I let his words sink in, but they don’t. They just float there, in the air between us. “I suppose you thought that because I love music I might find your analogy romantic, but it contains the wordworm, so”—I wrinkle my nose, even though I’m not truly grossed outormad—“yuck.”
He laughs, and that gets a grin out of me.
And a confession. “Try as I might, you’re always running on a loop inside my brain too.”
His laughter transforms into a grin. “Look who’s spurting out analogies now.”
I smile, but then I don’t. Then I cross my arms because I’m suddenly nervous.
Ten scratches the back of his neck, and then he shifts. He’s nervous too. “So… do you want to try this?”
“Bythis, you mean whatever’s in that pan?”
His lips quirk up and down and then back up. “Among other things.”
“I could eat.” Actually, I probably can’t. Not with all those butterflies flapping inside me.
He steps a little closer. “I wasn’t really talking about food.”
My arms loosen, fall to my sides. “I wasn’t really either.”
His hand rises to the back of my neck, hovers before settling. Slowly, he tilts my face up. And then his eyes are on mine, and his mouth’s a breath away. I wrap my arms around his neck and then I press up on tiptoe to bridge the chasm between us.
His lips open mine gently, as though he doesn’t want to frighten me, and then one of his arms slides around my waist, presses me closer. All of him is rigid except his mouth.
His mouth is heartbreakingly soft.
His tongue darts out, touches mine, and I tighten my arms around his neck. His teeth clatter against mine, and his stubble chafes my jaw, but he’s still not close enough. I’m not the only one thinking this, because he scoops me up. I gasp, but he swallows up my surprise. I hook my legs around his waist as he walks over to the sapphire island, where he deposits me as though I were made of glass and air instead of flesh and songs. I tug him closer, and still he isn’t close enough.
After a long, long time, he eases his lips off mine. “I thought you were going to run out on me.”
The sound of his hoarse voice sends goose bumps skittering over every inch of my skin. “Whatever you were cooking smelled too good to run from,” I whisper. Itotallyconsidered running.
He chuckles, and it’s the sexiest sound anyone on the entire planet has ever made. And then he imprisons my mouth again. If he keeps kissing me, keeps tugging on my lips, tongue, teeth, he’s going to drag my heart right out of my chest. After another delicious moment, he rests his forehead against mine, runs his large palms over my jean-clad thighs.
“I was so afraid you’d leave,” I whisper.
His jaw is flushed, and his lips swollen. “In all seriousness… between Nev and you, how could I?”
Nev!Ten’s kisses made me forget other humans walked this earth. I jerk my face toward the kitchen entrance and press my palms into his chest to put a little distance between us. “WhereisNev?”
“She went out to dinner with Dad.”
“So we’re alone?”
His eyes shine as though dipped in glitter. “Yes. I suspect we have another hour before they get home. I told her to keep Dad out of the house as long as possible.”
“She had me so worried with that text of hers.”
He cups my jaw and just stares at me. Correction. Staresintome. His fingers trail down the sides of my throat, gather my hair, and push it off my neck. He kisses a spot below my earlobe, and I shiver. How is heso good at kissing? I wish the answer was that he was born that way, but I’m unfortunately not that naive. He’s had training. Can he tell I haven’t?
“Where’s your car?”
“In the shop.” His words are a little muffled.
“You got into an accident?”
“No.”
