My heart jumped and I pressed myself against the wall, as if I could hide. He emerged with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs.
My wide eyes were glued to the dusting of chest hair and the happy trail that disappeared beneath his waistband. He was muscular and toned without being so ripped that he didn’t look real. A flush hit my cheeks, and he didn’t move.
Slowly lifting my gaze to his face, I realized that, like him, I was hardly wearing anything. Just a tank top and shorts that left very little to the imagination.
“Sorry,” he said, averting his eyes. “I didn’t know you were up.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
Don’t look down, Penelope. Don’t look at his—
Too late. I looked. And he was—
“Me neither,” he said.
The scant space of the hallway was between us, I kept my back pressed to the wall and he stood still, as if frozen to the spot.
I was about to start babbling something about chamomile tea and wishing I’d put on a robe, or at least a bra, but he spoke first.
“I want to kiss you again.”
It was so unexpected, I didn’t know what to say. I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out.
“I shouldn’t,” he continued. “Shouldn’t have before, either. But I can’t stop thinking about how good it felt.”
“Neither can I.”
He stepped forward, cutting the distance between us in half, and his eyes roved over me. The brush of silk against my skin made my body tingle and heat pooled in my core.
“Tell me no.” He moved closer.
My voice was barely above a whisper. “What if I don’t?”
He stepped into my space and slid one hand into my hair, the other around my waist. “Then I’m going to kiss you again.”
“I…” I hesitated. Was this actually happening? “I didn’t think…”
His fingertips massaged the back of my head. “Didn’t think what?”
“That you wanted me.”
“You don’t think I want you?” The hand on my waist slid down to cup my backside, and he pressed me against his hardness. When he spoke again, his voice was a low growl. “You feel that? That’s what you do to me. You drive me fucking crazy. So tell me no, Pen.”
“Yes.”
In one smooth motion, he tilted my head back and took my mouth with his. Gone was the softness and restraint of the kiss in the Timberbeast. He invaded my mouth with his tongue, pressing my body against his.
Opening for him, I kissed him back, melting against him as he devoured me. The pressure between my thighs built so fast, I wanted to jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. I whimpered into his mouth as his velvety tongue slid against mine, and his fingers dug into my backside.
Still holding me against him, he backed us into his bedroom. I was in too deep to worry about the consequences. Too far gone to think about tomorrow.
In seconds, our clothes were on the floor. He took the time to carefully remove my glasses and set them aside. Then his hands were all over me, sliding across my skin as he kissed me. Hismouth moved to my jaw, down my neck, and I leaned my head back, moaning as his fingers slid between my legs.
“You’re already wet for me,” he growled in my ear.
I had no words. I was nothing but a tight ball of heat and pressure, ready to burst, and he’d hardly touched me.
He nudged me onto the bed and climbed on top of me. His tip brushed my center.
