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After she retrieves her keys, she unlocks the door and enters the lobby of her place. We climb the stairs, me following behind her. At her door, she smiles up at me but stays silent.

I grab her hand. “There’s no reason to be nervous. I don’t have to come in if you don’t want me to.”

She looks at me and shakes her head. “No, sorry. It’s fine. It’s just … it’s not my place. I live with April, but really, I’m crashing on her futon.” Her head tilts down like she’s embarrassed.

I blow it off. “No worries. We’ve all crashed at a friend’s place a time or two.”

She opens the door, and we enter. She puts her stuff on the table.

“Can I get you something to drink?” she asks, sliding her own jacket off and hanging it in the closet.

She’s wearing a pair of dress pants and a button-down. While most men would tell you a dress is sexier, I happen to find this look—with her top button undone to show off her gorgeous breasts and pants that hug her toned ass—gorgeously alluring.

I nod, and she heads to the fridge, opening it up and searching inside. She grabs a beer, opens it, and places it on the counter without getting herself something to drink.

As she pushes a curl behind her ear, I remember the night she spent in my bed and when I watched the curl fall over her face as she fell asleep.

“Why did you leave without a way for me to find you?” I ask.

She runs her hand along her forearm. “I’d give you a few reasons, but I’d probably be lying.”

“Then, tell me the truth.”

With her brows curved and her mouth pouted, she opens her arms and gives me her honesty. “Because I like you more than I should.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

“Terrible.”

I grin. She’s confident and coy at the same time. Something I think I can relate to.

“Now that we’ve found each other again, are you willing to give it a shot?”

“Yes.” Her answer is quick.

I take my coat off and lay it on the counter. “Can I stay awhile?”

“I was hoping you would.”

Her teeth skim her bottom lip as she reaches up and runs a hand along my chest. I take a quick breath. Not prepared for how the feel of her again would affect me.

I take one of her tendrils in my hand and run my thumb along the silky strands. “Don’t vanish on me again. I don’t have many rules, but leaving me the way you did is a hard limit.”

“Why are you giving me another chance?”

“Because I find you impossible to resist.”

Her eyes flutter closed at the compliment, and I watch her long lashes dance on her porcelain skin. I bet she has no idea how beautiful each of her features is. She makes me want to draw her. More than that, I want to paint her, all of her, and on her again.

I glance at the refrigerator and wonder what my chocolate-loving girl has in there. Stepping to the side, I walk over to it and open the door to find a bottle of syrup on the shelf. I grab it and close the door, watching as her brows rise at the sight of it. She knows I’m not in the mood for a child’s drink.

She steps backs, so she’s flush against the counter, and I press my body up against hers. Her breath hitches, and when she glances up at me, my heart pounds out of my chest. Nerves work their way up my spine, causing my own breath to be ragged. With her feet bare, her head comes to my neck, and my hard-on presses up against her stomach. I wonder if she can feel it, but when she wiggles her body, I know for certain she does.

I squirt a tiny amount of chocolate syrup on my finger and reach it up to her, seeing if she’ll lick it off my finger. Anticipation racks my body until she smiles and slowly leans forward to wrap her tiny mouth around me, waiting a second until pulling back and licking my finger clean.

My brain and my cock jump in excitement. Impossible to resist is an understatement. I’m addicted, and I haven’t even taken her to bed yet.

I love how she dares herself to try new things. I love the way she stimulates my mind and my body with her thoughts and words. But what’s getting me the most is the way I can tempt her, and she doesn’t hesitate. She makes me feel like a god, yet I am just a man, here to serve his queen.