She moans as I clutch her body to mine. "Saucy little minx."
Our next kiss makes my head swim. The only thing holding me together is the knowledge of what lies ahead as soon as we’re truly alone.
I extract my hand, sucking my fingers clean one by one as my eyes roll back. "I need to get you into a bed right now, beautiful."
"Who’s being saucy now?"
My voice drops, turning gritty. "Your new boyfriend. Say it."
Leah’s eyes sparkle. "My new boyfriend,who is a bit pushy with the titles already."
“Hmm…close enough."
8
LEAH
My mind is spinning as we snuggle in the back seat of the hired car while being driven to the glamorous penthouse where we're staying tonight. This is the kind of adventure I love: not dangerous, just trying new things in new places.
Anything vibrant and exhilarating, so my world is expanding. Never shrinking. Never gray and boring and lifeless, like the place I came from.
I might have been wrong about Kai. A small-town boy from a well-known family? Definitely. A charming tech company with his four brothers? That part was correct, too…although I had no idea it was such a big deal.
Those Silicon Valley people were acting like they were in the same room as Bowie. Or Prince. Or Yungblud. They were taking selfies with him and texting them excitedly to their friends. It was wild.
And yet to say he only had eyes for me would be a huge understatement. There were women walking around who looked like supermodels, yet Kai’s gaze never drifted from my shorter, far more hourglass figure. I didn't even know it was possible to be treated this well.
"You're a million miles away." Kai gives me that sweet, hopeful smile that I'm completely falling for. Although, to be fair, I'm falling for all of him. Every laugh. Every wink whenever he takes my hand, treating me like the most important person in the room, even though investors and CEOs and potential clients were milling around.
"I'm just taking it all in," I murmur, squeezing his knee. "A lot of firsts today. My first helicopter ride. First trip to New York City. First tech conference. First time being completely inappropriate in the private room at a semi-secret restaurant. It’s…a lot."
He grips my inner thigh gently, trailing his fingers around to the back of my knee. "Don’t forget the first time we're spending the night together."
"Yeah." The word comes out breathier than I intended.
It makes him lick his lips, his sultry gaze dropping to the front of my dress for a few seconds. "I’m definitely looking forward to snuggling my hot, sexy girlfriend all night long."
My facial expression can’t conceal the shock that flashes through my mind when he says that so casually.
He rolls his eyes. “I know, I know. It's too early to use terms like that. I can't help it, sorry." He chuckles as the car pulls up in front of a sleek glass and steel building. "I'm manifesting. If I say it enough times, it's going to come true, right?"
The driver whisks us and our bags to the elevator, then hands Kai a keycard. “Text me if you need anything at all, sir.”
It’s hard to stifle my giggle. Kai just doesn’t seem like asirkind of guy.
My stomach drops as we zoom upward, reaching the 77th floor in what feels like seconds. We step out of the elevator to see only one door, next to an elegant marble sculpture.
When we go inside, I can't hold back my gasps. It'smassiveand so beautiful that I feel like I’ve walked straight into a designmagazine. Floor to ceiling windows show the entire city as I walk slowly around the perimeter.
I feel tiny in the enormous space, but Kai is so huge that it looks like the large proportions were created just for him. There’s something about his giant, muscular body that drives me wild. Maybe it’s the way he’s so gentle with me. He hasn’t even mentioned the gym, so I don’t know how he stays so ripped. Of course, he could be part lumberjack, living on that mountain his entire life.
The bedroom is to the left, a vast space that's decorated in semi-industrial minimalism that screams New York luxury. Everything is black and white, chrome and wrought iron, mirror, glass, and Egyptian cotton sheets that are probably a zillion thread count.
I kick off my shoes, padding across the hardwood floor to press my nose against the vast windows. "It's just like the movies," I whisper, leaning back a bit as I feel Kai's warmth coming up behind me. His arms reach forward to wrap around my waist, and he sets his chin on my shoulder.
"Most couples don't take a trip somewhere until they've been together a while," he murmurs near my ear. "So it's completely up to you whether this nighttime encounter will be a PG-rated movie or…something a little more adult." His lips brush the shell of my ear, sending shivers down the back of my thighs. "I'm fine with anything you decide."
"Why do I get the feeling you're thinking of something totally X-rated?" I whisper.
