“Prove it,” he said, in a voice so deep he almost couldn’t recognize it as his own. What was wrong with him? Why was this woman, of all the women he’d been with, driving him so insane? Why was he so drawn to her? He again blamed it on his celibatestate. That had to be it. If he had been spending time with other women, he wouldn’t be giving Desiree a second thought. Of course, he knew that was a lie the moment the notion flashed through his mind.
When their lips were mere inches apart, she whispered, “Like I said, Cobra, you were the one who wanted to kiss me that night. The same way you want to kiss me right now.”
Because of that damn bet with his brothers, he knew the dangers he faced each time he and Desiree kissed. The temptation, the allure, the desire for more. However, he knew there was a reason he wanted to be so close to her, even now, though it was driving him mad. He was priming her for what was to come.
Satisfied with that reasoning, he captured her mouth, needing the feel of it, and more importantly, the taste. When she released a soft moan, he dug in, kissing her for all it was worth, and in his book, that was plenty.
***
Over the past weeks, Desiree had managed to convince herself that she didn’t want to see Cobra, yet tonight, she hadn’t been able to stay away, and had decided to dine with him and her grandfather. Although she had done her best to ignore him during the meal, she had felt the heat of his gaze each and every time he had looked across the table at her. It had been like a heated caress, touching her entire body. And those times when he had responded to something her grandfather had said, the deep, husky sound of his voice had stroked something inside her. It felt like a warm blanket settling over her—a blanket she would love to cuddle beneath with him.
That was the reason she hadn’t wasted any time leaving the condo after dinner, coming here to skate out all the emotions she hadn’t wanted to feel but did. Why was she letting Cobra getunder her skin? Or maybe a better question to ask was why she was now letting him devour her mouth as if he owned it?
She knew she should end this madness now, but his mouth tasted too hot, too delectable, yet somehow soothing. For years, skating had been her solace, but his kisses offered her a refuge she’d never found on the ice.
A warning inside her head told her she should pull back, end the kiss now, but she couldn’t. She wanted more, and couldn’t resist reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck, holding tight while mimicking each thrust of his tongue. He was aroused. Deeply aroused. She could feel the hardness of him press into her, and she shifted to cradle his erection between her parted thighs. She heard his guttural groan, and when he placed his hands on her backside to press her closer to him, she let out a groan of her own.
“The skating rink will close in five minutes,” a loud voice boomed over the intercom, interrupting at the worst possible moment.
She pulled back to end the kiss when it seemed Cobra had no intention of doing so. “I guess it’s time to leave,” she whispered against his moist lips.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Cobra responded, in what sounded like a grumble.
She pulled her cover-up from her gym bag and put it on over her head, then adjusted it so it fell just above her knees. “I’m ready.”
He grabbed her gym bag off the bench. After putting the straps over his shoulder, he reached for her hand. “Then let’s go.”
Nodding at the older man who stood by the rink’s door, they left, trying not to act embarrassed at the thought they had been caught kissing. At least, that was what she was doing, but she knew a blush stained her cheeks all the same.
They walked silently toward the elevator, hand in hand. Needing to regain some semblance of control of the situation, she glanced over at Cobra and asked, “So who won chess?”
He smiled. “I did. Richard wasn’t focused tonight.”
She nodded. “I bet that doesn’t happen very often.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
***
Cobra inwardly cursed at the man’s untimely interruption of their kiss, although he should have welcomed it. Damn. He had been less than a minute from unlocking his zipper and easing Desiree down on that bench and…
“Cobra, you never told me how you got access to this floor. It’s only for tenants.”
“Yeah, that’s true. Unless you’re a guest of one of those residents, who happens to share their passcode with you. The racquetball court is also on this floor, as well as several other sports amenities that I get to enjoy, thanks to your grandfather.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yes, lucky me.”Lucky that she was leaving it at that.
When they reached the elevator, he pressed the button. Once inside the enclosed quarters, they could finish the kiss they started in the rink, though that wasn’t a good idea. From her demeanor, Cobra could tell she was already putting distance between them again. The last time he was all for it, but after nearly a month, he decided he needed to take a different approach with Desiree. The less that he saw of her, the more he wanted her. It was a problem.
He glanced over at her, glad she had put on a cover-up. He couldn’t imagine the looks she would have received if they’d run into anyone while she was wearing that sexy ice-skating outfit. Still, even covered up, she looked smoking hot. “So… Do you have any plans for the weekend, Desiree?”
“And you want to know, why?”
He was getting used to her smart mouth. However, he doubted whether he would get used to tasting it. “Just curious.”
She didn’t say anything for a minute, as if wondering if she should answer his question, then admitted, “Saturday morning, I’m teaching that reading class again.”
