And then I did it! Sort of.
“There we go.” I twisted toward him. “There’s a one hundred and seventeen percent chance we’ll fall in love, get married, do all the things, and you’ll get to love me forever.”
“One hundredandseventeen percent?” He bit down on his lip in the most adorable way. “That hasn’t been peer-reviewed.”
I pressed my mouth against his, and he chuckled before scooping me up.
“Careful,” I said, already grinning. “With all this carrying, you might hurt your back.”
“Your smart mouth should have been a dead giveaway.” He burst out laughing.
I vibrated at the sound.
When he set me on the bed, I looked up into those gorgeous eyes and said, “Hey, Lincoln, I love you.” Then I pulled my top off.
He froze.
I should have timed my confession better.
Taking off my shirt in front of the man who blushed when I looked at him for anything longer than a second was a risky move.
He almost comically adjusted his glasses.
I reached out to take them off. They’d get in the way of me kissing his eyelids, his eyelashes. I wanted my mouth on every part of him.
But his hand shot up to stop me. “No, no, I need toseefirst.”
“Did you even hear me?” My hands dropped onto the waistband of my pajama shorts.
This time, he launched forward, stopping my hands again. “Not yet.” He inhaled and closed his eyes. “Give me a second to compose myself. I’ve wanted to hear you say that for so long.”
I gnawed on my bottom lip to keep from having the laughter spill out of me. “Link.” I crawled to the edge of the bed, where he stood staring. “Lincoln.” I slid my hands up his shirt, and a shiver shot through me as my fingers traced over the strong, lean body I’d spent far too many moments thinking about.
“Permission to touch all of you… everywhere?” He straightened and gestured up and down my body.
“With all of you and everything you’ve got.” I leaned forward and kissed his Adonis belt, which peeked out between the hem of his shirt and the top of his pants.
He pulled off his shirt, and I planted my lips on his skin, biting and licking as I moved upward until I was standing on the edge of the bed. I leaned downward and kissed him.
Lincoln’s strong arms circled me and then I was on my back. His weight pushed down on me like I’d dreamed of. I wrapped my legs around his waist, wanting to be even closer. A low groan escaped him, and his touch, which had been gentle and hesitant, turned sure and desperate.
He whispered my name against my lips and dipped his head, but I pulled him back up.
“Stay here. Kiss me,” I managed, even though I wanted him everywhere, all at once.
“Lily.” His eyes were filled with excitement and desire and… love.
He wet his lips and placed his mouth on mine in a deliberate, slow kiss that had I been standing, would have knocked me over. “I think you should know… I… haven’t been with anyone.”
I leaned in for another kiss, desperate to keep my mouth on his. “Same.”
He pulled away, his eyes darting around. “No, I don’t think you understand.” He gulped. “I’ve never been with anyone.”
Lincoln Carden was a virgin?
My heart raced, filling with warmth and love at the intensity of this moment. I cupped his jaw until his gaze met mine. “Oh. Are you sure you want to do this now?”
His brown eyes darkened. “Yes.”
