To demonstrate, I stroked my thumb along the column of her throat and didn’t miss the swallow she worked down.
“I…” Another swallow. “Yes,” she said softly.
That should have been enough. But since I wasn’t in charge of my own fucking body anymore, I had no control over it when my thumb slid up over her chin and traced the line of her bottom lip.
“This too?” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a low rumble.
Her gaze flicked to mine. I saw the same confusion I felt down to my bones. Neither of us spoke. We simply stared.
Time ticked by. I kept brushing that damn lush lip of hers, my mind drifting to places it had no damn business going. How would it feel to have them on me? Trailing over my skin?
What would I taste if I bent and pressed my mouth to hers?
“No kissing.”
Her whisper broke through my thoughts just in time for me to realize I’d leaned in. So far in, those damn tempting lips were mere inches from mine.
Half stunned, half embarrassed—because I couldn’t remember a woman ever affecting me like this—I stepped back.
I missed the feel of her skin against mine.
Curling my fingers into a fist, I shoved my hands into my pockets.
“I vaguely remember you mentioning something about no kissing,” I told her. “You’re dead set on that, aren’t you, Kitty Kat?”
“I am.”
That surefire response shouldn’t have bothered me. I didn’t want to kiss her. Didn’t want to shove my tongue down her throat or slip my hand under that pretty dress.
I definitely did not want to bend her over the counter. Or spank her ass as I drove so deep into her, she forgot how to breathe.
Yeah, I most certainly didnotwant to do any of that.
Chapter twelve
Kate
Dinner had been strange.
I was still struggling with the whole play-pretend thing. Mostly because every time Tristan’s thumb would skate over my shoulder or he’d stare at me with that intensity in his eyes, I wanted to squirm in my seat.
I swear, if I’d been wearing my smartwatch, the damn thing would’ve given me a “relax reminder” every few seconds.
It was unnerving.
It’d always been so easy to not fall victim to the Tristan-effect. That damn charm of his hadn’t been directed at me. But after tonight, I finally understood why the women he’d spent hislimitedtime with went to the gallows so willingly.
And why I could never be one of them.
“Cat got your tongue?”
Tearing my gaze from the city whirling past my window, I glanced at Tristan. Both hands were on the steering wheel, but those damn dark eyes were trained on me.
“Road’s over there.” I pointed toward the windshield. “Might wanna look that way.”
“I like this view better.”
I could not stop the eye roll. “Seriously? There’s no one here but us, you can drop the act.”
