Page 10

God, I was so close to letting go…to allowing that final thread of resistance to snap.

He was so agonizingly close. That faint brush of his lips against mine almost sent me over the edge, but I still needed to hold on. I needed to prove that he didn’t have anything over me, regardless of how badly he wanted to prove otherwise.

Using his height to his advantage, Val kept his face close to mine and let a small grin pull at his lips.

“Is that so? Well…it seems you have better self-control than I would’ve given you credit for.”

Every word fanned against my lips, and it took everything in my power not to shiver. To not show him how his proximity was affecting me.

But he was making it so difficult…even more than I cared to admit.

“Maybe that’s a sign you shouldn’t underestimate me,” I murmured back, feeling the wobble of my resolve.

Val hummed, barely moving again to tease that minimal space between us. With a spark of tempting sensation, his hand landed on my waist in an almost shameless grab. “You’re not wrong. I’ll keep that in mind for next time.”

I wanted nothing more than to pull away, but the warmth of his touch was enough to make me question everything—to wonder if I even had what it took to deny him.

As if he could sense just how fragile my resistance was, Val hummed and pulled me the faintest bit closer.

“So, wife …are we going to keep dancing around this?”

Everything in me was screaming to push him away and claim just how much I wanted nothing to do with him.

But having him so close, able to feel the magnetic pull between us…it was almost torturous.

That longing in his eyes was going to be my undoing, along with the way our bodies couldn’t seem to stay apart.

Not trusting myself to speak, I swallowed hard and focused on every point of contact—every subtle attack on my determination. While I wanted the chance to breathe and think normally again to regain my bearings, something in me didn’t want it to end, even if it was in my best interest.

That irritating amusement never seemed to leave him while his nose gently bumped against mine, making me pull in another discreet breath. “You really are stubborn…But I know you want this as much as I do…”

I hated that he was right. I hated how, despite my efforts, he was wearing me down, little by little.

“I don’t,” I insisted, despite how it didn’t sound convincing in the slightest. He had me and he knew it—I knew it.

Another low yet satisfied rumble came from his chest. “You don’t need to lie to me, least of all yourself.”

“It’s true.”

“It’s definitely not. You’re asking for it at this point.”

Those breathless mutterings had my sanity dangling by a thread, and I was cursing him in every single way I could think, despite being unable to pull myself away.

“Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“No?” Val teased, cupping my cheek with his free hand to tilt my head back. “Then I’ll just have to think of another way to keep your mouth busy.”

Those words, the intimate proximity of our faces, and the sheer want coursing between us were the final straw. I couldn’t help it.

Easing into it, I met Val halfway, feeling the pressure of his lips against mine.

It wasn’t tender or meant to tease me like before, but was forceful and urgent, like neither of us could maintain our restraint anymore. It was far too late for that.

By then, there wasn’t any strength left in me to deny how badly I wanted to feel more. To know the depth of how badly he wanted me in return.

Val was nothing but pure temptation, and as his hold on me tightened, pulling me closer, I could only allow myself to be consumed by him.

Humming into the kiss, I felt delirious already. My head filled with a pleasant fog while I kissed him back, far too eager to take it slow.

To his apparent delight, Val took advantage of that fact and melded his lips with mine hotly, pushing against me just enough to press us together in a burning exchange of yearning that pushed me even closer to the edge.

My heart raced while heat flooded my system, guiding me to run my fingers through his hair, settling against the nape of his neck while he groaned low in his throat.

Dropping both hands to my waist, Val’s touch was insistent and demanding, seemingly not wanting an inch of space between us. His grip spoke of his need and all the ways he had been holding back, but in that moment, all of that didn’t seem to matter anymore.

Almost like he was afraid of not getting the chance again, his lips caressed mine with a ferocity I had never experienced before. It left me needing more despite myself, and I felt myself drifting deeper and deeper into that temptation.

At the brush of his tongue against the seam of my lips, I shivered, unable to resist his silent request. Our breathing deepened as I opened my mouth, only to be completely invaded by him and the intensity that accompanied his desire.

That mutual eagerness didn’t let up between us while our tongues brushed together, sparking a deeper arousal within me. I could feel him surrounding me all at once, and while it was overwhelming, a new sense of greed consumed me. I just wanted more. I needed more.

As Val pulled me even closer, I could feel how hard he was already, and that fact alone was enough to make me lose another part of my rational mind.

While his tongue explored my mouth, I pressed against him, noting the way he hummed from somewhere deep in his throat.

The feeling of our chests pressing together sent a ripple of excitement down my spine, and given how his ministrations only became more frenzied, I could tell it was affecting him the same way.

“I need you,” Val murmured against my lips, pausing long enough to speak before continuing. His hands roamed my body then, one sliding beneath my top. It continued higher, drifting across my skin and grazing over my ribs before settling beneath my breast.

The moment he tentatively slipped his fingers beneath my bralette, another wave of desire hit me. Pleasure trickled through my system at the brush of his skin against my sensitive skin, and nothing else seemed to matter while he cupped me.

With the urgency in his kiss, his erection pressed against my hip, and the teasing of his thumb against my nipple, I couldn’t register anything other than him with my senses.

Val was everywhere at once, promising me unbridled pleasure.

The undeniably gorgeous man I was married to was more than prepared to bring us both to new heights—to experience that fulfillment together for the first time.

But as that realization set in, it hit me harder than I expected.

So hard that it snapped me out of it, immediately reminding me of how bad of an idea that was.

One question circled my mind, seemingly echoing louder and louder:

What the hell am I doing?

At once, I broke the kiss and pulled back to find his expression tense with surprise and confusion. He took me in with his gaze, forced to let go of me as I put another step between us.

“Tia?” Val questioned, looking far too innocent. He went to reach for me, but I kept moving backward while I shook my head.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” I murmured, struggling to keep it together while my mind and body warred. I put a hand up as a silent cue that I wanted him to stay back. “This was a mistake.”

While everything about his touch felt better than I wanted to admit, what lingered of it almost seemed to burn with the realization of what I allowed to happen.

I was supposed to be resisting him, not giving in. For my sake, I couldn’t do that.

Despite not understanding, Val stayed where he was, looking almost pained by my words. A touch of guilt moved through me at that, but I couldn’t dwell on it. I needed to put those secure walls back up around me, even if it hurt him.

Unable to look at him, I turned away and hurried out to put more of a boundary between us.

Leaving the room behind, I forced in a deep breath the moment I reached the hallway and took a moment to collect myself.

I could still feel the ghost of Val’s touch along my body, and the heat of his mouth on mine. It made me ache all over, but I forced it down.

I had to…I had to get him out of my head.

Not giving him the chance to lure me back in again, I continued down the hall, searching for somewhere—anywhere—to be alone.

How could I be such an idiot?

The moment he applied the slightest bit of pressure, I crumbled embarrassingly easily.

It was stupid and reckless, and I couldn’t believe I’d allowed it to last as long as it had, to let him sink his claws into me.

That magnetizing pull I felt towards him was dangerous, and I needed to push it away regardless of how difficult that seemed to be.

I couldn’t trust Val, and that meant staying away from him whenever possible.

If my resolve could shake that easily, it was more important than ever for me to put my guard back up again.

I couldn’t let him in, no matter how addictive his mouth was.