“I love my sister, and you’re her friend. That’s a bonus. She told me I should ask you out, so I don’t think she has a problem with it.”
I should have stepped away then and told him to go home. In some ways, it settled something that Sage had told him to ask me out, but she and I still needed to have real girl talk about it. Instead, I stood frozen, my pulse loud in my ears, wanting him to take that step.
His hand lifted, hesitating for a moment, beforebrushing away a stray piece of hair that had stuck to my cheek. His touch was rough and calloused, yet gentle as he angled his body closer. “I’ve thought about this moment,” he whispered. “You and me. More than I should have. Touching you.”
He edged a little closer.
I wasn’t a short woman by traditional standards, but East was well over six feet and made me feel deliciously small. The kind of man with whom I could wear heels if I were into that sort of thing, or had a place to wear them to. Goosebumps broke out along my arms as I anticipated his lips on mine. My last kiss hadn’t been much to write home about, but this one gave me a good feeling.
“You have? I haven’t thought about it at all.” I moved closer and wrapped my arms around his neck, my fingers tracing against the edges of his collar. He was solid and warm. Very solid. His muscles flexed under his shirt. God, he was sexy.
“Is that so?” His hands tipped down to my hips. “At all? Not even a little bit.” He yanked me closer, and the world tilted as his hands dipped into my pockets. “Thinking about you in that costume makes me a little crazy.”
“Oh yeah? You like the dino, or was it the blow-up part that makes you crazy? I had no idea you were into that.”
He huffed a laugh. “That part. The crazy part. All of who you are is …” Then his mouth was on mine as his hands came back up and around my back, curling over my shoulders.
The kiss was not gentle. It was hot, hungry, full of thetension we had been circling for weeks. My hands fisted in his hair, pulling him closer before I could think. His teeth nipped here and there before his tongue slid into my mouth. Grumbles and growls came from him as he leaned into the kiss like he was starving. It was all I could do not to think of his mouth in other places as I angled up into him.
When we broke apart, we were breathless.
He looked just as rattled, his chest rising and falling. “That was a mistake,” he muttered, though his eyes betrayed him, as did the bulge against me that told me how much he wanted me.
“Yeah,” I whispered, even as my lips tingled and my heart screamed liar. “Let’s do it again.”
Neither of us moved for a long moment as we paused, staring at the other. Then his mouth dipped again, more urgently, and for the first time in years, I let myself imagine what it might feel like to fall in love.Reallyin love with a good man.
He hiked me up on his hips and pushed me up against the wall, the door rattling from the force of it. Groaning, I gave myself over to the sensation of feeling, wetness pooling between my thighs, as I tipped my head back and let his mouth find my throat. Stubble brushed against my skin, rasping just enough that it sent a blister of want through me, my nipples pebbling under my shirt. His teeth nipped at my earlobe, his tongue licking a hot path along the arc of the shell of my ear as one hand came up to cup one breast.
Holy moly. My eyes nearly rolled back into my head ashe watched my reaction while he ran a calloused thumb over my nipple. Even fully clothed, it was the hottest thing ever.
He pressed up against me, and I panted, the feel of him against me almost unbearable. I was not the sort to hook up or take men home, but something about the man undid me. Not that I’d shame anyone who did. Far be it from me to be yucking someone’s good time, but I had toys for that sort of thing that were less complicated than a one-night stand. But I had a feeling he might be worth it.
I almost laughed at myself. Maybe it was the fact that he looked a little like one of those old-time movie stars with that rugged blue-collar edge that just did it for me.
One hand cupped my jaw, his thumb caressing my cheek. I couldn’t hold back the whimper of need … want.
“If we keep this up, I’m going to come in my pants like a teenager.” He rubbed against me, letting me feel how much he wanted me. Maybe I’d like that a little too much. The idea of making a man lose control turned me on. I was barely keeping myself from grinding against him like a cat in heat as it was.
“Good. I like that idea.” Biting his earlobe, I willed him to keep going. If he stopped now, I might die.
His eyes narrowed at me, but he gave me a wolfish grin. “Oh? You like the thought of me wild? You have no idea how much I’ve been wanting to fuck you since you fell out of that ridiculous suit. Well, my wish is your command then, sugar. But I’m going to warn you that I’m not coming in my pants.” He hitched me up in his arms and made his way through the cottage.
My panties were a wreck already. East was a dirty talker, and I was on board for it. He practically tossed me onto my bed, tearing my clothes off like it was an Olympic sport.
“God, look at you,” he murmured. I wasn’t sure I was much to praise. Average was more like it, but the way he looked at me made me feel like I was some kind of fancy model. My eyes rolled back in my head as he ran his hands down to trace my breasts. “Every part of you is …” He leaned in closer, his mouth covering the spot his fingers had just been before they ghosted over my ribs. “You’re so beautiful and so soft. I’m going to touch you everywhere.”
“It’s not fair that I’m naked and you’re not.” I wanted to see him. My guess was that he was chiseled perfection, and I couldn’t wait.
“You want to objectify my body, is that it?” he teased as he pulled his shirt out of his jeans and toed off his boots. I was absolutely right. The man was just as chiseled as I thought he was. All planed and honed eight-pack perfection, I took my time checking him out. He was gorgeous, although I would be lying if I didn’t say that he wasa lot.His dick bobbed hard and thick, already leaking pre-cum as he tossed a condom onto the bed. He was definitely bigger than any guy I’d been with, and I wasn’t sure he’d fit.
“Now. Where was I?” Spreading my thighs, he eased them over his shoulders and winked at me. “I have a responsibility to see if you taste as good as I think you do.” I wiggled a little in embarrassment as he spread me wide,but he held me firm. “This is going to be my new favorite spot.”
He licked me, teasing and sucking as my eyes fluttered. This man didn’t play fair. Already, I could feel my muscles loosening and lengthening as the orgasm built. He went for it, circling his tongue around my clit and teasing me just right as his fingers did their magic until I bowed off the bed and came in a blaze.
“Just what I thought. You taste sweet.” He pressed his mouth to mine. I wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but I didn’t hate it. The thought of his mouth on me made me kind of hot. I opened even further, squirming as his dick slid against my clit.
Opening the condom with his teeth, he rolled it on before he eased into me. The stretch almost felt like it was too much, and then I could feel him hitting all the right spots. Holy crap. “I’m going to try not to embarrass myself,” he groaned as he bottomed out. “You feel so good. It’s like heaven inside your warm little cunt.” His hand moved to my jaw. “I’m not sure I’ll ever get enough of you, Lila Merrick.”
