Julian’s growl turned into a groan. “Cut it out, Petula,” he grimaced. “If you don’t want this conversation to end abruptly because our mouths are busy doing other things, you’d better stop looking at me like that,” he warned.
She laughed, and the minx doubled down, actually licking her bottom lip provocatively “Geeze. You’re too easy.”
“With you?” Julian posited. “Yes.”
He wasn’t ashamed to admit it.
Petula instead of rolling with it, however, suddenly sobered.
“Well, you might not like what I have to say next.”
He steeled himself.
“Yes, we can both agree that kissing is good. But everything else? Not so much. Bad-boy might have been the one to have fallen down on the job, but more likely it was me.” She shrugged, easily shouldering the blame for what Julian could only assume was a self-absorbed prick.
She continued. “But to me, it seemed like he had no one but himself in mind once we got horizontal. He paid very little attention to anything besides seeking his own pleasure, which I came to understand is pretty standard after speaking to a few of my college friends, after the fact.
“Anyway, I was left with a ‘meh’ attitude toward the whole thing, and wasn’t looking for a repeat with Gleason, or anyoneelse after that. So, it’s been twelve years, and I haven’t had the urge to explore those things again. Until I saw your handsome mug,” she qualified.
Fuck.
If preening were a human thing, Julian was guilty of it almost immediately. Petula not only liked him, but her libido had awoken without him lifting a single finger.
Still, Julian didn’t want to get ahead of himself. There were a few questions that still needed to be answered before he figured out how to move forward.
“You haven’t had sex in a dozen years,” he reiterated. “I get that. But you enjoyed kissing, once. Have you done any more of that?” Julian asked.
He wanted to know how carefully he needed to take things with Petula.
“No,” she answered breathlessly, staring at his mouth again. “But I haven’t forgotten how. And I was pretty good at it, if I do say so myself.”
Julian knew he had to step up. She looked so…anticipatory. Which meant it was now, or never.
“Would you…mind if we find out?” he managed, his voice sounding choked.
“Eee,” she cried. “I thought you’d never ask.”
She leaned forward, grabbed his shirtfront in both hands, and captured his lips with hers.
Oh, Lord.
Soft. Warm. Drowning…
Julian wanted nothing more than to enfold Petula in an embrace that would last forever, but he kept his hands to himself, knowing that no matter what she said, hestillneeded to take it slowly. She was no barracks bunny.
When she slipped him her tongue, it took all Julian had to hold onto his shit.
He’d kissed many women. Some of whom were mediocre. Some of whom were experts. And some who didn’t even register in his memories.
No kiss, however, in the history of kisses, was as good as the one he was receiving from Petula right now.
CHAPTER 17
How couldshe ever have thought that Gleason was a good kisser?
Petula chuckled to herself.
Julian had debunked that myth in mere seconds.
