Page 93 of The Christmas Trap

"Oh." I swallow. "I’m not sure what you mean."

He drags his fingers though his hair. "I mean, I want you. Too much. Enough to make me realize I calculated wrong."

"Calculated?"

He nods. "I hoped to keep some semblance of sanity, some shred of common sense when I married you. Something that would help me put distance between us. I didn’t want my heart involved in this arrangement."

My chest hurts. My throat closes. He wants to keep me at arm's length.

"It might be best if I leave.”

I begin to walk past him, but he curls his fingers around my wrist. Instantly, goosebumps creep up my thigh. My heart seems to drop to the space between my legs. One touch… That’s all it takes for him to command me.

"Didn’t you hear what I said?"

Sensations vibrate out from the point of contact. "I did. And it sounded very much like you don’t want to be drawn into whatever it is that’s between us."

He half smiles, then explains, "I'm already drawn into what's between us. So much so, I can’t stop thinking of you. I wake up with images of you in my head. I fall asleep thinking of your smile. I dream of touching you, holding you, kissing you, making love to you"—his voice drops—"fucking you."

The heat between my thighs turns nuclear. Sweat beads my brow. His words are a spark, and there’re explosives running through my veins.

"Y-you…mean?—"

"That I want you very much. So much, it screwed up my thinking. Made me want to put distance between us, rather than confront what I’m feeling."

"What…are you feeling?" I breathe.

In reply, he leans in and presses his lips to mine. Instantly, I detonate. Heat screeches through my veins. Fire zips out from the point of contact of our mouths and lights up all my nerve endings.

I feel like a Christmas tree whose lights have been turned on. Dazzling from head to toe. Like a live wire which has been ignited.

I part my mouth on a gasp, and he sweeps his tongue in. The taste of him is an aphrodisiac. The scent of him sinks into my skin, clings to my pores. Makes me desperate for more. I cling to his shoulders, parting my legs. He moves in.

He wraps his big arms around me, enveloping me in his heady masculinity, which makes my head spine. I groan into his mouth. He swallows the sound, deepening the kiss further. He sucks on my mouth, consuming me completely.

I melt into him. I am but a raindrop who’s merged with the ocean. I am lost. In him. He makes a growling noise at the back of his throat. The vibrations rumble up his chest and ignite pinpricks of sensations over my skin.

"I want you. So much," he murmurs against my mouth. I stare into those mesmerizing eyes and feel any anger I might harbor against him, any reluctance, any hesitation… All of it fades.

"I want you, too," I admit.

"Be patient with me. Until I figure out my thoughts." He frames my face with his big hands. "Please?"

His beautiful eyes are filled with a pleading which melts my heart. I’m spiraling down a hole from which I can’t climb out. I find myself nodding. "Okay."

"Okay." He kisses me again, and it feels like he’s drawing my very essence into his mouth. Unable to bear the intensity of what I see in his eyes, my own close. The next second, the world tilts. With an impressive display of strength, he rises to his feet with me in his arms.

I cling to him, unable to take my gaze off his strong, gorgeous profile. He strides across the floor; shoulders open the doors, and steps out.

There’s silence for a few seconds, then applause breaks out, along with a few whistles and catcalls.

"Go Brody," James calls out.

I flush. Brody smirks. Confetti rains down on us. Some of the glittering particles stick to his hair. He looks so handsome. My heart flutters. My pussy clenches. I want this man so much.

I wantmy husbandso much.

It’s a perfect moment. Closer to the kind of wedding I envisioned for myself. But now that it’s here, all I care about is thathe'smy husband.Mine.