“I had a glass of wine at lunch. But no, I’m not drunk.” Her eyes met his for the first time. Her ice-blue irises had all but disappeared.
He leaned in, his mind screaming no, but his body begging yes. Niko allowed his lips to play on hers, waiting for a response of some kind whether disgust or answering desire. Neither one of them where involved with anyone. Why not? Your parents married after knowing each other a week and after forty years of marriage, they were still going strong. He pushed the crazy thought back. This was the first time he’d really kissed her. Probably should wait a while before making wedding plans.
They were work colleagues but the last time he checked, work colleagues didn’t run their palms up his stomach, fingers tracing the line of his tattoo. She tilted her head and parted her lips. He slid his tongue along the seam, aching to imprint her taste into his memory.
Her tongue glided along his own, exploring fingers moving to his lower back where she drew him in tighter. Her breasts were soft, supple against his chest, and he wanted to explore every delectable inch of this complex woman.
He dropped to the couch and drew her down on top of him. She straddled his hips, her black skirt riding up to expose creamy thighs. Yes, this was madness and foolish, given their current situation but sometimes you had to say fuck it and go with your gut. And his gut told him to hold on to Alice with both hands and never let her go.
Chapter Twenty
Stop this nonsense. The voice of reason whispered from somewhere deep inside her head. She had no need to follow the strict dictate. Lance’s call had unleashed the defiant beast and she was ready to let the moment take her.
Every inch of her skin demanded his caress. Damn the consequences, she deserved to be touched, to be held, to be desired. Alice splayed her fingers along his stomach, rock hard, lean, and delineated from his workout. She read his desire in the rise and fall of his chest under her gliding palm and smelled his longing beneath the tang of soap.
He tasted of mint toothpaste, cool yet spicy. A delightful shiver of wanting raced along her spine with every sweep of his tongue. This was the height of foolishness but she needed this, she needed him. Half lying across his lap, her knees sank into the softness of the sofa, her core pressed into his groin. Yearning, primitive and raw stripped her inhibitions and she withdrew from his mouth, her lips trailing along his jaw, seeking out the dimple in his cheek that had intrigued her for days.
“Tell me this is nuts.” She barely recognized her own husky voice. It had been years since she’d allowed herself to let go on a whim and damn it felt good. Her situation with Richard had proven that she wasn’t ready for anything more than a passing affair, or a fling, or a one-night stand. With this sexy man.
“It’s nuts.” Strong fingers slid up her sides but halted shy of touching her breasts. The trouble was Alice didn’t want him to stop. She was hungry for more than a mere make-out session and moving shaking fingers to the button of her blouse, she unfastened each one until the cool air brushed her chest. Unclasping the front catch of her bra, she allowed the fabric to part, exposing her breasts.
Heat ignited in his grey eyes and he palmed the weight, his thumb caressing the aching nipple. She arched into his touch and closed her eyes as his lips trailed down her throat, his heated breath burning a path along her skin.
She swallowed a groan when his tongue traced her nipple, exploring the tight bud. “Crazy.” I’m crazy for instigating this madness.
Rising higher on her knees, Alice slid her fingers through his damp hair, discovering the shaved strip along his neck. He was different from the other strait-laced men she’d dated over the years. Eccentric and impulsive, yet down to earth, he exuded confidence. And his confidence showed in the way he glided his hand under her skirt, his fingers playing across the cotton front of her underwear.
She bit her lip, need racing through her every nerve. When he slid a finger beneath the fabric and traced a seductive circle around her clit, she groaned. Things had progressed from zero to sixty in seconds and she savored each delightful sensation for what it was, unadulterated lust. She rolled her hips, riding the waves of pleasure coursing through her veins. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“It’ll be our little secret,” he said.
Licking swollen lips, she sought out his cock through the denim, discovering the hardness beneath her hand. She undid the top button of his jeans, aching to explore more of him. His mouth sought hers, lips demanding a response, his breath her breath. The culmination of sensations between her legs hit a fever pitch and pleasure swept through her entire being, blood pulsating, hips convulsing under his masterful hand.
Sated, but for how long? Even as she pulled back and met his liquid eyes, she knew the answer.
With Niko, never.
“I haven’t had one of those in a very long time,” she admitted, unabashed by her need for more.
In this time and in this place, she was where she wanted to be. She unbuttoned his jeans and pushed the denim back, exposing the bulge beneath his underwear. Kissing the hollow of his neck, she slipped her finger into the elastic band. “More please.”
“Glad to oblige.” Niko laid his head back, offering her a sensual grin. Never in her life had she met a man who weakened her knees with a simple smile. Her time with Lance had been a maelstrom of conflicting emotions, passion bordering on sadistic, and Richard was simply boring. Niko was none of those things.
A soft knock sounded at the door. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening. Not now. She met Niko’s startled gaze and leaned in to whisper in his ear. “Maybe if we’re really quiet they’ll go away.”
“Uncle Niko, are you up here?” Chloe called out.
Niko put a finger to his lips and Alice stifled a laugh along with guilt at their deception. While she wanted Niko more than she wanted to breathe at this moment, fooling the girl wasn’t kind.
“Are they up here?” Brooke asked, her voice muffled by the door.
“Shit, Brooke knows the code,” Niko said. “Just a minute,” he called out and lifted Alice bodily off him. Jumping to his feet, he pressed his lips to hers. Regret lingered in the action.
He palmed her breast and brushed his mouth along the swell. “Better fix your shirt.”
“Yes.” She buttoned the fabric, aching for more time alone with him. Her mind whispered it was for the best. She was using Niko to forget about Richard and Lance. It wasn’t fair to him or to herself. Time to tuck the irresponsible Alice back where she belonged. She’d hurt enough people and was supposed to be in Seattle to fix her mistakes, not make more trouble.
Chapter Twenty-One
