“I’m not sure I know.I might need you to spell it out.”He drew closer, so close her perfume teased him with its sweetness.
She swallowed.“Chatting up wet men.”
Another step closer.“I only see one man here.”
“You, then,” Claire said on a breath.“I’ve been trying to chat you up all night, and failing miserably.”
“Ah.I should probably let you know you haven’t been failing at all.You have all my attention.”
Her sparkly lips formed an ‘O,’ although no sound emerged.
“If all it took was a glass of water, Claire, I would have drenched myself some time ago.”He reached for her hand, softly stroking.She didn’t pull away.If anything, she leaned in.It might have been by a fraction of an inch, but it was enough to make her feelings known.“Can I kiss you?”
Her brown eyes went black, her pupils completely dilated.“Yes.”
So Nick did.Wet shirt and all.
He gently cupped the back of her head, loving the feel of her hair in his fingers, and brought her close.Her lips were soft and tasted of coconut, probably from her lip gloss.Tempted beyond belief, Nick flicked his tongue against her full bottom lip, aching for a real taste.
Claire sighed and sagged against him, her body yielding.As she made another cute little noise of anticipation, she opened to him.Their tongues touched, seeking, probing.Discovering.
When she dug both of her hands in his hair, Nick almost shouted with joy.Her breath became his, and his hers.Everything about her felt so right, even the way her cute nose knocked against his own.Her skin was like silk.He wanted to slide his body against hers and find out how soft she was in other places.
Her hands traveled up and down his back, as if she wasn’t sure where she wanted to hold him.He kept one of his hands in her hair, resting his other hand on her hip.Fuck, those hips.Nick wanted to seize them and dig his fingers into her bare flesh.
In danger of losing control, he opened his eyes for a second.
Over her shoulder, Arthur stared at them from one of his framed photos on the wall.
Nick took a beat, regrouping.Claire was a woman who’d lost.He trusted her to know she was ready for a fling, or whatever this was, but he wouldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t make sure.He owed it to her to give her any space she might need.
He ended their kiss, even though he swore it took a year off his life.
“Is something wrong?”she asked.
“God, no.I just need to breathe for a second.”
He could see this going further, much further, if they let it.
God only knew he’d been fantasizing about it nonstop.
Kristy’s video replayed in his head.‘I don’t know why Nick can’t get it up.I mean, look at me.I’m a fricking goddess.How am I supposed to encourage him?Hey!Maybe you guys could!Send him a message at HashtagNicksDick.He’ll love it.’
His cock moved in his jeans, but he didn’t trust himself.
What if the same thing happened again?
“Nick, are you okay?”
“I’m sorry.I spaced out.Claire, I think I should probably head home.”
“Oh.”She removed her hands from his body.
“Please believe me when I say this is not a rejection, not in the slightest.In fact, I’d really like to kiss you again.Maybe we could go out some time?”
“You mean, a date?”
“Yeah.Sure.A date.”It was just a date.Two people having a meal or grabbing a drink.Nothing wrong with that.And if it ended in another kiss, and maybe some heavy petting, awesome.
