She kissed me like she didn’t trust herself. Like if she leaned in too much, she’d never stop.
I wasn’t stopping either way.
Her fingers curled against my chest, holding on to me. I could’ve kept her there all night, laid her back on the table and reminded her exactly what she’d just let happen.
But then her shoulders tensed. She broke away first, lips still flushed, body still warm against mine.
I smirked. Go on, Princess. Pretend you’re still in control.
“Fine. You win.” Her fingers tightened around the edge of the table as I grinned. “But we need ground rules.”
“Oh, this should be good.”
Violet tapped her fingers once against the wood before she squared her gaze on me. “No one finds out.”
I rolled my eyes. “Agreed.”
She narrowed her eyes. “No press. No slipping up. Not even a look.”
I grinned. “A look?”
“You know exactly what I mean.”
She tried to act unaffected, to pretend that if I so much as looked at her too long in public, she wouldn’t be thinking about us. About the way her body still burned from my hands.
I dragged my knuckles up her thighs, enjoying the way she squirmed. “Fine. I won’t look at you.”
Her lips parted, but she caught herself. “I’m serious.”
“So am I.” I squeezed her hip. “I won’t slip up.”
Her brows pulled together, but she nodded. “No distractions.”
I smirked. “You mean like the way you’re staring at my mouth right now?”
Her jaw clenched. “You need to get your head back in the race.”
“I know.”
Her nostrils flared. “Then prove it.”
I grinned. “Oh, I plan to.”
She sucked in a slow breath. “Winning comes first.”
I dragged my thumb along the inside of her thigh, watching her body react, pupils dilating, breath catching.
“It does.”
Her spine stiffened, but she didn’t shuffle back. “Then focus.”
I hummed, tilting my head, watching her. “You’re the one keeping me distracted.”
She swallowed hard. “Then I’ll stay out of your way.”
The mere suggestion lanced deeper than any criticism from the press, any disappointed look from Julian.
I caught her wrist. “That’s not how this works.” I leaned in, lips just brushing her ear. “I win. You stay.”
