The Blush Factor by Deborah Bladon

Chapter Thirty-One

Matthew

My fist was wrappedaround my cock the second I stepped into the shower.

I gave it a few quick pumps, then a hard squeeze at the root to try and calm the fucking thing down.

I had a raging hard-on as I walked Faith here from the café.

I would have wandered straight past that place on my way home from work, but I noticed a flash of pink out of the corner of my eye.

I pressed my face to the glass like a kid looking into a display case filled with cookies.

I saw her then with some guy hovering above her, practically drooling all over her.

It was that goddamn T-shirt she’s wearing.

I must pass dozens of people wearing those novelty shirts every day, but it has never looked like that.

The men staring at Faith as we walked back to our building agreed with me.

One almost ran into a pretzel cart because his gaze was pinned to her tits.

It’s those breasts that lead down to her tiny waist that trails down to her curvy hips that make her so damn irresistible.

Her body is utter perfection.

Now, she’s snuggled up on my couch with her bare feet beneath her as she studies like a future doctor.

I want her to toss that lesson aside in favor of one where my tongue is the teacher.

I drop my forehead to the cool tile of the shower and curse myself for convincing her to come here tonight.

I have to sit through at least a couple of hours of the torture of watching her study in silence.

I know that because the maintenance guy was headed out of her apartment when we arrived at mine. He updated her on his progress so far, which amounts to a whole lot of nothing.

I stroke my cock again with a long, painful grip of my hand around it.

It’s hard as stone, throbbing, and feels like it’s about to explode.

It won’t.

I’m not there yet and have no intention of blowing this load until Faith is at home safely tucked in her bed. Then, and only then, can I imagine fucking her from behind while she belts out my name.

I hit the control to turn off the water and listen carefully.

In a perfect world, she’d be knocking on the door in search of a shower too, but I know that’s a long shot.

I step out, grab a towel, and set my mind to doing the right thing tonight.

The kiss we shared may have sparked something inside of me, but she needs her focus to be on her schoolwork, and fuck it, I’m going to do everything in my power to support that, even if it means I have to sport a never-ending erection until she goes home.

* * *

If temptation can kill a man,I’m about to drop dead on my living room floor.

Faith is on her stomach on my couch now. Her bare feet crossed at the ankle as her ass taunts me.

“Oh,” she says, moving to a sitting position. “I guess I got a little too comfortable. I study in bed a lot.”

I literally bite my tongue to stop myself from asking if she does that in the nude.

“I told you to make yourself at home,” I remind her of what I said before I tore through my apartment to climb into a cold shower.

She looks up at me, batting her eyelashes. “I am. Thank you again for inviting me over.”

I look down at the front of my jeans, grateful that I opted for these because the sweatpants I’d normally put on before bed hide nothing, and sporting a visible erection tonight isn’t part of my plan to do right by Faith.

The gray sweater I’m wearing belongs to my brother. I needed a change of clothes when Dora decided to toss an entire container of bubble mix at me one afternoon. I kept the sweater because it looks far better on me.

Roman hits the gym, but I hit it harder.

“Can I get you anything, Faith?” I ask like any polite host would.

She gifts me with a small smile. “I’d love a glass of water.”

“Anything else?” I question, hoping she’ll add a kiss or a fuck to that list.

She studies me. “I could use a snack.”

Can I feed it to you?

I chase that question away because what the fuck? Where the hell did that come from?

“I’ll come up with something,” I say in a rush. “Wait right here.”

She shifts her ass forward, causing her tits to bounce under the T-shirt. “I’m not going anywhere.”

I, meanwhile, am going straight to hell because I can’t escape the unrelenting desire I have to reach out and touch her.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you, Matthew,” she says softly. “Thank you for everything. I feel safe here.”

Those words tear through me because the look on her face right now says it all. It’s vulnerability mixed with honesty. It dives deep and sparks something inside my chest that makes me want to gather her in my arms and ward off anyone who dares to hurt her in any way.

“You are safe here,” I reassure her, and I mean every word.