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The word dissolved between them, soft as powdered sugar.
“Please,” she whispered in an agony of anticipation. Desperation had rendered her pathetic. Her chest constricted as she held her breath, waiting. Dying. His visage dimmed and blurred as her eyes watered.
Jonathan brushed his mouth against hers. Tender. Fragile. The barest of kisses.
A needy whimper escaped her lips, and she curled her hands into his shirt. Pulling him closer. Every atom in her body yearning for him.
“Shhh,” he murmured, and kissed her again.
She shuddered a sigh, sinking into him. He tasted even better than he smelled. Even better than she remembered. A hand slid into her hair, then around the back of her neck, deepening the kiss. His other arm was around her waist, his palm flat against the small of her back, holding her close.
Unwinding her fingers from his shirt, she moved her hands over his chest, then his shoulders, finally settling around his neck. As she pressed her body into his, she felt his lips curve against her mouth, and he let out a low huff of air.
She reached up to touch his face, marveling that she was permitted to do so. When her fingernails scraped through his beard, his mouth curved even more and his blue eyes sparked bright in the dim light. She wanted to devour that smile of his and make it her own. Rising on her toes, she angled her mouth against his.
Every muscle in her body quivered as she kissed him. Their tongues met in a slow, wet slide—earnest, intent, and a little frantic. Their teeth clashed and scraped, their breaths reduced to a series of staccato gasps. She put everything she had into that kiss, filling it with promises.
She didn’t want it to be a goodnight kiss. She wanted it to be the start of something, not the end.
“Esther,” he murmured when they finally came up for air. His fingers combed through her hair, his breath fanning her face.
She gazed up at him and licked her lips, neurons crackling. Expectant. Hopeful. Nervous.
The smile resurfaced, lighting up his whole face. “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Esther propelled herself at him, heart singing with relief as she crushed her lips against his. Just as his mouth started to open to hers, she pulled back, grinning as she twisted away.
Her keys. She needed her keys.
Behind her, she heard him blow out a breath in—frustration? Anticipation? Something. She dug through her purse, letting out an “Aha!” of triumph when her fingers closed around the elusive metal objects.
As she jammed one of them into the lock, Jonathan stepped up behind her and pressed his body against hers. One of his hands flattened against the door beside her head while the other reached around her waist.
“Guh,” she groaned as his fingers spread out over her stomach, holding her flush against his body. Every firm inch of it.
Shivers raced down her spine as he nosed aside her hair. He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the top of her shoulder, then moved to the side of her neck, leaving a wet trail that tingled in the cold night air. When she felt his teeth graze the flesh between her neck and shoulder, her knees went to jelly, threatening to buckle on her. But his hand on her stomach held her in place, fingers curling into her waist as he continued his delicious assault on her neck.
“I thought…” She trailed off, sighing as he nuzzled into her hair and his mouth found the tender spot behind her ear.
“Hmmm?” he breathed against her. “You thought what?”
Her head lolled forward. It was hard to think about anything other than the nearness of his body and his tongue on her skin. “I thought you wanted to come inside?” she finally managed.
Wordlessly, he moved his hand to cover hers, and they turned the key together. He reached for the doorknob and twisted. The door swung open, and he pushed her into the apartment.
Spinning to face him, Esther let her keys and purse fall to the floor as Jonathan slammed the door shut behind them and threw the bolt home. His expression was hungry as they surged together, meeting halfway in a fierce, open-mouthed kiss.
Her nose knocked his glasses askew in their eagerness for one another, and she dragged her mouth away from his to remove them. She set them on the table by the door as he blinked at her, his eyes slightly unfocused while he adjusted to his uncorrected vision.
Smiling, she reached up to pet his beard. He leaned into her touch and made a purring sound in his throat not all that different than the sound Sally made when Esther scratched her in the same spot. Note to self: he likes to have his beard petted.
He brushed her hair back from her face and gazed at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “I’ve been thinking about kissing you all night.”
Her mouth fell open in surprise. “You have?”
His thumb dragged along her lower lip, his expression dark and smoldering. “I couldn’t think about anything else. Every time I looked at you, all I could focus on was your mouth, and how much I wanted to taste it again.”
