Page 56 of One Midnight Kiss

Her pupils dilated. Desire burned in her eyes. I knew she wanted this. She was just too afraid to take it. Too afraid to give in to what her body was begging for. There was no way she didn’t feel the pull. I could feel her need for me radiating off her in powerful waves.

I pressed the “hold” button, freezing the elevator doors open.

I lifted my hand and cupped her jaw. I stared into her eyes for another second, trying to talk myself out of what was coming. But there was no stopping this train. I slowly, carefully, kissed her.

For a moment, she didn’t kiss me back. Her lips stayed in a hard, thin line. I thought maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had misread all the signs. Maybe she didn’t want this.

I pulled back, brushing my lips against her cheek as I murmured. “Maybe you don’t feel it too.”

I let go and pushed the button to start the elevator once again. I kept my back to her. I felt hollow and defeated. It wasn’t the rejection. I couldn’t give a shit about that. It was the disappointment, the feeling of losing something I hadn’t even had yet. As the elevator hummed quietly, taking us to our floor, I balled my fists at my sides, struggling to swallow down the lump in my throat.

I could hear her breathing behind me, but I refused to look at her. I couldn’t. It was my luck the one woman I truly wanted didn’t want me. I never had a problem attracting women. It was easy and it wasn’t a secret I had gone through plenty of single women in Seattle.

But Natalia wasn’t like any of them.

Maybe she was too good for me. Hell, there was no maybe. She was.

The elevator bounced to a stop. The soft ding like a death knell on any hopes I had of being with someone like her.

But before I could step out, I felt her hand grip my arm, tugging me back. I turned to find her looking up at me, eyes full of confusion and something else—surrender, maybe, or hope.

The way she looked at me twisted me up. I couldn’t keep doing this with her. I couldn’t be pulled in and then pushed away. I wasn’t that strong.

“Natalia,” I breathed, stepping back into the elevator. She didn’t say anything, just looked up at me like she was seeing me for the first time. I backed her up against the wall, pressing her against it with my body. Her breath came out in a sharp exhale as I leaned down, kissing her again. This time, she kissed me back, her lips softening, parting. I felt her melt into me, her hands clutching the front of my shirt.

It was like setting a match to gasoline. Heat flared between us, hot and consuming. I heard the doors sliding closed and quickly reached out to stop them. I took her hand in mine and pulled her out of the elevator. This time, I knew what was going to happen. That kiss told me more than her words could.

I pulled her down the hallway, reaching into my pocket to get the key card. It took me a few tries, but I managed to get the door open. I pulled her inside, slamming the door shut behind us before I pushed her up against the wall once again. My mouth was on hers, kissing her like my very life depended on it. I dropped the key card on the floor. I needed both hands free to touch her. I wanted to explore every inch of her body.

She broke the kiss, her eyes darting around the room like she needed a moment to gather herself. I didn’t give her one. I took her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me.

“You drive me insane,” I told her, my voice rough. “You make me feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“Good,” she said, voice breathless but edged with defiance. “Now you know how I feel.”

I smiled. “Then we’re on the same page.”

She rolled her eyes, but I caught the flicker of a smile before she tried to hide it. “You’re impossible.”

“Maybe,” I agreed, running my thumb over her bottom lip. “But you like it.”

“Do I?” she challenged.

I kissed her again before she could protest, swallowing the laugh that bubbled up from her chest. I pulled her closer, feeling the curve of her body press against mine. It felt too good, too right. I could feel every ounce of her frustration, her anger, her want. It matched mine, pulse for pulse.