“Stop me now if this isn’t what you want?” He was gone,intoxicated by his growing need for her. Still, even at the height of this building lust, he wasn’t so far gone that he would ever do this against her will.
“If it wasn’t what I wanted, I’d tell you.”
That sharp tongue was so sexy, and he’d bet all he had that that would be even more true once he tasted it. His thumb still at her jaw, he laced his fingers behind her neck and tugged her against him. The answering spark of fire in her eyes said she was all for this, and his inner caveman couldn’t help but be excited.
The first press of his lips against hers was soft and seeking, the two of them trying to figure out how far and how fast to take this. He’d intended for this to be nothing more than a peck. An opportunity for him to get a taste of what he’d been craving for so long. Then he remembered what Ms. Sonia used to tell him at the bakery whenever he’d ask for a sample of whatever she’d made: “Chile, a taste will only make you mad.”
She was right. Finally, his mouth was on hers and the need he’d tried so hard to press down since the day they’d met climbed to the surface and spilled into that kiss. He increased the pressure, and when she responded with the most delightful moan he’d ever heard, a low growl escaped him.
He walked her backward until she was leaning against the counter, deepening the kiss with each step they took. He nibbled at her bottom lip and then soothed it with a firm flick of his tongue. She released another moan, this time opening her mouth and giving him access to what he’d ached for.
Effortlessly, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth, nearly floored by the experience. She tasted like strawberry syrup from the pancakes they’d just eaten. Despite it being one of his favorite flavors, having her natural essence mixed in turned it into the most intoxicating substance ever.
His free hand wrapped around her waist, then slid to the deep curve of her hip. God, he was an asshole. They were standing in themiddle of his sister’s store and he was mauling her like she was a piece of meat. He’d like to say that realization was the reason he gentled this kiss and pulled away. It wasn’t true, not even a little bit. The only reason he separated his mouth from hers was because his lungs burned, screaming for life-giving air.
When he looked into her eyes again, his chest heaving, his mind spinning, and his cock hard and heavy in his jeans, he realized he’d made a grave miscalculation. He’d thought it was worse not knowing what she tasted like. Now that he did, he didn’t know how he’d go without experiencing it again.
Chapter 11
“God, I hope you don’t regret that.”
His words were choppy as he tried to catch his breath. She’d laugh at him if she wasn’t trying her best to gulp down as much air as she could too. Shit, her marriage lasted twenty years and she’d dated through much of high school and college. How had she gone this long and never had a kiss that made her dizzy, her breath hard to catch, and her legs wobbly?
She braced her hands on the counter behind her, trying to find purchase so she wouldn’t end up on the floor.
“Regret isn’t the word I’d use.”
His fair skin flushed bright and his pink lips were slightly swollen and bruised and she didn’t think she’d ever seen anything more arousing.
He leaned down, placing his forehead against hers and his large hands at her hips. The feel of being surrounded by him set her blood aflame and stoked the fire growing at her core.
This man is a crisis waiting to happen.
He was. There was no denying that. At the moment, there was a bigger problem she had to contend with than just him being sexy as hell. She liked his sexiness. She liked him.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the day I saw you on your porch.”
She dared to raise a hand to his face, letting her fingers glide against the smooth surface of his clean-shaven jaw. The feel of him pressed against her like this, where she could feel the thumping of his heart and the heaviness of his arousal against her belly. It felt too right.
“I might’ve had similar thoughts too.” She chuckled, languishing in the easy banter that seemed to flow between them before placing her palm flat against his chest and putting a bit of distance between them. “As nice as it is, you have to admit this is probably the most inconvenient timing ever.”
He took a step back, releasing her and placing his hands on his hips. He’d probably meant that as a means to deescalate the situation. But all it did was put his strong shoulders and broad chest on display underneath that damn muscle shirt.
Gosh, did he own any other kind of shirts? Because she didn’t think she’d survive too many more.
“You’re not wrong, Vanessa. This isn’t convenient. Yet it also doesn’t feel as wrong as it should either.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Because there wasn’t a sliver of guilt anywhere inside her after locking lips with him that way.
“Michael, I’m leaving in a week,” she huffed. “Less than that if your mechanic can get the part for my car sooner. What would be the point?”
“That would be exactly the point,” he countered. “As far as I can tell, neither of us has made much of an attempt to have a social life. What would be so wrong with us enjoying each other’s company while you’re here?”
She let her gaze scan his face, looking for any signs that he was joking. He had to be joking. He couldn’t possibly be considering what he seemed to be proposing.
“Michael,” she sighed. “You brought me here to essentially break up your sister’s engagement to my ex-husband. That has messy written all over it.”
“If you lived in Monroe Hills and we ever had to see each other again, yeah, you’d be right. We don’t, though. You’ll go back to your mansion in New Jersey and I’ll stay here with my sister, helping her rebuild her life after she kicks that manipulative bastard to the curb.”
