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“It’s always tickling my skin. And now…” His gaze grew even more heated.

I yelped when he yanked his shirt over his head and kissed me again, this time with my hair between us. I let him keep kissing me while I explored his shoulders, back, and chest.

“I want to see you. May I?” He took my bunched-up skirt by the hem, his eyebrow quirked up as he waited.

If he took my dress off I’d be naked except for my panties. And there was no way we weren’t having sex after that.

Which meant saying yes to changing everything. I knew I said not to think, but I needed to check in with myself one last time, to be absolutely sure I wanted Everett to not only see me naked, but to come inside me and join us in a way we would never, ever be able to forget.

Nothing had ever felt so right. No man had ever cared about me the way Everett did. And I’d never cared about a man this way. There was no denying I was turned on beyond reason.

So I raised my hands above my head, feeling his gaze as it traveled over every inch of skin as it was exposed. And then my dress was gone and Everett stared at me, open mouthed, unblinking. He took my hair and draped it over my breast, smiling. “You are my wildest fantasy brought to life, my little siren.”

“That sounds ominous.” I didn’t want to wreck Everett. I wanted to…love him.

“It’s not ominous.” He cupped my other breast and brushed the pad of his thumb over my nipple. “You call to me. Call to my soul. I need you and I will happily destroy myself if it means pleasing you.”

I suspected there were a few unspoken words laced into those sentences. Something about the past and our friendship in exchange for a new future. But I didn’t need poetry or explanations. I could see everything he felt in his eyes.

I scratched my nails through his beard. “You’re still reading a lot of books?”

“Can you tell?”

“Just a little.” Not that I minded one bit. It was sweet.

His hands moved up my spine and into my hair. He tilted my head back slightly so he could press a kiss to my pulse. “I like thinking of us like that.” His lips and beard tickled my throat as he spoke. “What we’re doing feels huge and dangerous, but it could be so, so good. You’re the siren calling to me. Maybe we crash. Maybe we don’t. But let’s find out.”

Feeling emboldened, I climbed out of his lap and stood beside the bed, crooking my finger. When he swung his legs over the edge I reached for the button on his shorts.

But he put his hand over mine, stopping me. “What do you have in mind, siren?”

“I want to do something Willa would never do to Everett.” He held my gaze for another few seconds, then let my hand go with a nod. So I worked that button free, slid down his zipper and when he lifted his hips, I took the last of his clothes.

Then I gulped as I wrapped my hand around his rather impressive erection.

He hissed. “Damn woman.”

I sank to my knees, licking him, getting to know him, then took him into my mouth as I looked up. Everett blinked, then hooked his hands under my armpits, yanking me up and tossing me onto the bed beside him. “Nope. That was the sexiest fucking thing that’s ever happened to me and if I let that happen we won’t have half the fun I want to have tonight.” He moved over me in a flash. His eyes drank in every inch along the way. “Sorry baby. Some other night?”

I didn’t answer because I didn’t want to think about anything but this. Everett was over me. The only stitch of clothing between us was my panties. But even a few strokes and a taste were enough to erase the last lingering thoughts of Everett as just my friend from my mind. “Touch me. I’m dying.”

“No dying.” He grinned. “But it is my turn to taste.” He dipped his head and gently sucked on my nipple.

I arched underneath him, wishing he’d give me something to grind against.

“Spread those pretty legs for me. I want to feel how wet you are for me.”

Oh god. Everett dirty talking was something to behold. My legs opened automatically cradling him as he settled between them. He hummed with approval against my breast, then switched sides, treating me to another mind-altering swirly of his tongue. He sat back slightly and slid his hand down my stomach, over my panties, to my center.

His eyes lit up. “My girl likes this side of me.”

I ground against his fingers, loving the way he called me his girl—or maybe it was the my—and how good it felt to see that I pleased him. “I’m definitely intrigued.”

His grin widened. “I’m intrigued by how much you’re clearly enjoying this.” He lowered his lips to my ear and whispered. “I want the title of the book you’re reading.”

“Why?”

“I need something to read and I want to know what you’ve been hiding from me all these years.”