His thumb caresses my hand, and when I squeeze his finger, he gives me the sweet smile I love so much. He slowly brings his other hand up and then gently runs it through my hair.
“I’ve been dying to do that,” he admits. “It’s just as soft as I thought it would be.” Bringing his eyes back to mine, he asks, “You really can’t tell how I feel about you?”
“I thought maybe you liked me, but you never asked Cindy for my number. You never tried to get in touch with me or anything, so I thought you weren’t interested, or that you were seeing someone else.”
“I’m not seeing anyone else,” he says, quickly dissolving that particular fear. “I didn’t ask for your number because I already had it. I looked it up after the night I first met you.”
“You did? Why didn’t you call me?”
Dragging his finger along my jaw, he brushes back my hair and then gently tucks it behind my ear. “Because I thought therewas no way in hell someone as beautiful as you would ever be interested in me. You could have anyone, Van.”
“You don’t have the faintest idea how gorgeous you are, do you?” I ask, because it’s obvious he’s not just being humble. He truly believes I’m out of his league, which is so crazy I actually laugh.
“You’re laughing at me now?” A grin is still playing at his lips as he drags his knuckle over my dimple. When my laughter dies and I suck in a quick breath at his touch, he says, “I really want to kiss you, Van, but before I do that I want you to know something. I’ve wanted you since the first second I laid eyes on you, and you’ve been all I can think about since that moment. It may not have been obvious to you, but it has been to everyone in my family. I’m shy. I’ll try to get over that for you, but just so you know, I’ve never done the things that I’ve done for you for anyone else.”
“You haven’t?”
“I haven’t.” He gives me one of his shy smiles and says, “I’ve never dated anyone. I’ve never had a girlfriend. My work has always been my life, ever since I was young.” He lets out an embarrassed groan. “God, that’s really humiliating to admit that to you, but I want to see you, I want to spend time with you, and I want you to know the truth.”
“I’ve never had a serious relationship either,” I tell him. “I had a few boyfriends in high school, and I’ve gone on a couple of dates since starting college, but I wasn’t interested in any of them, so I never did any second dates, and then I just stopped altogether.”
“I think you’re misunderstanding me,” he says. “I’ve never doneanything, Van. I’m not saying I’ve just done casual hookups. I’m saying I’ve never done anything.”
I try not to look as stunned as I feel, but he must see it on my face because his cheeks turn a little red, and when he tries to pullhis hand away from mine, I grab onto his finger and squeeze it tightly, refusing to let him go.
“I’ve never done anything either,” I tell him, and then it’s his turn to look surprised. “I mean, I did make out with my high school boyfriend, but it was awful and very tame, like PG-level tame.”
“I’m jealous,” he admits with a grin, “and I’m also very glad he set the bar so low for me.”
I laugh and nod. “He did. It’s super low. You’ve got nothing to worry about. You’ve already surpassed him and you haven’t even kissed me yet.”
“Well, that does take the pressure off.”
Instead of just leaning in and closing the distance, he threads his fingers into my hair, cupping the back of my head as he lowers his face close to mine. I squeeze his finger tighter. Nerves and excitement race through me, both fighting for dominance, but when I feel the heat of his breath against my lips, all that disappears, leaving me with a desire for this man that threatens to consume me.
Bringing my free hand up, I lightly brush my fingers along his smooth jaw. Aside from me taking full advantage of the motorcycle rides, this is my first time freely touching him, and when he leans into my touch, I know he’s giving me the green light to keep going. I graze his cheek before running my fingertips along the curve of his ear, and when I start to run my fingers through his hair, he lets out a soft groan, closing his eyes at my touch. The dark strands are silky soft, and when I give them a gentle tug, his eyes open in surprise. His grey eyes search mine, prolonging the moment until I feel like I can’t wait a second longer.
With one hand cupping the back of his neck and the other still squeezing his finger, I pull him closer and whisper, “Kiss me.”
Chapter 7
Nikita
I’ve never heard anything as beautiful as the two words that just came out of Savanna’s sweet mouth. The nervous way she’s holding onto my finger mixed with the seductive, needy look she’s giving me while her other fingers play with my hair is enough to make my heart race like I’ve just gotten off the treadmill after a long run.
Being a hacker requires a certain amount of confidence, a belief in your own abilities and the knowledge that you won’t leave a trail that will lead the police right to your doorstep. Being here, seconds away from kissing this beautiful woman, is a pretty stark reminder that my confidence in life revolves around one thing and one thing only. If it doesn’t have a hard drive, I’m pretty fucking clueless.
I know there’s a very big chance I might fail at this, but I also know there’s no way in hell I can walk away, not now, not when she’s so close that I can smell that addictive sweet scent of hers, and not when she drags her thumb along my neck and tries to pull me closer. I let her, softening to her touch as she guides me closer. Her blue eyes search mine, and I can tell she’s just as nervous and desperate for this as I am.
Before our lips can touch, I cup her face and pause, wanting to memorize every second of this exact moment. We won’t ever get another first kiss, and I intend to savor this one, because it’s not just my first kiss with her, it’s my first kiss ever, and I don’t want to rush it. Leaning even closer, I brush my nose along her soft cheek, pressing my lips to the dimple that’s currently hidden. I hear her quick inhale and then feel the shaky exhale that follows. I honestly didn’t think it was possible to get even more aroused than I already am, but that soft breath has me producing an embarrassing amount of pre-cum that I’m grateful she’s oblivious to.
She squeezes my finger tighter, and I think I fall in love with her right in this moment. I already knew I was dangerously close, probably already a goner, but it’s definitely official now.
Trailing a line of soft kisses along her cheek, I stop when I hit the corner of her mouth.
“Niki,” she whispers, that one word pulling a soft groan from my own lips.
Threading my fingers in her hair, I cup the back of her head and gently nip at the edge of her top lip. Her mouth opens on a soft gasp as I slowly kiss along her top lip. I want every inch of this woman. My mouth will be on every part of her body until I’ve memorized her from top to bottom, and it all starts right here with the lips that I’ve been fantasizing about for weeks.
