Unblocked, Episode 4 by Marni Mann

Derek Block is ready to fight.
Frankie Jordan must make a decision.
Their pasts are demanding attention.
Confessing the truth may not be enough.
But can their intense passion sustain them?
This is Episode Four of the five-episode Timber Towers novella series.

“Tonight is about us, no one else, and that’s the way I want it to stay. No more interruptions,” Derek said.

I took a deep breath and reached for my wine. I wasn’t going to let my brain jump to conclusions. This weekend was about us. Not Taylor. Not Reed. “I agree.”

He leaned into the table, his hand moving higher up my leg. “Kiss me.”

We weren’t in a back booth, and this restaurant wasn’t nearly as private as The Hole. There were more servers, a more open floor plan, many other tables close by. What he was asking for was much more than the peck I had given him before I’d gone to the bathroom. “Those fingers,” I said, placing my hand on top of them, “aren’t planning on going any higher, are they?”

He licked his bottom lip, teasing me with just the swipe of his tongue and the whiskers that surrounded it. “They weren’t, no. But now that I know it’s on your mind, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop them.”