Page 23 of Lover Forbidden (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #23)

“Mm-hmm.” She frowned. “You don’t have a grandmother alive to cook for you?”

“No. And Mrs. Aoun doesn’t have anyone to feed, either.”

“Another case of destiny.”

“Guess so.” Rising to his feet, he took both their plates over to the sink. “I’m luckier than she is, though. I get all these eats.”

“I don’t know.” She glanced over to his pulled drapes, and seemed to stare at them like there was a view showing in all those black folds.

“My grandmother isn’t happy unless she’s in her kitchen and folks are coming over.

Modern life thinks that’s something that should be shamed or avoided at all costs—you know, the traditional gender role thing.

But she takes great pride in what she provides, and her table is a hub for all kinds of people. ”

Leaning back against the counter, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t have dessert to offer you. Sorry.”

Those blue and green eyes shifted in his direction, and he didn’t bother to hide what was showing on his face. The transition from eating to fucking was only going to be as awkward as they made it, and on his side, he wasn’t feeling awkward at all. He was ready to go.

“Aren’t you hot?” she said softly. “In that windbreaker?”

“Nothing under it. I get hot when I run.”

“Then…” The blonde cleared her throat. “Maybe you should take it off.”

Dev shifted his weight so he was standing up, took the hem, and got to pulling the thing up and over his head.

As his chest was revealed to her, he totally approved of the way her stare lingered on his pecs and his abs, but she stayed where she was.

Fine. To give her time to consider exactly where they were going with all this, he walked over to the coatrack and forced the lightweight Gore-Tex onto an overstuffed peg of outerwear.

As he turned around, he was well aware of everything that was showing at the front of his running tights, but there was no reason to hide the thickening.

He was prepared to give it to her if she wanted it.

And going by the way that gaze traveled down to the juncture of his thighs?

“I’m gonna be real with you,” he said. “You can leave now. But if you don’t go, I’m coming over there and picking you up. And guess where you’re headed after that.”

“Where,” she breathed.

“Under me.” He pointed to his bed. “Over there.”

When her hands tangled and twisted in her lap, he wondered if he wasn’t pushing her too hard. Maybe this was just a game of tease and retreat, and if that was the case, cool. Might be better in the long run for him anyway.

But then she really did need to go because he had some business he had to take care of. At least if he ever wanted to sit down again.

As she cleared her throat, he was ready for a bullshit excuse about her having to get home to let a dog out. Feed a cat. Go check on that grandmother of hers—

“Then you better come get me.”

She barely got the words out before Dev stalked over and made good on his promise.

He didn’t even give her a chance to stand up.

He shoved the table away from her, the screech as feet scraped across the parquet floor loud as a scream.

Swooping down, he put an arm around her shoulders and hooked the other under her knees.

Her weight barely registered as he lifted her.

Their eyes locked.

“Yes,” she said as she focused on his lips. “I’m sure.”

A shaft of something way too complicated went through the center of his chest. Fortunately, she cut that shit off by pressing a proper kiss on him—like she was sealing the deal.

Righto. Houston, we have contact.

When he got to the bed, he laid her out, and didn’t take it slow. He stretched his body over hers, yet kept his torso up off of her breasts, his hips off her pelvis, and his legs not touching hers.

She knew what he was looking for, and answered his plank by splitting her thighs and making plenty of room for him.

Inch by inch, he lowered himself down starting with his chest, and underneath him, she arched to greet him, her hands finding the small of his back and riding up the muscles that fanned out from his spine.

She hissed when his erection finally pressed into exactly where he wanted to penetrate, and he could have sworn he could feel her heat.

Oh, and yeah, her breasts were nice and high against his pecs, and her chin rose so her mouth was on offer.

Tilting his head, he hovered just above her lips. “You can still go,” he growled. “Now.”

By way of reply, she lifted her head so there was just a hair’s width between their mouths. “If you keep saying that, I’m going to think you don’t want me to stay—”

He cut that shit off by rolling his pelvis, the hard, hard length of him pushing against her core, stroking her sex through her jeans.

As she gasped, he closed the distance, sealing his mouth to hers, and when she moaned, he swallowed the desperate sound.

The more he kissed her, entering her with his tongue, he could feel her loosen up and go with it, her fingers tangling in his hair, urging him to keep it up, go even harder.

Take all of her.

Everything about her was so vivid that he had to close his eyes, as if to cut the glare. Bad idea. Not seeing the corner of the pillow she was on or the blank wall behind the cheap headboard or anything about where he was in familiar surroundings… meant his only grounding in the void was her.

Shit got way too intense, way too fast. From those soft lips to the way her body fit against him to how his blood started to pound…

Dev pulled back sharply and popped his lids wide.

This was just supposed to be fucking, he told himself. This was biology, not romance, for fuck’s sake—

Her mismatched, luminous, punch-in-the-gut eyes opened. And the worry that came over her face was accompanied by her loosening the grip she’d taken on the hair at his nape.

“Is something wrong?” she whispered.

Shaking his head, he intended to lie to her. Tell her that he was a good guy just making super sure she was cool with them banging. Maybe murmur some bullshit that she was just so beautiful, and a great kisser, and yada, yada, yada—which was all true, but not what he was thinking about.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me,” he said grimly.

Her eyes searched his face. “The same is true on my side.”

“I know.” Then he added, “We’re strangers.”

And see? he told his conscience. Tit for tat with the withholding, s’all good. The seesaw of secrets was even, so he needed to stop being a little bitch.

“Let’s just be here,” he said roughly. “And then we go our separate ways.”

She stroked his face, her fingertips lingering on his jaw. “Yes, that’s all we need to do.”

He told himself to be relieved as he lowered his mouth once again, but somehow, that shit didn’t really stick—

A cell phone ringing was like a bomb going off, both of them jerking their heads to the dresser where he’d put her parka and scarf.

Who is calling her , he wondered.

He probably should thank them.