His muscles strained against the soft cotton of his shirt, the buttons undone low enough on his collar that I could see a hint of chest hair peeking out and longed to touch it, run it between my fingers. His sleeves were folded up as far as they would go up on his heavy, roped forearms, an Audemar Piguet on his wrist. He definitely knew how to dress, looking like he’d stepped straight off a magazine cover – slick, classy and expensive.
I crossed my arms in front of me, clenching my fists, so he wouldn’t see how much I was shaking with adrenaline, how much he affected me. But if he noticed, I’d just blame the margaritas.
Good plan, Em.
I took a deep breath only for my nostrils to be assaulted by his sexy, earthy man scent, like vetiver and sandalwood, sending my nerves further into overdrive and making me lightheaded. The memory of it was tangible, and one I’d not smelled since; reminding me of three a.m. kisses and orgasms and laughing so hard my sides hurt. All unique to him.
“You’re not my boyfriend.”
He took a sip from his glass, his eyes never leaving mine. “Yet.”
I frowned. “What?”
“I’m not your boyfriend,yet,” he emphasized, “But at this point, it’s just a formality.”
I blinked at him as I processed what was happening. How did he keep sneaking up on me?
“What are you doing here? Are you following me?”
He held his hands up, grinning. “No, I swear it’s coincidental. But twice in one day? The universe clearly wants us to be together.”
The tension rolled off me and I laughed at him. He sounded just like Mallory, although way sexier and more adorable. And his happiness was infectious.
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.” His grin got wider.
“Well, I was talking to that guy.”
He lifted his eyebrow at me. “Oh, sweetheart, no, you weren’t. He was talkingatyou. You definitely weren’t interested.”
I mean, I wasn’t, but I also had no plans to make this easy for him either.
I pursed my lips. “You don’t know that.”
He scoffed. “Luck, have you forgotten? I know what you look like when you’re interested.”
My breath hitched as he moved closer to me, taking the ends of my hair between his fingers, twisting it around. His eyes slowly trailed the length of my body, and then I watched him lick his lips, my eyes following his pink tongue as it ran along his teeth.
Flashbacks of him naked, standing tall in front of me flew through my head, and a heartbeat awakened between my legs… One that only he’d be able to stir.
Oh God, what did I look like right now? Because I was seconds away from throwing myself at him.
His expression softened as he cupped my face in one of his huge hands, rubbing his thumb along my cheek. I could feel the scratch of his callouses against my skin.
“You are so fucking beautiful. I’ve thought about this every day for a year, thought about what I would do if I ever found you again.”
I couldn’t breathe. My heartbeat was poundingeverywhere; I could feel it from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
“And what did you decide?” My voice was barely a whisper, heavy with anticipation.
He pulled me away from the bar to a quieter corner, pushing me up against the wall. His eyes locked onto mine, the hazel blazing with fiery lust, shooting flames which climbed the length of my body. His hands moved to the back of my head, fingers scraping up through my hair, and he pulled me as close as he could get me without actually touching, breathing in the air I expelled, taking his time, until my body was shaking, almost delirious with need.
“That I’ve waited so fucking long and I can’t wait any longer.”
The air shifted, and like the snap of a magnet, his mouth bolted onto mine, taking me hostage. His tongue ran along the seam of my lips until I opened up and we collided together, reacquainting after a year apart.
The flavor of oranges and whiskey danced on my tongue as he stroked against me, his hunger deepening, matching mine, want coursing through us as though it was the last kiss there would ever be. Hot and heavy, dripping in desperation, we completely lost ourselves in each other. The loud, thumping music was drowned out by the beating of our hearts.
