His eyes darkened as he watched me, causing a swoop in my stomach. “Boredom.” His rumbling, heated voice was delicious.
“What a terrible bait and switch.”
He laughed before he cleared his throat. “And the funny thing is that I had just finally decided I wanted to stop holding back.”
The swoop swooped with even swoopier gusto. “Holding back?”
“From all the things I wanted to do to you. With you.” His eyes seemed to go completely black as they held mine. “Make a few addenda to the rules.”
A soft squeak came from me. He had to hear how loud my heart beat against my sternum.
“But I could understand if—” Here, his face grew pensive again, almost regretful. “If you’re no longerbored.”
“It was a very riveting turn of events.” I used a finger to lift his chin and lowered my mouth to hover just above his lips. “What I’m feeling is anything but boring.”
He closed the distance, and our lips met in a soft exhale. He pulled back too quickly.
“Claire, if you don’t leave right now, I won’t be held responsible for what happens.”
“Why would you be? There are two of us here. Don’t be so old-fashioned.”
“Nothing I want to do is old-fashioned,” he said before our mouths met again.
Nothing was stopping him, he’d said. But what had been stopping him before? What held him back that was no longeran issue? Was it the shame of his past? Or this final secret? This and other questions were quickly relocated to the back of my mind as his greedy tongue pushed into mine, making me moan in pleasure.
His fingers gently brushed my cheeks as his head tilted to kiss me deeper. He held me like I was something delicate and precious. At the same time, his hard length pressed against my hip. His tongue brushed mine so confidently, seductively. He took his time. His long, gentle kiss said he could do this forever. In contrast, I squirmed in impatience. I wanted to climb up on top of him or drag him up to his bedroom. I wanted him so bad. I wanted to feel him fill other parts of me, press me down, and feel the weight of him on top of me. I wanted every sense to be overcome by only him.
“Levi,” I gasped his name, surprised by an aching surge of tenderness in my chest.
I wanted to take care of him too. I wanted to remove his pain and long-suffering until he only felt my desire for him.
Chapter 24
Levi
Claire shifted impatientlyand pressed herself harder against me with a frustrated groan. Sitting on this chair with her standing between my legs wasn’t nearly enough.
I smiled against her mouth. “Something wrong?”
Her hands moved restlessly, never ceasing as they clawed and gripped up and down my arms and shoulders and back. I wanted to touch her everywhere too. I was quaking with the need. But more than that, I wanted to drive her wild. Wanted to show her that there was no rush for me. I would spend hours just holding her delicate chin and kissing her pretty mouth. I wanted her melting and on the edge of combustion when I finally touched her.
“I need more,” she said.
“So impatient.”
She growled. “You started this.” It was bordering on a whine.
“Hmm. It really doesn’t feel like that,” I said.
I kissed her deeper, allowing my hands to thread through her hair, thinking of the thousands of times I’d dreamed about just this. I wasn’t going to have it pass too quickly. I tugged her hair a little to break the kiss and have her meet my eyes with her dark, heated gaze. Her lips were glistening and swollen. She seemed half out of her mind already.
“If we recall, it was you who kissed me first. You who—” I swallowed with difficulty. Bringing this up again made my control slip. “Touched yourself for me to watch.”
She groaned another whine. “Levi.”
I lowered my mouth to just below her ear, brushing my lips up the column of her throat. I nuzzled my nose along where her hair met the smooth skin of her neck. I whispered along the shell of her ear. “You were so wet that day, weren’t you?”
She gasped out and collapsed so that I had to stand quickly to capture her. I hefted her up and carried her to the only cleared-off surface in the workspace, a small table where I’d sometimes take breaks to eat. I don’t think I’d ever be able to eat my lunch at this table the same way again. Not without remnants of Claire infiltrating every thought.
