Page 12

PART VIII

Selene had almost expected him to beg off.

It wasn't his job to taste food just because she asked.

Just because she wanted him to.

This wasn't a medieval murder plot where she needed someone to taste her food to make sure she wasn't being poisoned.

But she did want him to try it.

Just because she loved it.

And she wanted him to try it because it would be another thing for her to remember when he walked away at the end of this assignment.

Spending a little over a day with him this second time around was enough for her to know that she wasn't just attracted to William Winchester, she was dangling over a cliff from denial and straight into head over heels love.

It wasn't all that odd in the grand scheme of things.

She'd spent so much time working. Singing. Taking classes. Learning how to be better and do better, romantic relationships had been few and far between. Some probably wouldn't even count by the standards William had set for her.

Cali had needled her about the handsome Marine for quite some time, but thankfully, she'd curbed her incessant questions and let Selene ruminate about William in mostly silence.

And for the last few months, Selene had wondered if she'd been fooling herself.

Imagining the connection she felt with William.

And then they were suddenly in the same room.

In much the same situation as the last time.

He was protecting her, but this time... there was an actual danger, instead of him being more of a ceremonial guard.

There was a line she probably shouldn't cross with him, but she didn't know how long she had with him in the same place.

And she'd wanted to cross that line the first time they'd met.

She wanted everything with him, but she didn't think a lifetime commitment was something he wanted .

It wasn't something she could have, not with her career.

She's seen other performers try and fail miserably.

The worst thing was when kids were involved. Families.

She had just enough energy to keep herself moving.

What was she doing?

She decided to stop pushing the edge of the envelope and take the bite off of the spoon herself when he opened his lips.

Selene moved the spoon forward and he closed his lips around it. She pulled the spoon back and watched.

His lips were closed but she could see the movements of his mouth, his jaw.

She saw the moment the flavor hit him. The sharp burst of flavor to go with the sweet condensed milk. The roll of the rice's texture across his tongue.

Her eyes ate it all up as she waited for the verdict.

William swallowed and looked at her, his gaze glancing off of her lips. "Mango, rice, cream."

She nodded. "Too sweet?"

His gaze lowered back to her lips and she felt as if the world around them had slowed.

Her heart though?

Her heart was going a mile a minute and apparently, she was out of shape .

Almost breathless in anticipation and need.

"Here," he reached out and took the spoon from her hand and put a scoop of rice into the bowl of the spoon, and sliced a piece from the slice of mango on top of it.

She lifted her gaze from the bowl and fixed on his eyes.

She didn't even waste a moment to look at the spoon either.

She just opened her lips.

The cool glance of the spoon against her lips sent a shiver through her and her nipples tightened against the butter soft cotton of her top.

She tasted the sweetness of the condensed milk and then she closed her lips around the spoon.

He pulled it free, gently, and then she was left with the taste of the mango and rice in her mouth.

She wanted to be unaffected by the taste, but it was impossible.

She'd missed the sweetness for months, keeping dessert out of her diet to fit into her incredible costumes, but she chanced it. Because she wanted to share it with him.

"Well?"

Her eyes met his after having drifted off.

She saw the darkness of his gaze, the intensity of his stare.

And it all settled into her core .

She swallowed the bite in her mouth, almost moaning at the sensation of it.

His lips quirked up in a smile and she mirrored his expression, drawing in a breath that only left her even more shaken.

"It's the best thing I've ever tasted," she meant it.

It wasn't just about the sweet creamy flavor or the sweet tang of the mango fruit on her tongue. It was about the company.

The man sitting there within reach.

The problem was that she wanted to reach out.

Even knowing that this was just temporary and he was going to walk away... again.

She wanted it.

She wanted him.

She just couldn't make the first move.

"What about you?" She licked at her lips. "Did you-"

"I'll let you know."

He moved, coming at her in a smooth rush of movement, his free hand hooking around to the back of her neck.

She was barely aware as the bowl was taken from her hand as his mouth was on hers, his body moving over hers.

The moment his weight pressed against her hips she groaned, her mouth opening under his.

His tongue swept against hers and she arched her back, pressing her chest against his. The contact of his body against hers sent shivers through her body and her arms wrapped around him, pulling him as close as she could get him.

She swore she could feel him smile against her lips and she tried to turn them on the couch so she could get on top, but he was heavier, stronger and held them in place.

He pulled back and she looked up into his face. "Will?"

"Hmm?"

She opened her mouth to say something.

No, she opened her mouth to ask... something.

She just couldn't remember which it was.

She could barely remember her own name.

He touched his palm to her cheek and swept his thumb across her lips.

"Dessert was delicious, but you, Sel? You're the best thing I've ever tasted."

She blinked up at him, tears gathering in her eyes.

His expression changed, concerned.

"Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head.

No.

"Then what's wrong?" He leaned in and brushed his lips across her cheek. "Tell me."

"I've never-"

His lips rubbed gently against her earlobe before he turned his head and nipped at the skin with his teeth .

"Tell me, honey."

She felt his lips against the side of her neck, warm and soft.

She arched under him again and he felt her hips rise up and press against his dick.

He squeezed his eyes shut and ground his back teeth together, desperate to hold himself together.

She felt like heaven under him.

And he meant what he said about her taste.

He'd kissed her with the flavor of that mango dessert in their mouths, but that had quickly subsided and then he'd gotten a real taste of her.

Fuck.

He wanted it. Wanted more.

He'd only broken away when she'd tried to push him onto his back.

The couch was deep, but it wasn't that deep.

He'd stopped kissing her because he wanted to know what she wanted.

He'd give her pretty much anything she wanted. He wanted her happy.

Hell, he wanted her boneless and exhausted, happily exhausted from his touch.

"I can't believe this is happening."

He smiled at her words and the tone of her voice.

Lord, he wanted to lose himself in her .

"I want to touch you, Sel. I want to touch you, everywhere."

She moved her hands from his shoulders to the sides of his face and leaned up.

He met her more than halfway, delving back into her mouth with a hunger that had only begun when he'd tasted her.

The way she responded to his kiss, he'd never forget it.

She was worlds above him. She would have a life that most people could only dream of. And William?

He'd dreamed of her.

He pulled away from her breathing hard, feeling harder.

"Can I?"

It seemed to take her a moment to register his question, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "What?"

William smiled, loving every minute of their time together.

"Can I touch you, Sel? Can I love you?"

He felt something shift inside him.

He hadn't meant to say the word love to her, but if he was being honest with himself, he meant it.

She'd had his heart since he'd met her.

If she let him have this night with her... this moment?

He'd consider himself the luckiest man in the world .

She didn't speak to answer him, she reached down and picked up the bottom hem of her night shirt.

"Fuck," he grumbled under his breath, "let me... Please, let me do it."

She surrendered her shirt to his hands and he helped her sit up with him.

He gathered her shirt in his hands and lifted it up until he could see the waistband of her loose cotton sleep pants and a tempting strip of skin above it.

Beautiful.

He lifted it up and dropped the top on the edge of the couch.

His dreams paled in comparison to the reality.

"Fucking beautiful."

She felt her cheeks heat and the rest of her was just a heartbeat behind.

Just the way he looked at her made her believe him.

He looked at her with lust. Plenty of men had done that, but there was something else in his gaze.

She was trying to figure out the meaning of it when he leaned in and took her in his mouth.

Selene clasped her hands behind his head and held on as his mouth did amazing things to her.

The heat of his mouth, the rasp of his tongue against her skin, even the rasp of the shadow on his jaw rubbing against her skin pushed her further to the edge.

She felt like a firecracker with a lit fuse.

Just the touch of his mouth on her and she was ready to go.

She tried to clench her thighs together to hold back her release, but it only brought her closer because he was there.

Hard and heavy between her thighs.

She moved her hands to his shoulders, down his arms, across his back.

God, he was hard... everywhere.

And she... she wanted to feel him there.

She managed to grab at his hair, pulling by accident when he lifted off her breast, his teeth grazing her tender skin.

The edges of her vision darkened and she didn't have any idea that she could feel like this.

"Off," she gasped. "Off!"

He sat up, his gaze finding hers. "Stop?"

His voice cut through the rush of blood coursing in her veins and she frowned at first, struggling to make sense.

When she did, she found the words she needed to explain.

"No... my clothes... your clothes... I need them off. Now."

He went from worried to wild in seconds .

His shirt, oh god he looked good shirtless, hit the floor and then he reached for his pants and stopped.

"What?"

She winced. She didn't want to sound so needy, but that's what she felt.

He had the button on his waistband open but moved his hands away. "I don't... I didn't plan for this."

She lifted her head, nodding with understanding.

Selene turned on her hip to reach for her top but froze when she felt his hands on her thighs.

And then she felt his hands on her waist.

She turned back to him, bracing herself up on her elbows when she saw him.

"Lift, Sel. Give me a little help."

She lifted her hips and sighed with relief when he pulled her pants down.

William barely waited between her pants slipping down off of her legs before he crouched down between them.

Selene reached a hand down to cover herself but he turned his hand into her palm and kissed it. Then he dragged the tip of his tongue along the lines of her palm.

He nudged her hand away and looked up at her. "Tell me if you don't want me here, Sel. If you tell me to stop, I'll stop."

She could feel his breath on her skin. The heat that tickled and tantalized her at the same time .

She barely had a moment to gather her thoughts before she felt his mouth there.

Her instinct pulled her knees in, shocked at the sensation and she apologized as he struggled to breathe.

He wrapped an arm around her thigh and opened her up.

She was quickly losing the ability to think, let alone comprehend what he was doing to her.

She felt like she was about to lose her mind and she'd never been happier.

William was driving her to the edge, but she had a feeling that he'd hold her close, keep her safe.

With him she always felt protected.

Safe.

Except for her heart.

He could... and would break it when he left again.

There was no way for her to save her heart from that anguish.

She'd already given it to him the first night that they'd met.

He moved, his shoulders wedged between her thighs, his mouth surrounded her clit, and with one hard pull, she went off like a bottle rocket and exploded into a thousand pieces.

Yeah, she was in love with William Winchester.

Heaven help her.