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Despite the levity in her request, her shoulders dropped because the last time she’d been this excited to go on a date had been with Blaine, too, only ten years earlier. Which meant, for ten years and almost all of her twenties, no one had cared enough to get enthusiastic about taking her out.
Oh, there’d been the lavish parties and dressing up for big events, but that was all about putting on a show. An exercise in making Anthony look good. He’d rarely spared her a second glance. And even when he had, it wasn’t with any soft appreciation, only a razor-sharp look of scorn. The kind a snake leveled before devouring its prey.
Blaine’s hand shifted on its determined journey to her hip, his light touch bringing her back to this moment and his gaze on her lips. “I can manage that.”
He leaned in as if ready to kiss her, and she pressed her fingertips over his mouth, causing him to laugh.
“What now?” he mumbled through her fingers.
She dropped her hand, her next words a smoky quiver. “Wait.”
“You mean, ten years wasn’t enough?” His smile grew.
Despite the laugh that escaped her, and her desire to cave to his seductive efforts, it wasn’t fair to let him get ahead of himself. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
His fingers inched up her hip, to her waistline, then under her sweater, teasing the naked skin at her side. “I figured that much. I want to talk about it, but not here. Not now. Can we just enjoy making up for a while?”
His lips found the side of her neck, and she squeezed her eyes shut, surrendering to the pleasure.
“Aren’t you afraid of what I might say?” Her breathy tone was so unlike her, which made her love the sound even more. Anthony was on the loose, and so much of her life was still in limbo, but damn Blaine, he could make her forget. And hadn’t he already agreed to “take” all of her and her chaos?
His excitement pressed to her tummy, and the sensation lit a fire throughout her body. Pure instinct and need had her yearning for his lips on hers.
But he didn’t give her that. He kissed her jawline, followed by the side of her neck. She arched her head back, giving him better access, and he obliged, making her legs quiver in the process.
She held on, curling her fingers into his shoulders; a total sucker for whatever he gave, this seemingly small exchange momentous for them as a couple. But for her, as a woman too.
She needed this. Needed him. Needed so much of what she’d missed. This basic human experience.
His lips touched hers, only grazing the corner of her mouth. He made her want to burst into flames to escape the slow-burning tease and maddening assault on her heart.
“You smell incredible, like sweet vanilla and lavender.” His voice was all husky desire before he straightened and pulled away, his taut stare an odd mix of pained regret and grace-saving humor. “We already decided to take this slow, didn’t we?”
She eased back too, letting her hands fall by her side. “Yes. Yes, we did.”
They did need to stop if for no other reason than Ally would return—but holy smokes—Emilia didn’t want to.
“I need to make some calls for our date.” The glint returned to his eyes. In fact, he looked lighter than ever. “In the meantime, try not to look so sad. I’ll pick you up at seven tonight.”
