Suddenly, the red light morphs into something more sexy than eerie, and I take advantage of it. I step closer, so close that Ican smell the remnants of mint and champagne lingering on his mouth. He moves in too and my chest brushes his torso.
At the touch, I lose my gall, and turn to face one of the mirror-lined walls instead. “For starters, I can’t wait to have my time back to myself again.”
“You mean, to give your time back to your team?”
“To not have a tagalong anymore,” I continue on.
He moves swiftly, and soon he’s behind me. “You’ll miss me.”
“I won’t.” Not even I’m buying my comebacks. I step away until I almost crash into the vanity counter bordering the room. “You’re too cocky. It makes you sound delusional, you know that?”
“Getting what you want always takes a healthy dose of delusion. You of all people should know that.”
“I forgot how irritating you can be.”
“You like it.” He moves closer, backing me against the counter until I have nowhere to go.
In the red light, I can see the perfect outline of his face. His high cheekbones, his sloping nose, the curve of his lips. His hands come down on either side, pinning me in place until fighting this is the last thing I could ever want.
He hesitates, the silhouette of his throat bobbing in the dim light. “Tell me, am I delusional for wanting you?”
I long to tell him no, that he’s not, because I think I want him too. I think I more than want him. I think I want to love him, but I’m realistic, and because I know we have no future, I don’t say a single thing.
Instead, I throw my hands around his neck, lifting to my toes to feel his mouth against mine. He meets my lips with the same urgency, satisfying the longing that’s cropped up inside while simultaneously leaving me craving more. I’m insatiable as I greedily press my body against his, my fingers tangling in his hair. Rough stubble rakes against my skin as velvety lips devourmine, the stinging sweetness a delicious contrast. His breath hitches when we come up for air, his forehead dipping to press against mine. In a second flat, his fingers are trailing down to grip my hips, lifting me to sit on the counter at my back. And then his mouth finds mine again, his hands coasting down my spine until they’re flattening into the surface on either side of my thighs. I nip at his bottom lip as things heat up again, eliciting a low growl that lets me know he’s just as into this as I am.
My phone buzzes, emitting an obnoxious blue light from my open purse until it finally fades, but Decker isn’t deterred. He slows the kiss, deepening it as his fingers come up to cradle my face. His hands are strong and steady, and every bit as sweet as his mouth. My phone vibrates again, this time aggressively enough to wiggle its way from my bag. Decker stills as both of us come up for air, and I can’t help but to glance at my screen. Of course my mother would be calling me right now.
“Ignore it.” Decker’s voice is husky. His mouth captures mine again as goosebumps prick up my arms.
I tilt my head back, breaking our kiss and staring at the red emergency light overhead. “Decker,” I manage to say as I catch my breath.
He doesn’t stop. He stays close, his nose grazing my cheek as he trails kisses along my jaw, sending me gasping for breath when he finds the sensitive spot on my neck that drives me wild. I giggle as my hand flies to cover it. Gently, he pries my fingers away.
I bite my lip as he lands on the spot again, but the incessant buzzing starts up once more, and I can’t help but to grab my phone. “Sorry, I just… I just want to make sure everything’s okay since we didn’t tell anyone we were leaving.”
“Oh, right. Forgot to ask your mom's permission to leave the table.”
I shoot him a glare I know he can’t see. “In case you forgot, this is technically a work function. My manager is allowed to be in the know.”
“Sorry, didn’t realize we’re on the clock.”
“Of course we are. A deal’s a deal. And right now, no one can see us.” I hold up my phone in his face. “At least someone is still thinking straight.”
“Who? Your mom?” He laughs. “You can tell yourself that, Lena, but I think we both know that excuse isn’t valid.”
“It’s not an excuse.”
“Just admit your mom still pulls all the strings—well, her and Antonia—and despite all the crap you said about doing this on your own terms, you still aren’t. You’re letting them yank you around like some demented puppet masters.”
His words have teeth, gnawing at me more than any of the other dumb things he’s ever said.
I suck in a deep breath, an attempt to steady my pulse that’s now soaring for an entirely different reason. “Maybe we should move this to somewhere more public. Since we’reon the clock.”
“I didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”
I roll my eyes. “My life already lacks enough privacy as it is. Case and point, our deal. If we’re finishing strong tonight, I figured we’d go out with a bang.”
He chuckles.
