Page 17

He huffed out a laugh and sat down at the end of his bed.

“In all the years since I discovered what sex was, I’d never once considered being with someone for more than one night. It gives me hives if I stop and think about it. You’ll meet a man who will give you all you want someday. It’s just I think you shouldn’t dive right into it, especially putting a profile on an app or finding someone online.”

Glad to be at the end of the conversation, I closed the book and stood, nodding my head.

“Understood. Besides, I’m busy with my writing and I get all the social interaction I need with your brothers as they drag me around town.” A smile broke out on my face.

He blew out a relieved breath.

“Let’s go see what Lyric picked to watch,” I said.

Moving over to the bookshelves, I replaced the biography, making a mental note to buy it so I could finish it and turned, finding myself face-to-face with Connor. There was a flash of something behind his beautiful butterscotch gaze hidden behind his half lowered eyelids. I expected him to step back, to play it off as though there was something on his mind, but he didn’t.

I watched in fascination as he lifted his hand and cupped my cheek. His warm palm shot white heat through me and I bit my lip to stop a moan from escaping.

“What…”

He stepped closer until our chests touched, and the spark in his hazel gaze turned molten, swirling around and pinning me to the spot.

“I want to kiss you.”

“Um.”

In the realm of all the hopeless ideas I’ve ever had in my entire life, having Connor’s lips anywhere near mine took the top spot. It was hard enough moving on when his touch could set me alight, but the knowledge of how his lips would taste would haunt me for the rest of my days.

But then again, wouldn’t the torment be worth one kiss?

Yes. Fuck yes, it would.

“Okay,” I croaked out.

The next few minutes moved at a snail’s pace as I watched his face light up with a smile that threatened to make me fall a little more in love with him. But when his eyes flicked down to stare at my mouth, his playful expression turned into a feral one as his thumb stroked along the bottom of my lip, causing me to gasp.

“This is so dangerous,” he said, his voice low.

My throat constricted and, although I understood his words, the fear it provoked caused me to gasp and reach for him. Rather than back away and leave the room as I half-expected he would, he stepped closer and moved the one hand not touching my face down to grip my hip, holding me in place.

“I…” I cleared my throat and tried again. “It’s only a kiss. You have my word. I won’t make it into something it’s not.”

Apparently, when my body vibrates with a craving that I’ve never read about, much less found in the words I created for my books, I resort to mumbling random words hoping I’m makingenough sense that the sole opportunity of kissing Connor Blake wouldn’t disappear before I made it a reality.

His fingers snaked under my tee and when I felt his warmth trace up the curve of my spine, I shivered, unable to hold back as fire ignited my blood, making me throb. My eyes drifted closed as he opened his hand on my shoulder, dragging the hot skin of his palm down my back, and I bit my lip to hold myself back from rubbing my hard cock anywhere against this man.

“Those fucking whimpers you make, and the ones you seem unaware of, drive me insane.”

Words ceased understanding as he pressed his lips to my throat. The moan I’d been holding in since he shut the door to his room, trapping us inside together, escaped without my permission. His hand tightened on my waist and the other slithered up to cup the back of my neck. When he squeezed, another embarrassing sound joined the first.

Vibrating with anticipation of a kiss that might never come and panting as though I’d run miles instead of standing here, waiting for more of Connor, I wondered if I wanted the kiss to come. My next breath became complicated as he leaned forward and pursed his lips right below my ear, lingering there as I clutched him tighter.

“Oh, oh!”

As long as he kept up with the physical contact, I floated on a cloud of pure desire and need. We hadn’t gotten to the kissing, and I suspected we wouldn’t at this point. But as my heart thumped in my chest, I knew I wouldn’t regret a moment of this. Life was for living and if I never met a man who made me feel a fraction of what Connor drew from me with simple touches and sure movements, I’d live off the memories and forgo the disappointments.

With significant force, I blinked open my eyes and surveyed Connor as he started with nibbles down my neck and across mycollarbone. Everything about this man screamed erotic; from the way his hands never stopped exploring to the pure ecstasy on his sculpted face, including his half-lidded bedroom eyes. His touch set me alight; thrilled to experience it, even for a short while.

“Ollie?”

He raised his head and held my gaze, searching for something I couldn’t understand. But my expression alerted him to my willingness because he leaned closer, giving me plenty of time to stop him, before he tilted his head. When his plush lips brushed against mine, I opened for him and shivered as his hot breath warmed my tongue.