The Carmichael townhome was the stuff of Edinburgh dreams. I’d babysat and slept over in this house, so I knew it well. On the ground floor, three doors split off to the huge kitchen Joss and Braden renovated a few years ago, a TV room, a guest bedroom, a bathroom, and Uncle Braden’s office. On the next floor was the primary suite, a huge second living room, and Aunt Joss’s office where she wrote her bestselling novels. The top floor had belonged to Beth, Luke, and Elle growing up. They each had a bedroom and shared a bathroom. Now I guessed it was just Elle up there. The Carmichaels had modernized the house without taking anything away from its Georgian architecture.
“This place is boss,” Baird broke the sizzling silence as I led him upstairs.
“Mmm-hmm.” I could barely speak. My heart raced. I was a little lightheaded. Because once he and I stepped into the living room, things between us would change forever.
The problem was we couldn’t stay where we were.
We had to change.
I was so scared of losing his friendship.
However, as nervous as I was, I was more afraid of losing out on the possibility of anus.
Inside the moody, comfortable living space, I closed the door and released Baird to lean against it.
He stared at where I’d dropped his hand, his expression guarded as he wandered farther into the room. “You wanted to talk?”
“I miss you,” I blurted out.
Baird jerked toward me, standing between the coffee table and the large U-shaped sofa. His thoughts were written all over his face, and it gave me courage.
I pushed off the door. “Bear … if you tell me you’re serious about me and that you will never intentionally hurt me, then … I promise to believe you.”
His eyes flared and he took a step toward me, his voice gravelly with emotion. “Maia, I’m serious about you and I willneverintentionally hurt you.”
The blood whooshed in my ears and my pulse raced frantically. My lips trembled around my next words. “Then I’m already yours.”
Baird stared at me as if he wasn’t quite sure he’d heard me correctly.
“Bear … are you?—”
The distance between us was gone in seconds and hismouth cut me off as it crashed down over mine. I moaned in relief and hunger. Baird wrapped his strong arms around me, crushing me to his hard chest, and in an instant, my skin was aflame with need.
This was over a year of pent-up sexual attraction turned emotional connection igniting in seconds.
Baird groaned as I met him kiss for desperate kiss and suddenly, my feet were off the floor and his hands were gripping my thighs as we moved backward. He’d lifted me with a startling ease that was a total turn-on. My back hit the door, and my legs wrapped around Baird’s hips as his hungry kisses intensified.
When his lips finally left mine, it was to trail kisses along my jaw to my ear, his beard bristling against my skin, my senses on overload. My head spun and somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew we shouldn’t be doing this here, but I couldn’t make my mouth form the words to stop. Baird’s lips returned to mine for another scorching kiss, and all I could think about was him and how he made me feel more alive than I’d ever felt in my life.
He was hard and we were grinding on each other, groaning and moaning with avarice. My hands dipped beneath his tee to explore his sculpted body, and I desperately wanted him naked so I could map every contour with my lips.
Baird suddenly broke our kiss, and I panted for breath, my body trembling with unsatisfied desire. There wasn’t just lust in those beautiful dark eyes. There was awe. Baird McMillan looked at me like I was …everything.
The pulse between my legs became insistent. “Bear.” I didn’t know what I was asking for, but he seemed to know. His features hardened with determined want. I gasped ashe lowered me to my feet only to grab the fabric of my skirt, coasting it up my thighs, as he held my gaze.
We shouldn’t.
Not here.
We really, really shouldn’t.
“We sh-shouldn’t,” I forced out breathlessly.
“I can’t wait.” I’d never heard his voice like that. It was this deep, masculine growl dripping with sex, and apparently, it had a direct connection to my erogenous zones. I practically moaned at his tone. “I have been fantasizing about licking your pussy for nearly two years, and I can’t fucking wait any longer to taste you.”
Oh. My. Holy. Fuuuuuuuuu—my knees literally buckled at his words.
Baird’s triumphant expression was followed by his fingers curling into my underwear. I let out another huff of excitement as he roughly yanked my knickers down. “Bear!”
