“Sure.” He scrambles out of the chair and pats it. “Have a seat.”
I act like I’m going to sit, but veer off at the last second. I change trajectory and dodge behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist and press into him. I rest my cheek against his back and breathe in his complex scent. He smells delicious and feels even better when he relaxes against me.
“Need a neck massage?” He doesn’t take enough breaks. His neck and shoulders get stiff and sore from being in here for so long.
He flashes me a smile over his shoulder, then reaches to test and poke his neck. “I’m not gonna say no.”
I start kneading his muscles. He feels tense, even when he’s not. I’m not professional, but even I can feel the bunched muscles and knots beneath the skin. I press on those gently. I make a fist and roll my knuckles from one side of his neck to the other. He makes a noise of pleasure that sends my heart into overdrive and makes my stomach cramp.
“Are we still okay to go away for a few days? I can make the reservation for whatever night works best for you.”
I keep massaging. He shudders and rolls his shoulders into it. “A reservation? That sounds fancy.”
“It is,” I promise. “It’s going to be wonderful. I hope.”
He hears my nerves and his hand arcs over his shoulder. I grasp it and squeeze. “It’ll be amazing,” he says, even though he doesn’t know what it is. I’ve kept all of it a surprise. He’s giving me his vote of confidence. His trust means the world.
My heart stutters and trips.
“We could get away tomorrow, late morning, I think. We could definitely stay overnight, and if we get back sometime near evening the next day, that would be fine. It’s not just Maverick and Dravin that can be in here. Atlas already told me he’d help out, and most of the other guys would pop in and watch screens, even if they don’t really know how to work things.”
He turns in my arms. My hands drop back to his waist. He cups my face, tracing his thumb along my cheekbone.
“Can I kiss you?” he asks shyly.
“Yes. Please.”
His eyes light up. It’s not that they weren’t before, but a gorgeous glow sparks in their depths. His fingers stroke back into my hair. It’s down and wavy, frizzy from the humidity. He tunnels back until he brackets my whole head with one hand. It’s one of those times when I feel so tiny next to him. He nuzzles my neck with his nose, drinking me in before he licks my earlobe. He does the dance, peppering kisses over my cheek, then dropping one to my nose before he finds my lips.
He kisses me deep, taking his time. He doesn’t give me any tongue, but it’s still such an intimate, sensual kiss that I’m rocked down to my toes. He ends it with a smile against my mouth. His hands drop to my waist, and he leans against me with his eyes closed.
“I’m excited for this. Mostly, because I get to go away with you.”
I want it all to be perfect, but I know that he’ll be okay with it if it’s not. I might not have been a few days ago, when I thought that anything less than perfect was a sign of weakness andthatwas something I didn’t want to show. I would love if everything could go like I’m planning, but if it doesn’t, that’sokay.
“It’s going to be great just because you’re there,” I agree. “Even if it all goes haywire, having you with me is still going to make it a ten out of ten experience.”
I can already see carefully laid out gardens, loping sidewalks, wild blooms and bright bursts of color. I’m booking us something that seems totally crazy on the surface, but it’s as close to perfection as we’re going to get without me being there to set it up beforehand. The photo albums will tie it all together. I’m probably the most excited to give those to Wizard.
I can see it all unfolding like I see our future unfurling before us. I’m hopeful and I’m already jittery with excitement. We’re leaving in less than twenty-four hours, but it’s going to be a tough wait. Tomorrow, I get to spoil Wizard. I get to give him a whole day that’s designed just for him.
“I can’t freaking wait,” I admit, my voice wavering with nervous energy and bubbling nerves.
Wizard kisses me again. “T-minus eighteen hours, give or take.”
I laugh with him. I hope it’s take. Our faces draw together, so slowly that I taste spearmint on his breath before his lips even brush against mine. The sweet kisses, the mingledbreaths, our shared smiles and hopes—it all builds the heat, tension, and craving inside of me.
I kiss him, taking my time like he did. His lips are like velvet. His hands lock at the small of my back and draw me closer. His lips are a velvet glide against mine. Heat unfurls through my veins, a languid curl that runs as slow as molasses and just as sticky. I luxuriate in it, savoring the warmth as it pools in the bottom of my stomach.
I deepen the kiss, licking his lips until they part for me and I can stroke his tongue. He’s a good kisser. A complete natural. Every time our mouths meet, there’s nothing but us. The rest of the world fades and it’s just that magical feeling of the brand new world that we’re creating.
I love the groan and then the sigh that tumbles from his lips. I lap at the sound. His mouth parts for me like there’s nothing he wants more in the world than to learn the shape of me and to be known in return. We kiss until the oxygen runs out for us, until his shoulders are heaving and I’m panting against his lips.
I can’t pull away. I haven’t had enough of him yet. It took me so long to get here and figure this out, but now I crave him almost constantly. I’m not sure how we’ve managed to have as much control as we did over the past few days.
His body throws blazing heatwaves into the room and I’m so far from done. Being this close to him, the taste of him lingering on my tongue, scrambles my thoughts. I don’t want to make it awkward if anyone walks in here. Wizard would probably say that he doesn’t care, but I do. I care about that for him. Plus, I don’t want to distract him from doing his job. Theclub is important to me because it’s such a massive part of who Wizard is.
His chest rises and falls in rapid waves, and I can’t make myself stop. I drag my lips in a scorching path over his mouth, past the corner, then down his jaw, over his neck, and to the top of his t-shirt. I suck on his sensitive, tender skin there. I’m wicked enough to glance up just to see the way I’ve wrecked him. His eyes are glassy, his pupils completely blown out, lips swollen and glistening, cheeks flushed. I imagine I look the same. I like that look on him. I like it very, very much.
