Page 175 of Manhattan Bossholes

I tugged her closer, and she stumbled into me, her laughter dying as every inch of her body pressed up against mine. I rested my hands on her waist, fingers sliding over soft curves. Cora laid her hands on my shoulders, delicate, like she was suddenly afraid to touch me. “May I have this dance?” I asked.

“I think you already know the answer to that.”

The space between us dissolved even more, and my heart skipped as I took her in—pale cheekbones dusted with blush and dark, fluttering lashes. A sense of longing, of understanding, washed over me. Cora rested her head on my chest, and I wondered if she could hear the galloping thump of my heart against my ribs. The heat between us was palpable as the song swelled, and we moved together in a slow, gentle sway. We’d never danced before, but I couldn’t help remembering all the other ways our bodies had moved together. Her hands moved from my shoulders, entwining around the back of my neck, playing with the hair there, and memories faded away. As sweet as they were, all I could focus on was here. Now. As the song crescendoed, I tilted her chin gently, our eyes meeting briefly before I caught her lips in a tender, lingering kiss.

Cora melted against me, humming softly, her lips opening to my tongue as her hands tightened around my neck, holding me to her as the song faded.

And this time, neither of us pulled away.

17

CORA

Aiden’s lips left the corner of my mouth, traveling up to my cheekbone, then down along my jaw. He followed a familiar path, and I knew his lips would find my neck next. They did, latching on to the sensitive skin of my throat and sucking. I moaned in response, curling my fingers into his shirt, my knuckles pressed against the solid muscle of his back.

He laughed and flicked his tongue over the spot on my neck. “That still makes you moan, huh?”

“You’re going to leave a mark,” I complained, though I didn’t really care. I wanted Aiden to keep kissing me, to keep touching me. I wanted to stay here with this man who played Lifehouse in the middle of an empty football field in the dark just to make me feel better.

“Sorry,” he whispered, not sounding sorry at all. The word sent a shiver through me. It slithered down my spine, setting off sparks of arousal between my legs.

I giggled breathily as his tongue drifted over the pulse point in my neck. “I can’t believe we’re making out on this football field again.” I’d kissed him here, a lot. Well, mostly under the stands, but there was the occasional good luck peck at the side of the field before a game.

“We did really hone our skills here,” Aiden agreed.

“Though one of us has gotten a bit rusty,” I teased.

“Rusty?” Aiden broke away long enough for me to see the smirking challenge on his face, then he caught my jaw in his hands and pulled us together for another searing kiss. Electricity spiraled through me as I opened my mouth to him again, desperate for the slick heat of his tongue against my own. He nipped at my tongue with his teeth playfully before sucking it into his mouth.

I groaned, arousal coiling tightly in my belly as his hands traveled down my back, cupping my ass to pull me flush against him. I could feel his arousal hardening between us, and I squirmed against him, wondering what would happen next.

“We should stop,” he said, pulling back suddenly, eyes clenched shut, his breathing heavy. “If we don’t want to get carried away.”

Oh, hell no. Stopping was most definitely not what I wanted. I pressed my lips to his again, threading my fingers into his curls to hold him to me.

“Cora,” he rasped, trying to pull away as my teeth grazed his lower lip. His voice was hoarse with restraint. “Cora.”

“What if I do want to get carried away?” I whispered in his ear, my own voice trembling with desire. I pulled away just far enough to search his eyes. I wanted this. I’d never wanted anything more. I let my fingers trail down the front of his shirt, stopping to tug on his belt to make my point.

“Who knew Lifehouse could be such a turn-on?” he teased gruffly before grabbing my hand and leading me back across the field. My fingers fit between his like they’d been made to be there.

I giggled at the hurried pace he set, even as need swirled hotter in my gut. God, I wanted him. Here. Now. He could have me on the field for all I cared.

I just needed him to touch me again, to ease the burn trying to consume me from the inside out.

I swear to God, if I woke up only to find out that this was another dream…

Aiden swerved off the path leading up to the school and into the parking lot, unlocking his Mercedes. He wrenched the passenger door open.

“Get in,” he said, not harshly, but with enough desperation in his voice that I didn’t question him, just darted inside.

“Where are we going?” I asked when he’d climbed into the driver’s side and started the ignition. Was he about to suggest we go to some make-out point to fool around in the backseat? Not that I’d say no…but I wasn’t sure I could manage some of the positions we’d tried back in the day. I was a lot more flexible back then.

“My rental,” Aiden said, peeling out of the parking lot like he was an F1 driver. It was exhilarating.

“Right. Good.”

A smile tugged at his lips. “I didn’t think you wanted to go back to yours.”