There’s no mistaking her moan for anything but. No sigh or stuttered reply. That’s a fucking moan, and she has no idea the gift she’s just given me.
“Yes. I’ll . . .” she drawls, cutting herself off.
I let my teeth drag along the tip of her ear. “Finish your sentence.”
“I’ll tell you if I don’t like something.”
Humming, I rub our temples together and cover the hand she has lingering at my hip. Her thumb hasn’t stopped stroking the groove there this entire time. It almost pains me to remove her touch and thread our fingers instead. This is simple. It’s the easiest part of our entire charade and is what I’m going to do as many times as possible.
“Good?” I ask.
She nods and flips our hands so she can stare down at the back of mine. I let her look as long as she wants. Even without knowing the exact time, I know we’re late. Yet, as much as that grates on me, I can’t make myself cut this short. Not when I’mrighthere.
“Kissing,” I start, abandoning her waist to touch the soft skin at the collar of her robe. The flush that rises to meet my fingertips has blood rushing down to where my cock is trying to push through my towel. “Is that something you want to do?”
“It would be expected.”
“Do you want me to kiss you right now? For practice?”
She shifts closer somehow. I don’t know how it’s possible, but suddenly, I’m straining to keep from lifting my hand an inch tothe right and cupping her throat. Her pulse has to be as fast as mine. Our bodies are flush, which means she has to be feeling the thick ridge of me beneath the towel.
Her eyes flare wide, soothing my suspicions. “Yes.”
It’s all I need to hear.
In a blink, I’ve given in to my impulses and wrapped my fingers around her throat. It’s a soft hold, only a tease of what I really want to do but am not sure she’d enjoy. She doesn’t rip herself away from me as I let my thumb dance over the side of her neck, so I continue. Craning her head back, she keeps those pupil-swallowed brown eyes on me and lets me drag my lips from her ear to the deep cut of her cheekbone.
I’m unprepared for the way she turns her head and brings her lips to mine, taking the very thing I’ve been dreaming of giving her for years.
5
JILL
Kissing Grayson isn’twhat I was expecting. Not by a long shot.
While he lets me make the first move, he takes the next. And the next. By the time my brain has caught up to what’s happening, Grayson’s in complete control. There’s no fight in me as his lips press hard against mine and he glides his tongue across their seam. He holds my throat like it’s the only thing keeping him upright, and I let him.
My pulse is throbbing beneath his touch, and he groans before prying my lips open with his tongue. The soft, slow kiss that I imagined is the complete opposite. This isn’t a practice embrace between two friends.It’s a claiming. Grayson’s feasting on my mouth instead of taking a taste, and I don’t want him to stop.
Releasing his hand, I take a step forward. There’s no room left to steal between us, so he moves back instead. I follow, unwilling to lose our connection. We glide through the room until suddenly, Grayson’s spinning us. My back makes contact with the wall, the impact making me gasp into his mouth.
“It’s just practice,” he says, his voice so firm and rough I struggle to fight off a responding whine.
There’s no time to respond before he’s kissing me again. A shiver shoots up my spine when the hand on my throat shifts. He glides his large palm around to the back of my neck and squeezes firmly. Another finds my waist and tugs me forward, hitching me at the middle.
A warm rush of relief fills me as he continues to take control, not leaving room for me to get lost in my head the way I always tend to. I’m left to do nothing but feel as he moves me where he wants and guides us through this unfamiliar territory. Only, it doesn’t feel like he’s as scared of growing lost in the maze as I am. If anything . . . he seems excited.
His teeth graze over my bottom lip before sinking into it just hard enough to draw me out of my head. I swallow, eyes fluttering open. He’s watching me already, a storm raging in his gaze.
“You’re getting distracted.”
I lean my weight against the wall and try to deny it, but then he’s fisting my hair. With a sharp tug, he has my neck bared and lips spread around a silent moan. The real thing is trapped low in my throat, refusing to fall free. Grayson’s eyes narrow as I remain silent before he pulls again, his fingers curled at the root.
This time, there’s no hiding my response. Pleasure jabs between my legs so sharply that I have no choice but to cry out. I reach forward and press my hands hard against his stomach, feeling the warm muscles twitch in response. Without thinking, I take hold of the top of his towel and pull. He presses forward without hesitation.
“Grayson—”
My robe falls open. The knot at the centre of the belt has unravelled, and the only thing keeping the heavy fabric from spreading completely is his middle pressed to mine. Themoment he shifts, I’m going to be exposed. In only a black bra and matching panties, there won’t be any hiding myself.
