“I think so.”
She uses her arcade card to pay and selects the options she wants—two copies, four different pictures, colors, and no filters. When a countdown begins, we bring our faces closer, using the image the screen sends back to adjust. As soon as the picture is snapped, she says, “Come on, baby. Let loose. Funny faces this time.”
As if she doesn’t trust that I can handle that myself, she squishes my cheeks together while she sticks her tongue out, crossing her eyes.
Once the second picture is over, I ask, “What do you want for the next one?”
She doesn’t even hesitate before she says, “Kiss me.”
The two words ignite a violent shiver that explodes from my chest to ripple through my entire body. I’ve been waiting for them,longingfor them, for what feels like months. We haven’t kissed since that day she barged into my place to demand answers. I haven’t deserved to kiss her since—and didn’t deserve it then, either. Not until she was ready for it. Not until she asked.
And she just did.
But I’m so stunned that I don’t know what to do. I merely gape at her, trying to process what this means. I barely notice the flash of the third picture, lost in the depth of her eyes.
She gives me a small, indulging smile, and her soft hand comes to my jaw. Then, slowly, like I might panic, she comes closer until her lips meet mine. And that’s all it takes to release all the need, all the love, and all the passion I hold for her.
My own hand flies to cradle the side of her face as I deepen her shy kiss, already in desperate need of more. Can kissing this woman ever become dull? Can I ever get used to it? The sparks, the tingles, the racing of my heart, the frenzy of my mind… Can they fade with time?
I don’t think so. Be it the thousandth kiss or the millionth, it will forever be a cataclysmic experience.
My glasses become an issue, askew between us, so I remove them, never breaking our kiss. Our embrace grows needier, both craving more. My tongue and hers meet with yearning intensity, like two lovers starved for each other. Likeus. She clings to me, lost in the kiss, and I hold on to her like she’s the only thing keeping me tied to this world, to reality.
When it still isn’t enough, she shifts on my lap and I help her until she’s straddling me in her sexy dress, her legs on each side of me as that heated spot between them presses on my aching cock. I fill my hands with her ass as she fills my mouth with her tongue, her hands tangled in my hair to keep me right there.
The curtain opens next to us, but it isn’t enough to break the moment as I immediately tug it closed, ignoring whoever’s out there.
In my greed to get more, I slip my hands under her dress and feel the lace high on her thigh, the lack of it on her ass, and then the straps that rise to her waist. The way my cock throbs at it makes me moan in her mouth. “What the fuck are you wearing under there, Andrea?” I groan.
“Take me to your place, and I’ll show you.”
That would be a perfect ending to a perfect night. I want to make love to her with intensity and passion like we used to. I want to take her to my bed and only let her out of it when the sun rises again, like I promised. I want to keep her pinned under me until her whole body is flushed, covered in sweat, and so satiated she can barely move.
But she needs to be sure this is what she wants, too. This time, we aren’t embarking on a whirlwind of passion that clogs our minds. We’re starting the rest of our lives together, and I need her to be certain this is what she wants.
“Are you sure?” I ask, my lips following an invisible line down her throat. She smells so fucking good, it’s addictive.
“I’ve been sure since before Seoul,” she confesses. “But I wanted… I needed…”
A moan prevents her from saying more when I nip at the pulsing flesh at the base of her throat. “You wanted to go slow,” I continue for her. “Because you were scared I’d hurt you again.”
She nods, her hand on the back of my head fisting my hair to bring me closer.
I need her to believe what I’ll say next, so I force myself away from her taste and meet her eyes. “If I ever hurt you again, Andrea, you have my express approval to cut off my balls and gag me with them.”
The giggle she lets out is enchanting, just like every part of her at that moment. Then, like she can’t help herself, she gives me an adamant kiss, her tongue briefly grazing my lip.
“Right now, I’d rather be the one gagging on them,” she counters. “And on your cock, too. So, take me to your place, baby.”
“Your wish is my command, freckles.”
Chapter 18
Lex has been visibly anxious since we left the arcade, and now that we’re at his place, it’s even worse. Although a part of me wants to put him out of his misery, I like seeing him like this. I like knowing I have that effect on him because God knows he has it on me.
“Would you like something to drink?” he offers, returning from putting our leftovers in the fridge.
I shake my head, holding back an endeared smile as I hang my coat on the rack. He hesitantly looks around. “I can boil some water if you want an infusion or—”
