She looked up at me, her eyes searching mine. “That’s not a fair question.”
“None of this is fair, but I’m asking anyway.”
She was quiet for a long moment, and I held my breath, waiting. Finally, she set her own glass down and closed the distance between us.
“This,” she whispered, rising on her toes to press her lips to mine.
This kiss was different from our first. Less frantic, more deliberate. Her lips were soft against mine, tentative at first, then more confident as I responded. My hands grazed her waist, drawing her closer as her arms wound around my neck.
When we broke apart, both slightly breathless, I rested my forehead against hers. “Are you sure about this? Because if you’re not, we can stop. No pressure.”
“No, I’m not sure. This is probably the worst decision I’ve ever made. But I’m doing it anyway.”
“Gee, thanks, darling.”
She rolled her eyes and leaned into me. “I want you, Cal. That’s my decision. Right here, right now.”
That was all the encouragement I needed. I captured her lips again, deepening the kiss, my tongue exploring her mouth as my hands roamed her back. She made a small sound of pleasure that went straight to my dick.
Our kisses grew more urgent, hands exploring, breaths quickening. When I trailed my lips down her neck, she tilted her head back, giving me better access to the sensitive skin there. I took full advantage, alternating between gentle kisses and light nips that made her gasp.
“Bedroom?” I suggested against her throat.
“God, yes,” she agreed breathlessly.
I led her down the hallway, stealing kisses along the way, both of us laughing when I nearly walked us into a wall because I was too distracted by her to watch where we were going. By the time we reached my bedroom, her hair was half down from its elegant updo, and my tie was completely undone.
Standing at the foot of my bed, I paused, suddenly nervous. This wasn’t just any woman. This was Anica. Competent, brilliant, maddening Anica, who saw through my bullshit and challenged me at every turn. I didn’t want to mess this up.
She must have sensed my hesitation because she reached up to cup my face, her touch gentle. “We don’t have to do this,” she said softly.
“I want to. God, do I want to. I just... this is different.”
“Different how?”
“Different everything,” I admitted. “Different you.”
Her expression softened, and she rose on her toes to kiss me again, this time slowly, deeply, with an intensity that made my knees weak. As we kissed, her hands moved to the buttons of my shirt, unfastening them one by one until she could push the fabric off my shoulders.
“Greek god abs,” she murmured appreciatively, tracing the contours of my chest with her fingers. “I stand by it.”
I chuckled as I turned her gently, finding the zipper of her dress and lowering it, my knuckles grazing her spine as I revealed each inch of skin. I followed the zipper’s path with my lips, tasting the salt on her skin, relishing the way she shivered under my touch. The dress finally pooled at her feet, leaving her in nothing but a strapless bra and the smallest, laciest excuse for panties I’d ever seen, both in a deep blue that matched her dress.
“Christ, Anica,” I breathed, taking in the sight of her. “You’re... I don’t even have words. And I always have words.”
A flush spread across her skin, but she didn’t look away. Instead, she reached for my belt, unfastening it. I held my breath. My pants followed her dress to the floor, leaving me in just my boxer briefs, my arousal straining against the fabric with an enthusiasm that bordered on medical concern.
We stood there for a moment, both nearly naked, eyes drinking in the sight of each other. Then, as if by mutual agreement, we came together again, skin against skin, mouths seeking, hands exploring.
I guided her to the bed, laying her down with a gentleness that surprised even me. I wanted to worship her, to learn every curve and hollow of her body, to discover all the places that made her gasp and moan.
Anica paused. “Clean?”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “You?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.”
