Page 29 of Vicious Temptation

“Remi.”

Am I biting my lip right now?

His head dips toward mine. I know what he’s about to do, but I stay where I am. Then he kisses me.

For a few seconds, I give in. His mouth is warm against mine, his hand still cupping my chin, and every reason I had for keeping my distance disappears beneath the rush of finally finding out what he tastes like. Until one thought bulldozes through everything else.

I never told him he could.

Thiago stumbles backward when I shove him away, and he hits the stall with a hard thud, surprise flashing across his face.

“Did you just kiss me?” I snap, my breath uneven and my heart racing.

His hands lift slightly. “I thought you wanted me to.”

“I didn’t say that.”

His expression changes immediately. “Shit. Remi, I’m sorry. I thought⁠—”

“I know what you thought.” I step closer and jab a finger into his chest. “But men don’t just get to touch me because they think I want them to.”

“You’re right.” His hands stay up. “I fucked up.”

I stare at him as I try to get my breathing under control. The problem is that he wasn’t wrong about what I wanted. He was wrong to assume.

Because I did want him to kiss me, and I still fucking do. I fist the front of his ridiculous little shirt and yank him down to me.

This time, I kiss him.

Thiago freezes for a beat, then his arms close around me. I grip the back of his neck and pull him harder, taking exactly what I wanted now that I’m the one choosing it.

His hands slide to my thighs, and the next thing I know, he lifts me off the floor, my legs wrapping around his waist as he carries me back against the wall of the stall. I laugh against his mouth before dragging him back to me. And when I finally pull back, I only go far enough to look at him. His breathing is as ragged as mine, my red lipstick smeared across the corner of his mouth, and the satisfaction on his face almost makes me laugh again before he leans in and catches my bottom lip between his teeth.

“Fuck,” he mutters.

I couldn’t agree more.

It’s been a long time since I’ve let myself do something simply because I wanted to. I’ll probably pick apart every second of this later, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.

Right now, I want him.

I lean in again, my mouth barely touching his, when a faint voice reaches me through the glass.

“Remi! Remi, where are you?”

I freeze.

The voice is small and muffled, but unmistakable. I’d know it anywhere.

Eight

Thiago

“Put me down.”

She pushes out of my arms, and I reluctantly let her go, staying where I am as she clears her weapon and starts packing up her gear without sparing me another glance, as if the last several minutes never happened.

I shouldn’t care how quickly she shuts me out, but I do.