One Week of Summer by Amber Rides Read Free Book Online Page B

Maggie.”
    I walked to him and stood dutifully in front of his chair.
    “What did Donnie tell you about me?” he asked.
    “He said you were dangerous,” I replied honestly.
    “Did you believe him?”
    “Yes,” I admitted in a whisper.
    “Even though I just saved you?”
    “Yes,” I said again.
    I readied myself for an angry response.  But he just nodded, his face dark and hopeless.
    “Good.”
    I took a breath and I took a chance, remembering how so many times a kind word – any kind word – would’ve lifted me from the emotional downward spiral that always threatened to overwhelm me.
    “Thank you.”
    He frowned. “For?”
    “For helping me today.”
    His face relaxed into a smile. “You’re welcome.”
    A gust of wind cut through the open window, making me shiver.  Teekay sprung to his feet and grabbed a chocolate-colored blanket from the end of his bed.  He wrapped it around my shoulders.
    “I don’t even know why the hell you’re still here, putting up with me,” he said.
    For the second time in one day, I made a joke. “Because it beat going home with Kirby.”
    Teekay laughed. “Are you sure about that?”
    I nodded as seriously as I could manage. “Completely.”
    “I do think I’m doing the hero thing kinda wrong, though,” he stated thoughtfully. “I mean, I know there’s no Hero 101 course, but I’m pretty sure if there was the first day would include instructions on not scaring the shit out of the damsel in distress, not getting into a fistfight, and not letting the girl freeze to death, either.”
    On cue, the blanket slipped down, and I shivered again.
    “You need to get out of that dress,” Teekay said. “It’s soaked.”
    “It’ll dry.”
    Teekay grinned at my embarrassment. “If I wanted to keep you wet, Maggie, it wouldn’t be like this. The dress has to go.”
    I flushed. “I don’t have any other clothes.”
    As soon as they were out of my mouth, I realized the words sounded like a play.  Like a coy move in an attempt to get naked.
    Teekay’s smile widened. “I’m aware. Does your dress have a zipper?”
    “Yes.”
    Before he spoke again, I knew what he intended.
    “Let me help you, Maggie.”
    I hesitated.  Teekay had that look in his eyes again.  The one that made me sure he was going to get his way no matter what.  And again, I felt compelled to comply with his wishes.  Without dwelling on the why, I slipped the blanket down and turned my back to him, my teeth chattering a bit as the cold air hit my bare skin.
    Teekay touched the top of the zipper lightly.
    “Does it stick?” he asked, his voice husky.
    “Sometimes,” I whispered.
    “Hmm.”
    I felt a slight pressure on my back, and then the zipper began its descent, accompanied by Teekay’s hands.
    What is it about the sound of a zipper coming undone that makes me tingle? I wondered.
    Teekay paused, just about halfway down.  He drew in a breath and I knew he was noticing that I wasn’t wearing a bra.  If I had any doubt, it washed away when his palm slid across my back.
    I hadn’t gone braless for show, or to be sexy.  The dress simply didn’t require one.  But an unexpected rush of wantonness swept through me.
    Because it was sexy – at least a little bit – to walk around like that with no one the wiser except me.
    Me. And now Teekay.
    Unconsciously, I leaned into his caress.  His hand wasn’t terribly rough, but it still contrasted sharply with how smooth my back was.  And the tiny path he made from one shoulder blade to the other left a raw feeling on my skin.  And it was amazing.
    Teekay moved on.
    He pulled the zipper to the small of my back and I had little choice but to drop the blanket to the floor so he could continue undoing it.
    His hands maneuvered down, down, down, until they rested on my hips.
    I couldn’t say it was comfortable.  But I could say it was uncomfortably enjoyable.
    In seconds, the dress followed the blanket to the ground.
    The scant fabric of my