Chapter 12
Rowe
He is for sure going to kill me.
But even though death is upon me, it’s impossible not to notice that Pane’s lips are soft, yet firm, as I press my mouth to his.
He’s the last man I want to kiss—other than Luke. But desperate times and all that.
I keep my mouth glued to Pane’s and venture opening one eye to check Cristina’s progress. My bestie’s getting the car line dismantled. Yay! Give it just a few more seconds, and the last folks will be moving on.
And I’ll be able to disentangle myself.
But before that happens, Pane tears away from the kiss and rears back, chest heaving.
“What are you doing?” he demands.
Oh, crap. I’m in deep trouble now.
His eyes blaze with rage. His nostrils flare. His cheeks are streaked with red as he glowers at me.
Before I can come up with an answer, he rushes forward, cups the back of my head with one hand, and slides his other hand around my waist.
Then Pane Maddox lays one on me.
In other words, he kisses me back.
And what a kiss it is.
His lips are full and soft as they take me, prod me, devour me. My eyes flutter shut and I melt against him, forgetting for a moment that I’m kissing enemy number two.
He has obviously also forgotten our mutual dislike of one another, because his tongue slips past my teeth and tangles with my own.
Whoa. I am not expecting this.
He tastes like coffee and butter. This strange medley is suddenly my new favorite flavor combination. I can’t get enough of it.
His hand on my waist drops to my hip and squeezes. Even through my clothes, the heat of his touch scalds my flesh, creating a fire that erupts in my core and floods every cell in my body.
I want to drown in him. Clearly, I’ve lost my mind, am definitely experiencing temporary insanity.
Worse, I’m . . . moaning!
I’m moaning into Pane Maddox’s billionaire mouth and his fingers are hooking into the loops of my jeans. He tugs me to him so that my chest is flat against his. His stubble scrapes my skin, making my face tingle. My nipples are diamond-hard. My panties are soaked, and every nerve ending in my body screams with pleasure.
My knees are Jell-O, and when he deepens the kiss, I can’t believe that it’s even possible. This is bliss. Pure, absolute ecstasy. I haven’t kissed anyone like this in, maybe—ever. Not even Luke.
Our tongues are in sync now, like it’s a competition of who can deep throat the other person the best. Okay, that sounds kind of gross. Perhaps not an accurate description.
It’s way better than I can describe. The air around me is charged with energy. The glass in the windows rattles. The floorboards jump.
Wait. Is the magic infused in the earth responding to our kiss?
There’s no time to ponder, not when I’m deep in the best. Kiss. Ever.
I tangle my fingers in his silky hair and inhale his scent. Pane smells good—like juniper ... and something else that I can’t place and don’t want to right now. It’s bright and masculine. I could swim in his scent.
My mind goes numb as his hand slides up my side, getting dangerously close to the rim of my breast.
