“I don’t know. I can’t explain it, but there’s something, right? I mean, I’m not saying I haven’t been attracted to people before. I have. I just haven’t followed through onit.”
“But now you wantto?”
“Do you let every man you’re attracted to kissyou?”
“No,” I conceded after amoment.
“Why would you have let me doit?”
He was talking about it in the past now, like the opportunity was gone and I almost couldn’t concentrate on what he was saying because I didn’t want tonotdo it. Every nerve ending in my body was screaming at him to kissme.
“What is it about me, or this, or us that made you decide you’d be okay with it after so little time? I can’t be the most attractive man you’ve ever seen.” That was debatable, but I let it pass. “But there’s another thing here, right? Chemistry or whatever. And Ican’t—”
I wanted to hear the rest. I did, but I also wanted to make sure I got that kiss—and not just a hand kiss. He called it chemistry, but it felt like magic, and I wasn’t sure I’d get another chance. I leaned in and stopped him with mymouth.
His lips were open when I got there, which made everything immediately close and intimate. I swiped my mouth across his, and he stilled. I felt him wait and closed my eyes. Another swipe caused his breath to catch, which I loved. That tiny jolt of power was addictive. I wanted itagain.
When I pursed for a real kiss, he was ready, waiting, still, but breathing hard. Oh God, he was smelling me, I thought. I did the same, breathed him in. His man smell, that little touch of beer, something like soap behind it. I inhaled again and let out a needy little noise, because he was right. Only pure chemistry could smell thisgood.
The biggest surprise might have been how good he was at this. How did he know that I’d like that little nibble of my lip or howrightit felt when he slipped one of his hands into my hair to hold me still for his possession? His nose caressed the side of mine up and then down the other way before his mouth met mine in what was the most perfect, proper kiss I’d everhad.
Lips melding so smoothly, it felt rehearsed, breaths in sync, tongues—God, his tongue was silk against mine. The contrast to the hard shoulders beneath my hands made mecrazy.
I didn’t remember moving or putting my hands there. I didn’t know how we’d scooted close in our chairs, but suddenly, it wasn’t close enough—his “Come here” let me know that—so I stood, never releasing his shoulders or his mouth, and slid right onto his lap. Like it was the most natural thing in theworld.
His grunt turned into a long, low moan as his hands tightened on me—waist first, then down to palm my bottom, shifting me until I felt him, right there, his desire explicit beneathme.
I opened my eyes and pulled far enough away to hover above him, our noses almosttouching.
“You likeit?”
He made an asthmatic groan, which morphed into a laugh. “Jesus, woman. I had noidea.”
Slowly, as I let my forehead fall just enough to lean on his, the outside world returned on a wave of honeysuckle-scented air. It was dark out, which surprised me. How long had we sat here doingthis?
“I didn’t either,” I managed, out of breath. “I didn’t know kissing could be likethis.”
“Really?” Was that pride in his voice? It shouldbe.
“It was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced. Sensual, I guess. Like, I don’t know, like jumping into a vat of you instead of just touchingfaces.”
His body shook with laughter and I leaned into it like I’d wanted to do earlier—before we’d touched. I wrapped my arms around his sturdy middle and soaked in his happy sounds, keenly aware of how different this was from every other sexual encounter I’d ever had. It was closer, deeper, more meaningful—at least forme.
That thought had me pulling back, with the sudden, urgent need to definethis.
“What…” I shifted farther away and his hands landed on my hips, steadying me in a way that I wanted more of. Although I shouldn’t. I’d had almost no time with this man. This was pure madness. “What are…” I puffed out a frustrated breath and got off him entirely, immediately missing the warmth and solidity of his body around mine. “We should…go on adate.”
“Out, you mean?” He soundedunhappy.
“It doesn’t have to be a big deal. And it would be on me, since I asked, it’sjust—”
“No.”
I didn’t immediately notice that he was breathinghard.
“Okay.”
“Maybe we could work up to it,” heconceded.
