Page 45 of Love Overdose: St. Louis

By dessert, my foot had found his leg beneath the table. It wasn’t accidental. Each slow brush against his calf made his eyes darker.

He ordered tiramisu for us to share. I took a bite from his fork, letting my lips close around it while I watched him. His jaw tightened.

“Good?” he asked.

“Very.”

His thumb moved across my bottom lip, gathering a trace of cream before he brought it to his mouth. Heat expanded between my legs.

“You ready to leave?” he asked.

“Yes.”

There was no reason to pretend I misunderstood him.

Elijah lived in a modern two-story home less than fifteen minutes from the restaurant. Warm light spilled through tall windows, illuminating dark wood, clean lines, and furniture that looked expensive without making the space feel untouchable. Artwork covered the walls, and books filled the living room shelves.

I stopped near a framed black-and-white photograph of three young boys standing beside Ron. Elijah couldn’t have been older than twelve.

“Is that you?”

He came behind me, close enough that his chest brushed my back. “The one in the middle.”

“You were cute.”

“Were?”

I smiled at his reflection in the glass. “You improved with age.”

His hands settled on my waist, and his mouth touched the side of my neck. My head tilted, giving him more room without thought. His lips moved slowly toward my ear.

“We can have a drink,” he murmured. “I can show you the rest of the house. We can take as much time as you need.”

I turned in his arms. “I don’t need more time.”

His gaze searched mine.

“Tell me what you need.”

The question drew a slow breath from me.

“You.”

His mouth covered mine. The kiss was deeper than the one on my porch from the first touch. A week of anticipation lived inside it. I opened for him as his arm tightened around my waist and pulled me flush against his body. His erection pressed against my stomach.

I slipped my hands beneath his collar to touch his neck. His pulse rocked against my palm. He didn’t look away from me. “Take this off.”

He obeyed.

The button-down hit the floor, revealing a white undershirt stretched across his chest and arms. I ran my palms over him, feeling hard muscle and heat beneath the cotton.

“You’ve been hiding all this beneath those expensive shirts.”

A low laugh moved through him. “You like what you see?”

“Very much.”

I pulled the undershirt over his head.