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With a possessive growl, he finally closed the last of the distance between us.
14
Ikissed Chloe like a starving man, desperate for her after the taste I’d gotten at the ice cream shack. Two years of pent-up hunger made my mouth rough, but I kept my hands gentle. It would be so easy to leave my mark on her skin—a claim made though pleasure instead of pain.
She opened for me, and I swept my tongue inside as her hands fisted on my dress shirt. I wanted the shirt gone. The dress gone. I wanted to plunge into her heat—take the easy release she was offering—but I caught the jagged edge of restraint, pulling myself back from the brink.
I eased away before I lifted her against the rough stone. In all my fantasies, none had started with fucking her like a wild animal in a semi-deserted alcove outside a hotel. Considering how damn hard I was, they probably should have.
“Sure you want to go inside?” she asked with a raised brow.
“Yes.” I rubbed my thumb across her swollen bottom lip. “No one’s going to believe you weren’t out here kissing someone.”
She lifted to her toes, smoothing the mess I’d made of my hair. “Let them talk.”
The gentle tugging shot directly to my cock, and I caught her wrists, moving them between us. “I thought you wanted to keep this quiet for now. Test the waters?”
Chloe grinned at me. “No one said I had to be kissingyou. Go in first, I’ll follow in a little later. I have to go to the ladies’ room anyway.”
I held her wrists captive a moment longer, fighting the urge to simply run away with her. I hated the idea of anyone thinking she’d been kissing another guy while here with me. This level of possessiveness was new to me, and Chloe had made it clear she didn’t appreciate the trait.
With reluctance, I let her go, stepping back to shove my hands in my pockets so I didn’t grab her again. Immediately, a sense of loss rocked me. I’d barely had the chance to touch her, and it wasn’t enough.
I suspected it would never be enough.
The wind kicked up again as I backed toward the door, watching her straighten her dress. “Try not to kick anyone’s ass in the next five minutes.”
Her lips quirked. “I’ll do my best.”
I shook my head and headed back into the hotel, utterly changed. What had I just done to myself?
D was one of my best friends, but Chloe was… I couldn’t find the words. She scared me and tempted me, and after having my hands on her—my mouth—I couldn’t imagine going back. She could slice me open and destroy my relationship with her brother, but I still wanted her to walk back into the ballroom with swollen lips and sex hair.
A clear signal to everyone she was taken. She was mine.
Maybe she’d leave a mark on me too.
* * *
The restof the dinner passed in a blur of trying not to advertise my erection, which meant I stayed safely seated at the table. A couple of donors came by to tell me how much they enjoyed watching me play and quickly moved on to D.
Shaw brought me a beer at some point, but I only took a few sips, needing my wits about me to counter Chloe’s constant flirting. No one seemed to notice her extended absence, and every time she turned those green eyes on me, I wondered why she’d bothered to ask for a secret trial period. Fortunately, I’d spent years perfecting my poker face. I might have to thank Craig the next time he called.
She flirted mercilessly, but she’d always flirted with me. And everyone else. Tonight, I got to monopolize all of her attention. The harder she tried to get me to smile, the harder I resisted. They were used to my dour attitude, but Chloe knew what lurked underneath.
D sent me a questioning look at one point, and I shrugged at him. The ruse didn’t feel great, but it wasn’t a direct lie. Ididn’tknow what Chloe was up to, other than torturing me.
By the time we said our goodbyes, I’d come to a decision. She wanted a trial period, so I’d give it to her. No sleepovers, no sex. It wasn’t even about D—okay, not only about D.
I liked her.
Chloe was warm and open on the surface, but she resisted letting anyone deeper. I wanted past those walls. If I gave in to my need for her, she could fall back on the habit of seeing guys as casual hookups.
I had no intention of letting her relegate me to the same category.
She grinned at me for the entire drive back to the apartments, probably expecting a continuation of our time outside the hotel. I didn’t enlighten her. Safer that way. If given half a chance, she could convince me to do just about anything.
Her hand landed on my leg when we pulled into the parking lot, and I scooped it up to kiss her fingers. Partly because I wanted my mouth on her, partly because I wanted to prevent her from taking it any farther.
