It takes all my strength to stop myself from saying,you can do whatever you want to me in this dress.Instead, I clear my throat and give him a neutral expression. “Sure. If you think it will be good for the site, we can do that.”
The light dims in his eyes and he slips his hands into his pockets, turning to leave. I can feel the shift in his energy, and it makes my chest tense up. What is wrong with me? So he’s being flirty and fun—wasn’t that the deal for the evening? He doesn’t deserve me being a bitch.
“Hey.” I grab his arm and he turns back to me, eyebrows raised. I slide my hand down, slipping it into his. “Thanks for coming tonight. I really appreciate it.”
A small smile lifts his lips. “Sure. I can see why you didn’t want to come alone.”
“I probably shouldn’t have come at all,” I mumble, looking back down the hall.
“You want to go? We could leave.” He gives my hand a squeeze.
“What would we say?”
He shrugs. “We don’t owe them an explanation.”
I smile. I guess he’s right.
“Up to you,” he says. “We’ll do whatever you want.”
I gaze at him, feeling warmth unfold inside me and spread out along my limbs. Even after I went on a date with someone else, after I pushed him away… he still got dressed up, bought me flowers, and came to take me to this stupid thing tonight. He’s happy to be here and support me, even though it’s no fun for him, and he’s happy to go, even though I dragged him all the way uptown and wasted his night off. This definitely isn’t part of the act—this ishim. He couldn’t be any sweeter if he tried.
Why is he so good to me? And why am I so awful to him?
I can’t keep doing this. I need to tell him, to show him…
I take a step closer, sliding a hand around the back of his neck. Then I stand up on my toes and press my lips to his in the briefest, gentlest kiss.
Well, it was supposed to be brief. But as soon as his lips touch mine, electricity surges through me and I lose all sense of reason. I melt against him, circling both arms around his neck and crushing my mouth against his.
Holy,holyshit.
A tiny moan escapes him and his fingers curl into my waist, tugging me closer. But it’s not enough; I’m hungry to taste him. I tilt my head, nudging his mouth open, and when I feel the soft lick of his tongue against mine, heat blazes down to my core.
Oh myGod. Why didn’t I kiss him before tonight?
I thrust a hand up into his curls and his hips press forward. I can feel how much he wants this—wantsme—and it’s making me lose it. There’s another moan from him, this time echoing right through me, and I can’t help but let out a whimper in response. I’ve never been kissed like this—both sweet and dirty at the same time. His hands are so soft on my waist, but he’s claiming me with his mouth, his tongue making my legs shake with need.
Jesus Christ. This is,wow, this is—
“Cat?” Claudia’s voice approaches the hallway and I draw back from Myles, breathless, as if we’re doing something we shouldn’t.
Well, we are. But Claudia doesn’t know that.
“Oh, there you are.” She laughs uncomfortably. “Sorry, didn’t mean to interrupt. The lobster’s ready.”
“Okay,” I say overly-brightly. I try to look away from Myles, but I can’t—I’m captivated by his glassy, unfocused gaze. His hands are still on my waist and my body is pulsing toward him, desperate to jump back into that kiss.
After what feels like an eternity I hear Claudia leave, and Myles drops his hands, breathing hard.
“What was that?”
I yank my gaze away with a grimace. Shit, I don’t know what that was.Whydid I kiss him? Wasn’t that the most important rule I had—tonotkiss him? I’ll never come back from this now. I’ll never be able to un-feel his lips, un-hear that moan he made. And I was right—it was different from sex. It was more intimate.
Waytoo intimate.
“Cat?”
“Not now, Freud,” I mutter, rubbing my forehead.
