“Yeah, I do.”
His eyes narrow with interest. “What did you have in mind?”
“A kiss, a handshake, or a pat on the back. I mean, even a thank you would be great.”
“A kiss,” he echoes. “Would you like that?”
“Oh.” I bite down on my bottom lip. “I wasn’t… I wasn’t serious. I was just trying to be funny.”
“If it’s a kiss you want, Millie”—he leans forward in the chair and beckons me—“then by all means, come and claim it.”
“Don’t tease,” I say with a pointed look.
“Who’s teasing?” His face says it all. He’s being serious. This is the same guy who basically told me moments ago that I’m only important to him because of our deal. There’s something seriously wrong with me.
I’ve always been a sucker for a pretty face.
At first, I’m far too afraid to make a move. In a way, it feels like he’s challenging me to follow through. I’m starting to get a sense of déjà vu, knowing that he’d done this to me earlier with the necklace. He’s waiting now, watching to see if he can call my bluff. Like the idiot I am, I don’t plan on letting that happen. Besides, it’s not as if I specified what kind of kiss. He could just as easily kiss me on the cheek and send me on my way. With a cautious step, I walk over to him from the couch and stand between his legs.
“Go on,” he rasps, looking up at me with a deep, crimson gaze. There’s enough unspoken attraction bubbling beneath the surface between the both of us that I know exactly what kind of kiss I want.
To hell with it. I’m going in for the lips.
I place both of my hands on his shoulders and lean down, eyes closed. I’m expecting laughter, some kind of punchline, but he doesn’t do anything except meet my lips with his own. The minute our skin touches, the embers of the same heat I felt in the church tower come to life again. A groan escapes my chest, and my fingers tense, digging into the fabric of his shirt. Without even realizing he had touched me, I feel Gray’s hands grip my hips in reply.
Did he feel that, too?I don’t have the breath or the words in me to ask. Gray’s hands drop to my thighs, and suddenly I’m falling into him. He guides my legs to circle his waist, then sinks his wicked, searching fingers under the hem of my nightdress.
A little ‘oh’ passes between us when his thumbs skirt across the curve of my belly, settling finally on the strings of my thong.
He uses the moment to steal my breath completely, deepening what started out as a simple kiss. His tongue sweeps along my lips until he’s licking the inside of my mouth. I meet his hunger with a mixture of my own. I capture his tongue and suck it, eliciting a moan from him that makes my skin buzz and my pussy wet. Hands that were planted firmly on my hips are now pulling the straps of my nightdress down. Gray’s cool fingers graze my breasts, thumbs caressing the buds of my nipples.
Oh my god!My cheeks flame with warmth, heating my blood past boiling. I could burst from the sensations alone. Each little stroke is like a key on a piano; he’s an expert at playing. When his mouth moves away from mine, I jolt against the feeling of his tongue against the hollow of my throat. He sucks the tender skin, grazing me with his fangs so lightly that they could draw blood with the slightest pressure. I get the feeling that he’s waiting for me to give the word and he’ll do just about anything I want him to.
Which makes me pause.
Through the fever, clarity comes rushing in. I haven’t thrown myself at a stranger in over a year. It’s almost scary how easy it was for me to slip under the waves again and lose myself to the moment. The longer his mouth stays on me, the more I’ll crave and desire it.
So, I pull away just before his mouth reaches my breast.
“That’s enough,” I gasp. My voice is raw and breathy as I speak.
“Too much?” Gray chuckles and leans back, drawing his hands away from me, settling them on the armrests at his sides. He looks as satisfied as a cat after having its mealanddessert.
“Yeah.” I nod. “Too much.”
“Mm,” he hums deeply, causing his Adam’s apple to vibrate.
“Maybe,” I start, though I’m still trying to catch my breath, “we shouldn’t do that again. Just in case.”
“Just in case what?” He tilts his head into a waiting hand and leans to one side. “One of us gets carried away? I think we might have passed that point, sweet cheeks.”
His eyes drop to my chest, and my gaze follows. Everything is in disarray. My breasts are completely exposed and my lower half isn’t in any better shape. The nightdress is hiked so high above my hips, it’s like a wrinkled little sash. I might as well be naked the way I look.
“I like this flimsy garment you’re wearing,” he says, using his free hand to reach for the strap of my thong. He gives it a tug as one corner of his lips turns up when it snaps back. The look on his face screams desire, and there’s a chord inside of me growing more tense by the second. Something tells me that if we kiss again, we’ll devolve into a senseless pile of tangled limbs on the floor.
I hate how much I want that.
“You know,” he begins with a suggestive raise of his brow, “I wouldn’t mind an addendum or two to our little deal.”
