Five-second rule? That’s for food that falls on the floor.
Nope, it applies to this situation. You gave him the go-ahead by shouting “Drivers, start your engines!” followed by an enthusiastic wave of the green flag. You might as well have flicked on the “Open 24 Hours” neon sign, left a trail of breadcrumbs, slipped a get-out-of-jail card into his hand…
Okay, okay. I get it already. But I’m in control.
“This has nothing to do with me not liking Kenji,” Jiro continued, his thumb rubbing gently against my wrist. “And you know there’s no jealousy from my end. This is about making it to the end.”
You could have fooled me. Seems like this is about making it so my clothes come off.
He nuzzled his face into my neck, sending chills down my arms and turning the hairs into purposeful little prickles. Then he drew a breath, the tip of his nose grazing my neck, before…
And there it was. His full lips, lightly touching my neck. My legs were useless, all feeling drained from them, as I lay back into him. His gentle kisses peppering me, slowly, intentionally.
Right then I didn’t care about our relationship.
I didn’t care about what had happened in the past.
I didn’t care about the challenges we were still facing.
None of that mattered as I melted into him.
You still have a chance to save yourself, Akiko. You can stop this. Jiro would never force you to do anything. Just roll over and tell him.
Jiro’s fingers gripped my waist, dragging me against him. I could feel him—hard, deliberate. His breaths were uneven.
I turned to fully face him, to stop this madness. I locked onto his hazel eyes. That familiar look froze me.
I expected him to kiss me again. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, eyeing me the way he did back in university—like he was waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
And then he did.
His lips crushed against mine, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, deep and sure. His hands brushed down my sides on cue, thumbs grazing my ribs, fingertips burning against the thin barrier of my shirt.
I knew I should stop this. Kenji was right down the hall.
But I didn’t stop it.
I didn’t stop him when he slipped a hand under my shirt, fingertips gliding over my stomach, tracing the curve of my waist. I didn’t stop him when he pushed me onto my back, his body shifting above mine, heat radiating between us.
I didn’t stop him when he started moving down.
His lips pressed against my collarbone, then lower still.
“Jiro—” My voice hitched when he reached my stomach, his tongue trailing over my skin.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to. His fingers were already hooking into the waistband of my panties, dragging them down, baring me completely to him.
I knew what he was going to do.
I remembered what he could do.
And yet somehow, I wasn’t prepared.
His mouth was on me before I could even exhale.
A sharp cry caught in my throat, my fingers grabbing at the sheets, his hair, anything to anchor me. His tongue swept across me, slow and deliberate, his lips closing around the most sensitive part of me. He sucked lightly—just enough to make my hips jerk off the bed, a gasp finally escaping me.
Oh, God!
