“What’s so funny?” she snaps.
“You’re jealous,” I whisper darkly as I take a step toward her.
“I am not,” she gasps, her back pressed against the bookshelf. “Why would I be jealous…”
I don’t answer her or wait to hear any more of what she’s saying. Instead, I cup my hand around the back of her head and kiss her. Locking my mouth over hers, I press my body against hers, and instantly, the world is on fire. Sparks fly between us and my skin tingles with a million sensations running over me.
Maria slides her hands up my waist and holds onto me.
Her lips taste like strawberries, and her body is soft beneath my hands.
And it hits me again. That same realization.
That same deep yearning and that spark of knowledge.
I’m falling for her.
My heart beats faster, and I push harder, deepening the kiss. Suddenly, I need her more urgently than ever before.
Shit, I’m way past falling for her. I’m absolutely crazy about her.
I’m in love with her.
The kiss ends, but I don’t step away from her.
“Do you need a moment?” she teases me.
“I do, if you don’t mind,” I grin, my hard-on pressing against her.
“I don’t know, I have a very urgent craving for waffles that I think we need to get immediately,” she grins back.
“What about your book browsing?” I raise my brows, pleading with her not to move just yet.
“Mm…I think I can browse a little later, after waffles.”
“Maria,” I warn her.
“Yes, Kazimir,” she says, using my full name again.
I chuckle. “I rather like the way you say my name,” I smirk.
“Oh, I thought you wanted a nickname like Bear?” she says.
“Mm, maybe not, maybe I just want to hear my name on your lips while I…” I lean close to her ear and whisper my devilish thoughts against her hair.
“Oh my goodness,” she gasps, her cheeks turning bright red.
I groan, shaking my head. “I’m not helping the situation at all, am I?” I chuckle.
“You’re making it worse,” she agrees.
“Maybe if I kiss you again?” I say, lifting her chin up toward me and kissing her for a second time.
This kiss is slower, and it makes my heart beat in a different way. It’s beautiful and peaceful and intimate.
My breathing changes, and my entire body relaxes as her hands drift slowly up and down my lower back.
But when the kiss ends, I still have a raging hard-on.
