Never.
“You should,” I said quietly.
She shrugged. “Maybe when my parents are dead.”
My lips almost twitched. I could make that happen. But somehow, I doubted she’d appreciate the offer. “I can understand your feelings.”
For another two hours, that was how the conversations went. Easy and effortless, I learned all about Poppy, and the more I learned, the more I wanted her.
She talked about books she wanted to read, places she wanted to see, and I listened—hungry for more. I told her almost nothing of myself, and she didn’t seem to mind. Shewas a palette cleanser in a world that had left me bitter, her dreams so bright they stung.
By my third brandy, the burn in my throat dulled. The edges of her laughter blurred. At some point, her hand brushed mine, and I didn’t pull away. At some point, I leaned closer, and she leaned right back. I don’t know who kissed who, but the feeling of her lips on mine was electric. It was a buzz in my blood that even alcohol couldn’t create. It was the adrenaline after a kill. It was the electricity in the air during a storm.
It was soft, sweet, and dangerous. I should have pulled away, but instead I caught her jaw in my hand, and I only kissed her harder. When we both pulled away, the bar was mostly empty, and we were breathing hard. Her lips were swollen, and her cheeks were even pinker than before. All I could think about was wanting more, but damn it, I wasn’t a good man, and I couldn’t be the right man for her. She deserved good.
But when her timid voice whispered across the space between us, I was dead-set on going against everything in my head. “Do you want to come up to my room? I usually room with my sister, but I saw her go up with one of the country club boys, so I’m sure I won’t see her for a few days.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. I should say no. I knew I needed to. Instead of saying no and walking away from this woman who was entirely too interesting for my own good, I found myself nodding my head. Her cheeks darkened to a delicious rose color as she got up from the bar, and even though she’d offered to buy our drinks, there wasno way in hell I was going to let her. Especially since she only drank water and a hot apple cider.
My fingers itched to touch her as she walked ahead of me. The rhythmic way her hips swayed as she walked had me salivating. All I wanted to do was close the space between us and feel her ample curves under my hands, but I knew I needed to be on my best behavior or I was going to talk myself out of this entire thing. So instead, I kept my hands to myself and kept a respectable distance between us until we made it to her floor.
The second the door clicked shut behind us, the leash I’d kept on myself snapped.
I caught her wrist and spun her into me, my mouth crushing against hers before I could think better of it. She gasped into the kiss, soft lips parting, and that was all the invitation I needed to devour her. The taste of her—sweet and clean, with a hint of cinnamon from her apple cider—was a punch to my system harder than any brandy.
Her back hit the wall, and I didn’t even remember crossing the room. My hands gripped her hips, greedy, pulling her flush against me. She was so small compared to me, all curves and heat, and when she fisted the front of my shirt, I knew I was a goner.
She moaned into my mouth, and I knew I couldn’t hold back or walk away. The sound was like music to my ears and my already straining cock. One of her legs wrapped around my hip, and I swallowed the curse that wanted to tear from me. I’d never wanted anyone so badly. Maybe it was her soft and innocent candor. Maybe it was that she was unlikeeverything I’d ever known, or maybe… It had just been that long since I’d been laid. Either way, I couldn’t hold back. My mouth slipped from her lips down her arched, gorgeous neck, and I bit back a groan at not only the taste of her skin but also the intoxicating sweet smell of her.
The zipper on her snowsuit begged to be tugged, and my fingers itched to rip it down. Her nails bit into my skin before sliding into my hair, yanking just hard enough to drag a guttural sound from my chest.
“Ivan.”
My name, gasped on her lips, shot straight to my cock. I pressed harder against her, grinding into the heat of her core through the layers between us, and her answering moan nearly undid me.
I should’ve slowed down. I should’ve taken a breath. Instead, I fisted the zipper and dragged it down, desperate for skin and desperate for more. The rasp of the zipper was loud in the otherwise silent room. My eyes greedily ate up every inch it revealed. Under her thick snowsuit was a thin long-sleeve long john with absolutely nothing under it. Her perky breasts pressed against the thin white material to reveal beautiful, pert nipples just begging to be teased and toyed with. I’d expected more layers, but this… this was a pleasant surprise.
My cock throbbed. A growl tore from my chest as she panted beneath me. I pulled away slightly, and her leg lowered to the ground, all while I took the zipper all the way down. She stepped out of the thick material before pulling the thermal from her body. No panties, no bra, and all minefor the taking. A beautiful waxed pussy made my mouth water as I stared down her intoxicating curves. I wanted to worship every single bare inch of her.
She took a step back from me and crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her luscious breasts higher. I licked my lips, unable to help myself. All I wanted was to devour. “Well?” Just when I thought she couldn’t get any hotter, her voice rasped husky and low.
I cleared my throat and raised a brow. “Well, what?”
“Are you going to shuck your clothing or am I going to be the only one naked here tonight?”
My grin was wolfish as I yanked my coat off and then my shirt over my head. Her gaze possessively raked over my body. Her brows pulled together as her eyes snagged on the nasty scar that stretched across my chest. The old me would have been self-conscious about it, but the new me didn’t care. It showed how far I’d come living alone and for myself.
“What happened?” She inched forward and ran a cold fingertip down the length of it. I shivered against her touch. I’d never let anyone see this either, much less touch it. Anytime I did one-night stands or quickies, it was always with the lights off andfast.Frantic almost. There was no time to explore bodies or map each other out. Her touch reminded me that this was different, and it caused a current of worry to wash through me. I hadn’t come here tonight to find anything different. I hadn’t come here to look for someone who wouldseeme.
“A close call with a deer I thought I killed last year. I don’t know if it was adrenaline or the deer hadsome fight left in him, but when I went to get his body, he reared up at me, tried to drive his antler straight through my chest.”
Thankfully, I’d had my long knife out and was able to slit his throat before he went in for another swipe of his massive horns. His mount sat above my impressive fireplace in my den. I’d thought I could stitch myself up; I thought I didn’t need a hospital, but that stupid, fighting deer had almost taken my life. I still didn’t know how I was alive today. I was sure it was by some miracle.
Her perfectly pouty lips formed an O as she listened to me speak. But then, before my eyes, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the part that sat right straight through the center of my pecs. Heat seared through me at the contact, and with frantic hands, I pulled her back up to kiss her. I still wore slacks, but it didn’t matter; they would be gone soon enough. All that mattered was that we didn’t get distracted again. I didn’t want to talk about me or my past. I wanted to worship her, spoil her, and most importantly, make sure she was thoroughly taken care of before I took what I needed.
With each kiss, I swallowed every one of her moans hungrily. I wanted more, more, more. I couldn’t get enough. Her hands flitted over my skin and only made me hotter. When I laid her out on one of the queen beds against the wall, her eyes fluttered shut.
She was one of the prettiest women I’d ever laid eyes on, and I wasn’t sure if it was all because of her looks or because of her brain, too. She was a stunner, all around.
