“I—” My voice catches. “It wasn’t just me who reacted that day.”
“No. It wasn’t.”
His gaze drags over my face, lingering on my mouth like he’s replaying how I tasted. His jaw locks tight. “Which is why I never should’ve taken you on my boat alone.”
“What’s so… so terrible about it?”
His eyes snap back to mine. “Are you trying to push me into saying things I shouldn’t? Is that what this is?”
“I just want the truth.”
“The truth?” His hands spread wide on his thighs, fingers digging hard into denim. “The truth makes me a complete bastard. I wanted you so badly I ignored every line I should’ve kept. I wanted to drag that sweet body of yours under mineand fuck you until you forgot any other man existed.” His eyes hold mine. “And I would have done it right there on that boat if I hadn’t stopped myself. That’s your truth. I’d ruin you completely. So stop asking for answers you can’t handle.”
Oh my god.
“Maybe I’m… not afraid of you ruining me.”
His laugh is harsh, almost cruel. “You’re a terrible liar.” His eyes track the frantic rise and fall of my chest. “And you should be terrified. You think what happened on that boat was intense? That was me holding back.” His voice drops into a dark rasp. “That was me trying to be a gentleman.”
“Stop…” The word sticks, choking me. “Stop acting like I’m a naive little virgin who’s never been touched.”
“You might as well be. You fumbled at me like you’d never laid hands on a man in your life.” His eyes flash, rough and pained. “And I’ve been trying to forget how good that innocence felt ever since.”
“Oh, fuck you.” My voice shakes. “You’re only saying this to get under my skin because you can’t handle it either. You can’t handle that you wanted someone like me.”
I don’t remember moving, but I’m standing between his spread knees, the denim of his jeans catching against my bare skin.
The air thickens, clinging hot to my skin. He’s right. I am terrified.
His gaze drops to my mouth again, and his hands flex against his thighs like he’s physically fighting the urge to reach for me.
Before sanity can intervene, before I can talk myself out of it, I swing a shaky leg over and lower myself into his lap. My skirt rides high, and the solid press of him against me knocks every coherent thought from my head.
“Stop playing games with me,” he growls.
But I’m not playing. I’m terrified and brave and desperate all at once. I lean in, heart hammering, and brush my lips against his.
TWENTY-FIVE
Straddling outside every known zone
Georgie
“Hell fucking no.”
He tears his mouth from mine so abruptly that I’m left gasping into empty air, my lips still parted for a kiss that’s no longer there.
My hands freeze where they’re looped around his neck.
Oh God, maybe he thinks I’m offering sloppy seconds after Malcolm. Is it slutty to kiss two men in one night, especially when the second one literally watched the first happen?
“But you... you said all those things... and you’re...” I glance down. His erection strains against his jeans, pressed right into the lace of my panties.
His jaw grinds. “And you’ve had too much to drink. I might be a lot of things, but I don’t take advantage.”
“I’m fine! You’re not taking advantage. I climbed into your lap and kissed you first. What, do you need written consent? A bloody breathalyzer?”
“You’d fail it.”
