But now, hearing her eagerness to celebrate with him touched a part of his heart he had been worried he didn’t have. “You’re gonna bake me a cake?”
“Of course, silly. Just let me know what kind you want, or I could just surprise you.”
“Surprise me…you know what I like.” Hammer’s voice had lowered to a seductive whisper and he noticed how she shivered at the sound. At least she still seemed to want him after he had practically attacked her last night. He seriously needed to learn how to control himself around her or he was going to fuck everything up. “So, you ready to head over to the gym?”
She smiled at him. “Sure. Did you want to come up to my bed?” Her smile faded to a look of horror. “My apartment! I meant my apartment so I could change clothes if we are going to…just kill me now. Please.”
Hammer fought back his delighted laughter. “I’d be happy to wait for you to change. I’d also like to see your apartment.”
“Ah, yeah…okay. Just…umm, let me tell Becca I’m leaving.”
He watched as Kali scurried over to the counter to speak to her friend and took the extra time alone at the table to will down his raging boner. When she had invited him into her bed it had given him an instant hard-on. He couldn’t be happier at her slip. If his little fairy was thinking about him being in her bed, then he was all for it.
He’d be taking her up on her offer…and soon.
Becca shoved a box into Kali’s hand, and whatever her friend said to her made her blush. Curiosity had him rising from the table. He stepping up behind Kali so he could put his hand on her waist. “Are you ready to go?”
“She is,” Becca answered with an impish grin. “Bye now. Don’t worry about the shop, we’ve got everything covered. See you tomorrow!”
Hammer opened the door and let Kali exit before he followed her outside to the doorway next to her shop. “What’s in the box, Kali?”
“What? Oh, these are for you. It shouldn’t take me long to change, and I’m sorry in advance if my apartment is a mess. At least I think it was messy when I left this morning.”
She shoved the box into his stomach and he caught it automatically as she continued to babble. Kali used her key to let them into the entrance to her apartment building, and he gave into temptation and opened the box. The sweet scent of lavender and vanilla floated out around him as he stared down at the four pretty cupcakes in the box.
Damn it, just damn it.
He carefully closed the box, then set it on a small table she had placed against the wall at the bottom of the staircase. God, he felt as if he moved any faster something inside of him would snap. “I’m sorry.” The words were spoken harshly as if they had been torn from his throat, but he couldn’t manage anything more.
“About wha—” Kali turned to him and there it was.
He could almost feel his control shatter as those fucking perfect green eyes looked up at him innocently. He couldn’t take it anymore. He needed her too damn much. Moving in fast, he cut off her words with his mouth as he caged her against the wall with his hard body.
Chapter Four
Dear God, it was like being burned alive…
One second Kalista was trying to figure out how the hell to stop rambling as she always did when she was nervous, short of bashing her head against the wall, and the next Jared’s mouth was claiming hers in a way that singed her straight to her core.
His large muscular body pushed her back against the wall of the hallway and her startled gasp was captured by his mouth as he caged her in. Desire flooded her system at the feeling of his rock-hard erection pressing against her stomach. Her body flashed with heat, instantly growing wet as he ground against her, giving her a taste of what he wanted to do to her. She tilted her head, letting him take the kiss deeper until she felt her toes curl in her shoes. His large hands gripping her short hair in his hard grasp so she couldn’t escape him.
Not that she wanted to.
He pulled back, his massive chest billowing out like he had just run a mile at a full sprint. “I need you. Christ, I need you, Kali.” His voice was a harsh growl filled with hunger. “I’m so fucking hard it hurts. Tell me if this is too soon, baby. Tell me that, and I'll try to leave you alone. Say it and I’ll back off.”
Confusion flickered as she tried to focus on what he was saying. She had a difficult time thinking any time he touched her, but it was worse after his kiss made her head practically explode with desire. Jared was lethal to her senses. He had a raw power to him that drew her in like a proverbial flame. She’d never known anyone like him and had certainly never reacted to a man with such abandon before. All of her other lovers had been polite and…hell, who was she kidding? Sex with her former boyfriends had been fun, but almost boring. With just one kiss Jared had wiped away all traces of those previous encounters, leaving only his touch in their stead.