We’re pressed together so tightly I can feel every curve of her body against mine. And she doesn’t make it any easier—she leans into me, brushing against me like she doesn’t even realize what she’s doing.
She’s transparent. Her desire is obvious. But I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose.
Her reactions are like a drug in my veins, making me crave more.
Lilly trembles in my arms, and a jolt of pure lust shoots through me.
It’s like opening the case of a pristine musical instrument—one I’ve mastered—begging to be played.
I can tell how badly she wants a kiss by the way she runs her tongue over her lower lip, eyes fixed on my mouth. The urge to bite her right there is almost painful.
I have to pull away.
I’m hanging on by a thread, respecting her innocence and the fact that she’s Ethan’s sister, but I’m not the kind of man who lusts after a woman without taking her.
And Lilly? She’s not for me.
I know if I took the first step . . . she’d give in.
In her innocence, she’s offering herself—but she has no idea what—or who—she’s offering it to.
“We should go,” I say, releasing her slowly.
“I didn’t get startled this time.”
“What?”
“When you touched my lower back at the airport, I jumped. Not now. I think my body’s getting used to you.” She says it without malice—just like she’s surprised by the realization.
Fuck. What kind of sheltered life has this girl had?
“You shouldn’t trust strangers. The moment I helped you up, you should’ve shoved me away.”
“Why? I know you wouldn’t hurt me.”
“How can you be so sure? We barely know each other. I’m a man, Lilly—not one of the boys you hung around with in fashion school.”
Goddamn it—where the hell is my control? She’s been here a few hours, and my head’s already fucked.
She pulls back now. “Are you trying to scare me?”
“No. Just making it clear—whatever this is between us? It’s not happening.”
Her cheeks flush. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I don’t let her off the hook. “Yes, you do. And if you’re expecting me to treat you like some fairy-tale princess stuck in a bubble, you’re wrong. I am exactly what you see. I don’t wrap my words in pretty packaging. So pay attention: I’m attracted to you. But the kind of things I do in bed would terrify you. I’m vulgar. I’m rough. You’re a sweet little thing who doesn’t fit into my world.”
Those pretty blue eyes spark now. “You’re full of yourself. I’ve never even kissed a guy, and you think I’d just throw myself at you? I’m not inter—” She cuts off the lie we both know was coming.
She’s boiling over, and her anger is fucking sexy.
I shouldn't—but I lean in anyway. I have to bend way down. The height difference between us is ridiculous. “Lying’s a sin, angel.”
She tilts her chin defiantly. “Youare the sin. And I don’t sin.”
“What you mean is you haven’t sinned. Doesn’t mean you won’t.”
“Oh, I will. Just not with you.”
