And heat. So much incredible heat.
As soon as I'm able to open my eyes, Ansel kisses me hard, with a hunger that tells me better than any words that he is pleased by my reaction.
I want him.
The thought hits me, as clear as having a vision — I want his strong body over me, pushing deep inside. Our kiss grows hotter, more desperate, as I turn toward him, wondering what's coming next.
"Lynn." His breath is strained. "If we were in a bedroom, I would be asking some important questions right now. But our first time isnotgoing to be in my truck."
He grins, kissing the tip of my nose. Although I'm sure he already knows, I feel compelled to say it. "I'm sure you can tell, but this is my first time doing anything like this at all."
"I assumed so, yes. Which is why I want to make sure you are very comfortable when it happens."
Pressing my lips against his ear, I breathe, "I hope it's soon."
As I pull back, his eyes light up. "Thank you for telling me that. Everything is completely at your pace, baby."
I want to tell him so much more. That I love it when he calls me baby. That part of me wants to go to his place immediately and continue.
But I should probably pace myself.
Ansel lifts his right hand, plunging his middle finger into his mouth, groaning with delight as he tastes my juices. "So sweet." He places his forehead against mine. "I can't wait to spread you open and lick you until you scream my name." He kisses the tip of my nose. "But not tonight, because it's late, and I need to drive you home. "
When we get to my apartment, our goodnight kiss is so long, so passionate, that the corner of the window on his side actually begins to steam up.
Ansel runs around to my side of the truck to help me out, holding me firmly by the waist as far away as he can, knowing that if we start kissing again, we might never stop. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, gorgeous. Have a great night."
"You too."
I'm floating on air as I drift up the stairs to my apartment. Kayla's door is wide open, and it's impossible not to notice the massive gift basket on her kitchen table.
"Hey," I call as I step into her space. Even though I'm not really close with my sister, and don't like the way she speaks to me sometimes, we're next door neighbors, so I feel I should be friendly.
She comes out of the bedroom, in the process of tying her freshly streaked blonde hair up in a topknot. "Check it out," she grins, nodding to the table.
"Nice." I peruse the contents of the gift basket – cookies, crackers, imported jams, some cheese, even a bottle of wine. "Who's that from?"
"Oh, just Mr. Lloyd Oakley. He's so thoughtful," she gushes. "He gave one to everyone in the office today."
A prickle of warning slinks up the back of my neck. "Wow, that's very generous. Is he working with you at City Hall now?"
Kayla sniffs. She's always delighted to have any opportunity to paint herself as well-connected. "No, he's having some property rezoned and resurveyed. We've all been working on his project. Honestly, it's about time those archaic guidelines were updated."
"So… Everyone at City Hall is just dropping their regular work to help him?"
She grins, lifting her chin and squaring her shoulders in a power pose. It doesn't really have the desired effect, since she's wearing such a girly outfit – trendy yellow flowered yoga pants and a pink sweatshirt with a fancy logo that I know she can't afford. Sometimes I think our parents must be helping with her credit card bills.
"We are professionals there, Lynn. We can handle any workload. Especially since Mr. Oakley had a new coffee machine installed in the break room."
I stare back at the basket to keep from rolling my eyes. Wow. It's always been clear to me that my older sister is shallow, and a bit dim, but I didn't think she could miss something like open bribery at work.
"Well, I have to go." Picking up my car keys from the hook near her door, I add, "Oh, and I need the car tomorrow. "
"But—"
I automatically begin to pause to listen to her excuse. But…
What if I just stopped being so quiet?
