Page 275 of A Matter of Time

“You’re so full of shit right now.”

“Just right now?” He winked at me.

I leaned back in the seat.

“So?” He teased me.

“You’re gonna do whatever you want anyway.”

“This is true.”

When I closed my eyes, I felt his hand on my thigh. “You said you’d keep your hands off me.”

“Yeah, I lied.”

And I knew that, of course.

His stupid apartment looked exactly the same. I walked it, reacquainting myself with where everything was. The teacups I’d bought were still in the cabinet. It was funny.

“Weird, right?”

I looked around, then back at him. “Yeah,” I said, looking at all the same framed pictures on the shelves next to the TV.

“Take your jacket off.”

I threw it on the couch and continued my inspection.

“You want some water or something?”

“No, but I appreciate the concern for my sobriety.”

He chuckled before he crossed the room and reached for me, cupping my face in his hands.

“What are we doing here, Sam?” I said softly. “It’s too late.”

“It’s never too late.” He smiled into my eyes, his fingers sliding over my jaw, my lips. “Can I kiss you before I put you in my bed?”

“What?” I pulled away from him, but he moved with me, hands fisted in my shirt.

“I want you,” he said, his voice was husky, filled with need.

“Well, you can’t have me,” I told him, and even to myself I sounded pitiful. There was no power behind my words. The promise was empty.

“Oh no?” he asked, his strong hands gentle as they slipped over my throat.

“No,” I said again, making no attempt to move even an inch away from him. “It’s too late.”

“Is it?” His voice was so low, I felt my chest heave just looking at him.

“Yes,” I protested weakly, and I couldn’t even imagine how lame I sounded.

“You’re lying.” He smiled slyly. “You’re hard for me right now.”

I lifted my chin to protest, and his mouth came down and covered mine. I trembled in his arms because the kiss sent a charge straight to my groin. He burned me up, and I was reminded that the man really knew how to kiss me. No one before or since had been able to deliver a kiss that I could feel racing through my entire body like liquid heat. It was annihilating, all that desire and passion directed at me; he was so big and strong, the force of him overwhelming as he crushed me in his arms and kissed me hard and deep. I wasn’t passive though; I twisted my hands in his hair as the sensations raced through my body. I ravaged his mouth. When I was certain my head was going to explode, I broke the kiss to take in some air.

“Jesus, you taste good,” he panted, his forehead against mine.

I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away from me. He didn’t budge.