I darted my tongue inside his mouth and the taste of him hit me. He made a low sound that I felt between my legs and my hands slid into his hair, clenched. His kiss was rough, strong, and hungry. I was sprawled against him, wrapped up in his hardness, his strength, his heat.
Pressed against him, his mouth taking mine, I felt invincible. Like nothing could ever hurt me.
One big hand slid down my body and palmed my ass. He urged me closer, and I straddled him, my knees either side of his hips. I lost myself in the devouring kiss. A needy sound escaped me, and he growled.
I’d never been kissed like this.
I never knew kisses like this existed.
Then, he tore his mouth from mine.
We sat there, frozen, and I wanted to cry. I wanted to keep kissing. I wanted more. I wanted to know if the promise of Cole Black was everything I imagined it would be.
Gently, he lifted me like I weighed nothing—I had curves so I knew I weighed a healthy amount—and set me back in my own chair. The blanket I’d been using had fallen to the patio stones, and I now felt chilled.
Funny, just moments ago, I’d been burning up.
“That shouldn’t have happened.” His voice was gruff.
The hurt those words caused was like a knife to my heart.
“I’m too old for you.”
Now, I rolled my eyes.
He made a disgruntled sound. “That eye roll just proves it.”
“You don’t feel too old to me. You, this…feels right.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Lili, I am not a good guy.”
I made a disgruntled sound. “Because you were a mercenary and an assassin?”
“I’m not a damn hero, Lili. I’ve killed more people than you can imagine.”
“Cole, I’ve seen plenty of not-good guys. Up close and personal, my entire life.” I threw out a hand. “You arenotone of them.”
A muscle worked in his jaw.
“And you’ve been nothing but a hero to me.”
Now he muttered a curse. “You’re too sweet, and I’m not.”
I looked away. “I was raised by a boxing coach, and spent a lot of my time around illegal fight rings, that doesn’t equal sweet.”
He gripped my chin and made me look at him. “It’s not that, it’s you. You’re kind, funny, hard working. You deserve so much more.”
“Well, I wantyou. I want to know what being with you feels like.”
A look crossed his face. “Are you…a virgin?”
“Not exactly.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“I had a boyfriend, at the end of high school.” I lifted a shoulder. “Sex was…not that great. I didn’t like it much.” I leaned closer. “I think with you, I’d like it.”
That muscle ticked again. Then he shoved to his feet, the chair scraping on the patio floor. “I’ve got to get to my training facility. I’m going to shower and change, then we’ll go.”
