.
The smile was gone from her angelic face. She smelled like sin, and I was ready to commit a new one. “Earlier today, you were keen on stopping me,” she said.
That got me smirking. “And you argued so hard. So, I take it you want me to keep going.” Bending low, I blew across the tiny hairs on her temple. Her shudder had my cock shoving against the front of my pants angrily.
She rocked into me, then tried to pull away. Had my excitement scared her? “Wait,” she hushed. Her eyes flashed to me, then around the room. “What about Kite?”
“I can call him in, if you want.” My lips breezed just above her skin, the presence all she could feel. I wanted her—fuck, did I want her. But first, I wanted her to crave me more.
Marina tightened, an elastic at its limit. “I... but the bar.” It was a weak excuse.
My attention wandered over her, inscribing the shape of her parted lips, the hooded draping of her eyelashes. Her heart was fluttering faster than a butterfly in a net.
Bending into her curves, my erection nuzzled her thigh. Her tiny sound was encouraging, but still, I did nothing beyond watching her. The subtle way she pushed her jaw at me made her need for my lips obvious.
I itched to close the gap. She was drawing me in, a black hole that challenged my strength. Kissing her would be so simple, so exquisite.
Music blasted through the speakers in the bar, startling us both. The way her breasts rose with her jump, I almost gave up winning our private game.
Almost ducked in to taste her.