Page 15 of Tracking Luxe

“But I want you to kiss me first.”

So much for him waiting for her to ask for a kiss. Liar, liar, big fat liar.

Dread-like cement filled her belly.

It was nearing lunch time, outside the world was going on as normal.abuelawould be wondering why Luxe hadn’t called, but it wasn’t so unusual that she would worry, sometimes time got away from Luxe when she was working. As for Jamie, he wouldn’t care, he was pretty low maintenance.

“You don’t find that an odd request, since I’ve spent most of the time bound and gagged?” she pushed as much sarcasm into her voice as she could, a brow arched loftily to convey how ridiculous she found his request, all the while swallowing back the instant pant of lust.

You can’t kiss this man.For many reasons, none of which are reasonable or right.

He had a gorgeous tongue she remembered it well, how it had swept over her lips, teasing her to open for him, how he’d smiled against her mouth so cocky and confident she’d gain him access that she’d forgotten to breathe. It wasn’t often Luxe lost the power to think rationally, she prided herself on that, to always keep her head no matter the situation.

Maybe he’d scared her off last year, or maybe she just wasn’t that interested past a few sloppy perfect kisses.

In any case, there was tiny nerves dancing in her abdomen, flutterings of heat, shards of lust, her eyes straying towards his mouth, mesmerized by the covering of dark hair around perfect lips and even white teeth. Grinder rolled up the sleeves of his Henley shirt, and she saw the tattoo running the full length of his inner forearm in black ink, thick forearms with protruding veins going down to his hands, a dusting of dark hair, and long tapered fingers that would do serious damage to her body.

Ay Dios mio.

If there was a devil, he was in that man, tempting her to cross the floor, to raise her mouth and let him plunder.

“Some call bound and gagged foreplay, baby. You can say this is your fee to leave, if it makes you feel better,” he was smiling like an asshole who had no morals whatsoever, who didn't think twice about taking what he wanted, coaxing it out of a person so long as he got what he wanted and from the way his gray eyes were wandering over Luxe, stopping at her breasts that ached and her nipples pebbled, he had no shame in letting her see he wanted her.

“Is this what it’s all been about, you don’t know how to ask for a date, so you shove me into a car?”

He laughed and crossed those thick ropey arms against his chest, long legs kicked out in front of him crossed at the ankle, he was the essence of relaxed. “I reacted first. I don’t expect you to forgive or forget, ya dig? I want my shit back, that’s not a lie. You want to leave. I want you to leave. So, come and kiss me.”

It was preposterous. It was tempting. One kiss and she could go? Just walk right on out of here and get on with her day? She looked at him, really stared without blinking. He was taking up all the space, all the air, there was nothing spare for her to suck into her lungs and that bothered her.

Bothered her a lot.

“I don’t want to find you hidden behind a plant pot later. Or in bushes.”

Was that a blush highlighting his cheeks? “I don’t do bushes, babe.”

“One kiss for this whole absurd thing to be over with?”

A sharp nod from the stern man.

Luxe inhaled and felt the ground stir underneath her. What, was she standing in sand? A kiss, no problem, that was simple. He’d already kissed her once, she’d only have to present her mouth and let him---

“A kiss you participate in.” He appeared to read her mind, dammit.

Her eyes turned nasty. Didn’t he just cover all bases, did he want to rub his cock at the same time as well?

Ay Dios mio, don’t think of his thick cock.

“It’s a bad idea.”

“What is? Getting a taste of you again? I think I passed bad ideas two days ago, Luxe. You passed bad ideas a year ago stealing from me.”

“I don’t think----I should want to taste you, Grinder.”

Grinder, as she noticed, went unnaturally still sucking in air he was already stealing from her. “But you do?” He was already moving, long strides across the room like he hated the space, already towering over her before she could answer. Her neck craned back to see him up close.

“Youtiedme to a fucking bed. Youtookme from a party like I was nothing, you can’t go around asking for kisses after that.” As if that was her only logical reason not to want to kiss him. As reasons went it was a great one, but she felt it crumble under his hot, tempting stare.

“I know,“ his head came down, hanging there in her eye line, waiting for what, her forgiveness? For her to lift and give her mouth freely? He wasn’t touching her and yet she felt touched by him. She liked he wasn’t offering apologies right then, she wouldn’t have believed or accepted it. So few things were forgivable.