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Closing the door and flipping the bolt into place, he scanned the living room. Maybe Delaney had left the TV on like she did at the motel. Something to ease her nerves over being alone.
He crossed to the living room to find the remote, pausing at the sound of her low chuckle followed quickly by the laugh track on the TV. Okay. Not asleep. Awake and cuddled up on his couch watching a sitcom, apparently.
Not wanting to scare her, he crossed back to the front door, opening and closing it with a little more force to announce his presence. When he turned back, he saw her head and shoulders above the cushions, and then the TV went dark.
“Hi.” She turned to face him when he stopped beside the couch. “I couldn’t sleep, and I wasn’t sure when you’d be back, so I made some popcorn and…sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
She pushed off the couch and stepped around him to carry the bowl of popcorn into the kitchen. He leaned against the wall, one hand shoved into his pocket, and waited for her to explain.
“For taking over your living room.” She dumped the popcorn kernels into the trash and immediately washed the bowl, setting it in the rack. “Besides, I should get to bed anyway.”
“Delaney,” he said softly, shifting when she stopped next to him at the bottom of the stairs. “You’re allowed to use anything in the common areas of the house you want. You don’t need my permission. As long as you stay here, what’s mine is yours.”
She looked up at him, and his eyes were drawn to the amber flecks in her own when they caught in the low light. He made the mistake of dropping his gaze to her lips, his mouth instantly watering at the sight. He wanted to do exactly what he’d been thinking about doing since that first time in the kitchen. He wanted to taste her again.
He shifted forward at the same time she did, and their bodies brushed, her forearm against his stomach, his against her hip. She smelled good. That was the only coherent thought he could string together. Her gaze locked on his mouth, and he barely swallowed the moan that bubbled up.
“Delaney.”
“Yes?”
“I want to kiss you.”
Her eyes darted up to meet his, and he saw surprise in them but also want. At least he hoped it was want. He wouldn’t touch her if she said she didn’t want it.
“Okay.” Her voice was soft and breathy, and it made his knees weak. He wondered what she’d sound like with his tongue gliding over her skin.
“I don’t want you to think that I’m doing it for any other reason than because I want to.”
She inched closer until there was barely any space between them; her gaze remained steady on his. “Okay.”
He slid his hand slowly around her waist, pressing against the small of her back to bring her body flush with his. She fit so perfectly that it seemed impossible.
“This isn’t part of my master plan to get you to stay. You can leave whenever you want.”
“James? Shut up and kiss me.”
He didn't need any more invitation than that, bringing his lips down to meet hers and groaning when her arms instantly wrapped around his neck. She used him to steady herself as she pushed onto her tiptoes, and he braced her with his other hand on her hip.
It would be effortless to lift her into his arms and guide her legs around his waist, to carry her up the stairs and lay her down exactly where he wanted her—in the middle of his king-sized bed.
Instead he focused on the feel of her body against him, the long, lean lines of her, and the swell of her breasts as they pressed against his chest. Her breath came in shallow pants that frayed the edges of his control, so he focused on her tongue and the way she teased it over his lower lip, sighing when he slid his against it.
He let her set the pace and the pressure, content to drink her in and savor her for as long as she would let him. When she finally broke away, her dark brown eyes were cloudy and her lips swollen. It made him want to dip his head for another taste, but he didn’t.
She slowly lowered herself to the floor and took a small step back. He hated feeling the cool air on his skin where her body had been. He searched her face to see if he could find any regret there; instead her mouth lifted into a small smile.
“Goodnight, James.”
“Goodnight, Delaney.”
He sagged against the arm of the couch while she jogged up the stairs. He waited until she closed her bedroom door and locked it before turning off the rest of the lights and following her up. Her light was still on, and he lingered for a second before turning and heading to his own bedroom.
Closing the door, he leaned back against it. The line he wasn’t supposed to be crossing was fading more and more by the minute. And he wasn’t entirely sure he cared enough to ink it back into place.
ChapterSeventeen
