“Can I… not be your boss… for five minutes?”
She sucked in a breath. “Why?” Her mouth was glossy and ripe. Her pulse beat in her neck.
And Gray wanted to taste each.
He knew there were so many reasons not to, but he stepped in, closing the distance between them. And when she didn’t make any move to pull away, he released her wrist and circled his arm around her, low across her back. She kept her eyes on his, her chest rising and falling with each rapid breath, and he brought his hand to her cheek.
“I want to rewrite this night,” he said, pulling her closer so that her breasts pressed against him.
Across his chest he could feel the hammering of her heart through the silky fabric of her top.
“Dinner, but in a restaurant, or at least me cooking for you. A long walk, but this time with your hand in mine…”
He dragged his little finger down to her perfect lips and traced them with the lightest touch, her slow blink giving him the courage to say the rest.
“…and instead of an argument, a goodnight kiss.” As slowly as he could manage, he brought his lips just over hers, hovering above the warmth he could already feel. “May I?”
“I…” Her gaze was on his mouth, and he watched her bite her lip and nod.
Gray didn’t wait for more. If this was the point of no return, so be it. He had no interest in returning to a time when he did not know the taste of her kiss. He pulled her up to him and crushed his lips against hers.
Meredith was as sweet as her soul. As soft as her touch. As warm as her smile. But as his lips slanted against her mouth, he discovered that her sweetness became a nectar spiked with desire. This he tasted when she arched up, pressing closer. As soft as she was, he felt her strength and her certainty when her arms tightened around him. And when his tongue dared to trace the seam of her lips, her warmth became heat as she opened for him.
And the world caught fire.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
GRAVITY FAILED.
The heavenly body that pulled her in was no longer Earth, but Gray. And falling toward him held just as much thrill and fear as diving off a cliff.
His kiss was a revelation. In every place her body met his, she felt the proof of his desire. In the tight circle of his arms, she was precious, as if Gray clutched her to him so nothing could steal her away. Pressed against the wall of his chest, she felt protected, as if nothing could harm her. With the searching of his tongue, she felt discovered, as if she’d never been kissed before.
The shocking truth could not be denied. Gray Blakewood wanted her. As much as she wanted him — if that were possible. When she opened her mouth to receive his tongue, a moan, almost plaintive, left his throat. Without her will, Meredith answered it with one of her own.
And the sound seemed to drive him wild.
His fingers clutched her hair, drawing her head back to deepen his kiss, and when she let him, he moaned again. The sound moved through her soul. It was as though God had made her a promise long ago. So long ago, she’d forgotten both God and the promise, but the sound of Gray claiming her kiss brought them back.
You are mine.
The words issued from some part of her that, until that moment, had no voice.
Heavy with joy, she drank in his kiss, swooning under the courtship of his tongue. He tasted like trust and laughter and something so indescribably male, her knees went weak.
You are mine.
She felt the words again and let her hands lay claim to his face. The scrape of his stubble and the sculpture of his cheeks weakened her further. Meredith needed to lie down beneath Gray so she could touch all of him.
Gray broke from her lips, already swollen from his mouth, and planted little suckling kisses along her jaw and down her neck. The sensation sent shock waves all the way to her womb.
A soft cry — full of helplessness and surrender — left her throat, and Gray clutched her tighter.
“Meredith…” He breathed her name against her neck, and the word had never sounded so good. “Meredith.” He said it again, as though her name were the only answer to the only question.
“Gray,” she said, feeling the power of speaking his name. She wanted to say it all night…
Meredith froze.
