It wasn’t too soon. I’d gone over this scenario a million times in my head. I’d known him for twenty-seven years; I’d worked side by side with him for months and had been attracted to him every second. This was what I’d been waiting for. He felt like safety to me, but also an excitement I’d never thought I’d have.
“No, I want to stay,” I said. “I want this.” I pushed away my shyness, and without turning around, I reached behind me to his hips and pulled him closer.
“Are you sure?” He sounded relieved.
I didn’t have to think about it anymore. “I am absolutely sure.”
He pressed close behind me and slid his hands down my hips, skittering my blood through my veins. His nearness pressed up against my back, legs, neck, and knees was intoxicating. I was dizzy with want.
“Tabitha, remember. It’s just me.”
His words were a comfort. I felt safe with Tim and knew that he’d stop if I wanted him to stop.
His hands traveled down my arms until he was tracing lazy circles with his thumbs on the insides of my wrists. Not sexual but somehow very sensual.
“I know. The thing is…” I tried to look over my shoulder at him while his hands traced my fingers. “It’s just—according to Perry, me being boring extends to the bedroom.”
“That fuckwit,” he said angrily. He breathed out, and sliding his hands onto my shoulders, he pivoted me around. He put a fingertip under my chin and tilted my face up to his, looking deep into my eyes. “Forget what that idiot said. I’m a grown-arse man, and I’m telling you this, Tabs.” His brown eyes seared into me with gold lights, molten with intensity. “I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you.”
“Oh.”Say something else, Tabitha.I believed him, but no words would come. I didn’t know it was possible to want someone as much as I did him.
“So why don’t you tell me what you like?” He brushed the hair from my face with soft hands. “And we can start there.”
“I can’t. Let’s just go along, and I’ll signal to you that it’s going okay.”Let’s just go along?I’ll signal that it’sgoing okay.God, that sounded so unsexy.
But he chuckled. “Good enough. We’ll take it slow.”
Relieved, I hoped I could live up to his expectations. I liked how he was sayingwe.
“Do you like this?” He trailed his fingers down my neck, over my clavicle, and skimmed the skin at the top of my dress.
My breath hitched. “Yes.”
“What a coincidence. Because I do too.”
I laughed softly.
“See? It’s already working,” he said, lowering his lips to where his fingers had been. “We’re off to a very good start.”
From the river, I knew the taste of his kiss, how my soft body fit into his hard, solid form, his male scent, how his hands and arms were weathered and work-roughened against my skin, but this was hotter and more urgent. There were only the two of us in this room now, nowhere else to be and nowhere else I wanted to be.
My whole body throbbed with the anticipation of what was going to happen tonight.
“Actually, you know what?” I heard amusement in his voice, which was an odd relief from the tension. “Let’s set expectations. You know how much you were moaning over the chocolate thing?”
“Mm, the ganache,” I said, confused why he was bringing that up now. I remembered the taste of the chocolate, hisresponse to my enjoyment, and watching him lick it off his thumb. “Yes?”
“You’ll be moaning ten times more than that,” he husked out, his voice sinking deep into my core. His hips rocked against me with pent-up promise and need. The cool sharpness of his belt buckle dug into me, and I pressed into it.
A deep ache pumped through my body, slow and sweet. Inspired by his promise, I tugged his shirt from his dress pants and swept my hands over his hard pecs, making him hiss.
“Tim, you are so competitive,” I said.
“Tabitha.” His voice was cracked and heavy. “You have no idea.”
37
Tim
