When he doesn’t part his lips for me, I pull back to see his expression. Heat flares in his eyes, locked heavily on mine.
After a beat, he steps closer, guiding me backward, one step, two steps. The moment my back touches the wall, his free hand cups the nape of my neck, angles my head closer.
“Easton ...”
“I won’t be able to take it back.” He pants against my mouth. “If we do this, your first kiss will always belong to me. Are you sure that’s what you want?”
He says I don’t need to ask him for permission, yet he asks me.
He always asks.
“Quite the burden,” I say lamely, hoping my sarcasm will deflect the vulnerability that tightens my lungs. “Are you sure that’s whatyouwant?”
“I’ve been wanting to kiss you for three years, Eva.”
My stupid eyes burn, chest tender, and the demand comes out raspy. “So do it already.”
His fingers press lightly into my neck. Heat pulses inside me, and his tongue slides across my upper lip. Light, wet, teasing. He pulls my lip into his mouth, gives a soft, warm tug, and a full-body sigh escapes me.
Tongue, lips, heat—a kiss, but not. He’s flirting with the edges of what I need, and the anticipation is painful.
“Easton—”
He catches my complaint in his mouth. The instant his tongue slips inside and meets mine, his restraint collapses into dust.
My breath comes out in shallow pants as he deepens the kiss. Despite his intensity, his tongue glides along mine in slow, deep strokes. He tastes me like I’m a delicacy, rare and exquisite. Fire expands in my blood, seeps outward, and I can’t stop touching him—the hard line of his jaw that moves with each taste, the vein throbbing in his neck, and the tension pulling his abs tight. I should have guessed Easton would be able to use his tongue in a way that vibrates from my insides out.
Something obscure and gratifying rushes into my lungs as we explore each other in new ways.
I picked him.
Pride overwhelms me, giving me a taste of the unfamiliar.
I press my palms to his chest and give him a little push. A husky growl leaves his throat, and he obliges, walking backward while we’re still connected. Strong hands grip my waist and squeeze. He lifts me to line our hips, our bodies pressed together. Once we reach the bed, he stops, releases my waist to clutch my face, and takes his time licking, sucking, devouring my mouth. His tongue speaks to me in a way I’ve never heard, whispering words that settle deep in my bones.
Worthy.
Beautiful.
Wanted.
My pulse drums erratically, buzzing beneath my skin, between my thighs.
Lowering my hands to his hips, I give another shove. He sits on the bed and pulls me onto his lap. I swallow his groan when I spread my legs to straddle him. His fingers tangle in my hair, and he tugs me close. I never imagined I’d be the one fully clothed, with over six feet of a half-naked guy locked between my thighs. Awareness sparks beneath my panties, the position deeply erotic, and my body screams for more.
Ineedfriction.
Determined, I break the kiss to yank his jacket off my shoulders, but, again, he stops me.
Irritation rises, and I glare at him. It must not be that threatening because he only chuckles, a lazy smile quirking up on one side.
“Don’t you want me to take my clothes off?” I complain. “It’s okay. I’m ready for more.”
Just like that, the smile fades. His eyes flicker with gravity at my words. “Then let megiveyou more.” Rough palms touch my hips, burn through my dress, and give my curves a little squeeze. “You don’t need to get naked for me, Eva. You turn me on without even trying.” He brushes his lips against the base of my neck, and a slow tremor rocks me. “You make me want you in ways you don’t even know. Let me prove it to you.”
I swallow, disbelief tainting me. “But ...”
He presses a kiss below my ear, gives a tender pull between his teeth, and a sigh spills from my body. His touches are so light, rough fingers grazing my arm. Jeans brushing my inner thighs. Breaths slow and deep. But they do things to me.
