His brows rose, and his lips pulled into a lopsided grin. “No reason. Shall we?”
“Yep.” I nodded and unlocked the door, kicking off my shoes before I made a beeline for my kitchen. I had to get glasses and ice, of course, but I also needed distance. Just for a few minutes.
“Do I make you nervous, Sela?” His deep voice was right in my ear, and I was too startled to stop the shiver as it made my whole body quiver.
“No,” I stammered. “Why do you ask?” My breath caught when his large hands settled on my shoulders and his chest brushed against my back.
“Because you’re shaking. Your breathing is shallow, and your skin is warm to the touch.” He spun me around. “A drink?”
I couldn’t form words, so I just nodded.
“Excellent.” He took a step back and reached behind me for two glasses. “I kind of like that I make you nervous.” He poured two healthy glasses and set one in my hand.
“I never agreed that you make me nervous.” He did, of course, because he was handsome and funny and charming. Because he was nice.
He grinned and sipped the rum. “That’s right. You didn’t.”
I took a long, slow sip until the burn settled in my gut. “But out of curiosity, why would you like it?”
Brock shrugged. “Because I like that you see me how I am. You’re attracted to me, but you don’t want to be, which means I believe your attraction is real. It’s been a long time since I’ve had that.”
“Nope.” I shook my head and took another sip. “Don’t want to hear that at all.”
He laughed. “Too much truth.”
“Yeah, something like that.” I took another sip, longer and bigger this time. “Honesty makes you too attractive.”
He laughed again, and the sound was too deep and too honeyed. It slid right down my spine and wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him like metal shavings to a magnet.“Hey.” His gray eyes darkened as he set down his glass and rested his hands low on my hips.
“Hey,” I answered on a shaky whisper. My heart raced, and my belly clenched with arousal and anticipation.
Brock lowered his head, and then his mouth was on mine. Full and thick, his kiss consumed me immediately. Electricity hummed between us, tightening my nipples and sending shockwaves of need down my belly before it settled between my thighs.
The kiss quickly became something else, hotter and more intense than the others. He growled when my tongue danced with his, deeper when my fingers tangled in his hair and pulled him closer. I moaned when his hands fell another inch and squeezed my ass, pulling me close until the long, thick ridge of his erection pressed against my belly. It was a drugging kiss, the kind that erased every kiss that came before it and made it impossible to forget.
I froze and pulled back just far enough to see his handsome face, dark with desire. “This is a bad idea.” My words were short and breathless.
Brock grinned while he nodded. “A really bad idea.”
Relief made my shoulders sag. “Okay. Good.”
“Great,” he shot back, but he didn’t move.
I didn’t move. We stayed there, arms wrapped around each other in the middle of my kitchen, frozen in limbo. “Perfect,” I shot back before silence settled between us. Thiswasa bad idea. It had to be because, hello, my romantic history.
But you want this.Hell yeah, I wanted it. I wantedhim. In that moment, I wanted his kisses and whatever came next more than I wanted my next breath. I deserved to live in the moment just this one time, and I would deal with the fallout later.
Maybe.
My hands slid from his silky hair, down his shoulders, and to the thick fabric of his sweater. I wasn’t sure what I’d do until I caught that glint of disappointment in Brock’s eyes. He was disappointed because he thought I was pulling away, and that, more than anything, propelled me forward. I slanted my mouth over his and kissed him like we were the last two people on earth with just twenty-four hours to live. A small voice in the back of my mind reminded me that men didn’t like a woman who was too forward, but I told that voice to shut the fuck up because Brock was into it.
He groaned and lifted me in his arms to give me better leverage in the kiss. He spun me around and set me on the counter, growling when my legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. He pushed forward and smiled against my mouth when I gasped at the feel of him between my thighs.
“Brock,” I moaned against his lips.
He paused and pulled back to look at me. “If you don’t want,” he began, but I cut him off.
I put my hands on his chest and slid down to his waistband, making sure our gazes were locked. “I want. I want badly, Brock. You. This.”
