Page 122 of No Longer Mine

Her breath hitched, and my lips curved against her skin. I could hardly contain myself. The city lights blurred past us, but I didn’t see any of it. The only thing I could focus on was her—on the anticipation crackling between us, on the way she subtly squeezed her thighs together like she was trying to control herself.

As the cab pulled up in front of her place, I tossed the bills onto the seat in front of us and practically threw Scarlett from the cab.

She let out a startled laugh, stumbling slightly in her heels, but I caught her—my hands firm on her waist as I pressed her against me.

“Impatient?” she teased, breathless.

I didn’t answer. I just tightened my grip, my fingers splaying over the silk of her dress as I guided her toward the entrance of her building.

Her doorman greeted us with a polite nod, but I barely registered him. My pulse was hammering, my entire focus honed in on the way Scarlett’s body fit against mine as we stepped into the elevator.

The moment the doors slid shut, I had her caged against the mirrored wall, my palms flattening beside her head. “Do youhave any idea how hard it was to sit through that dinner and not take you right there on the table?”

Scarlett’s breath shuddered, her lashes lowering. “That would’ve been quite the scandal.”

I dipped my head, my nose brushing against hers. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? Letting the whole city see you fall apart for me.”

Her lips parted, but she didn’t deny it.

I smirked. “Maybe next time.”

The elevator chimed, and I stepped back, letting her catch her breath. The doors slid open, and she led the way, glancing at me over her shoulder, the challenge still burning in her gaze.

I followed her into the penthouse, my control hanging by a thread.

The second the door clicked shut behind us, I snapped. My mouth claimed hers quickly. The first taste of her was like heaven. I hadn’t realized I’d been a starving man until my lips claimed hers. My hands grasped her hips as we stumbled through the entryway. There was no way I was going to make it up three flights of stairs to get to her bedroom. It was torture enough getting through dinner.

Scarlett gasped against my lips, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer. She matched me, stroke for stroke, her body pressing into mine like she couldn’t get enough.

I backed her up, not caring where we were going as long as it was close. My hands skimmed down her sides, feeling the silk of her dress bunch beneath my fingertips. She moaned as I lifted her, her legs wrapping around my waist. The sound sent a bolt of heat straight through me.

My lips trailed down her jaw to the delicate curve of her throat as she let out a moan that made my toes curl. She unleashed my hair to trail her fingers down the back of my neck while I continued my perusal.

“I never thought I could ever want anyone as badly as I want you,” I whispered against her skin.

The only response I received was another moan. “Everything about you is magnificent,” I continued as I kissed her. “But do you want to know my favorite thing?”

I squeezed her hips gently as I peppered kisses along the cleavage at the top of her dress. “Hmmm?” Her head tilted back against the wall, her heavy eyes watched me carefully.

“Your mind.” Kiss. “Your strength.” Kiss. “Your resilience.”

Her chest heaved with every breath as she watched me with glassy eyes.

“Your beautiful self? Just an added bonus.”

She grabbed either side of my face and claimed my lips in a searing kiss.

Her nails scraped against my scalp, and I groaned into her mouth, pressing her harder against the wall. The silk of her dress pooled higher around her waist, her legs tightening around me, her body heat searing through my clothes.

I pulled back just enough to look at her, my breath coming fast, my fingers still gripping her hips. Her lips were swollen, her pupils blown wide, her chest rising and falling in sharp little gasps.

“Do you really think that?” Her fingers dug into my shoulders, her voice husky.

I pressed my forehead to hers, my fingers trailing up her sides. “You are the most brilliant, formidable woman I’ve ever met.” My lips skimmed along her jaw. “You’re dangerous, and beautiful, and I can’t get you out of my head.” I tilted her chin up with my thumb, forcing her to meet my gaze. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The need was still thrumming through my body, but now there was a different kind of urgency. An urgency to be slow and gentle. To show her I could take care of her. I pulled her awayfrom the wall and walked her to the couch, where I laid her down. Her legs fell open, her dress just barely covered the lace panties she was wearing.

I knelt between her legs and dragged my hands up her thighs. The fire between us was still there, still burning hot, but now it was tempered with something deeper—something that had my chest tightening as I looked down at her.