Not right now. You’re not even at the shop.
She’s too young.
She’s an adult. And look at the way she’s staring at you.
She’s staying at my house.
Convenient, hey?
Dammit. He didn’t have any room for a relationship. Look what happened with Stephanie.
Stephanie who?
His pulse started drumming through his ears, silencing everything except that constant need. He pushed himself up from where he was kneeling, moving closer to her. His hand was still on her calf, and he slowly feathered his fingers up higher, past her knee and to her lower thigh. Her skin was so tender, so delightfully inviting. Before he knew it, he was stooping down to press his mouth to the soft flesh there.
“I thought you were going to kiss my lips,” she whispered.
“I am. But I like to do a thorough job,” he murmured against her skin. “Give me a chance.” He kissed her leg again, then lifted his face until it was level with hers. Reaching out, he brushed her blonde hair out of her face, then cupped her cheek with his palm. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”
“I’ve been waiting for the past few days.”
“So have I. And I’ve also been thinking about what a bad idea this is. And yet I’m going to do it anyway.”
“That’s basically my life’s mantra.”
“Looks like it’s turning into mine, too.”
“Welcome to the dark side,” she said, before he finally pressed his mouth to hers. “I think you’re going to like it here.”
18
Damn, the man knew how to kiss.
His lips were warm and soft as they moved against hers, making her breath catch in her throat as he ran the tip of the tongue along them, before sliding it against hers. Not too hard, not too gentle, just enough to send pleasure shooting through her, as he cradled her face with the palm of his hand.
Time passed like a foxtrot; quick quick slow, until she had no idea how long they’d been kissing. It could have been ten minutes or half an hour. Her lips felt tender and swollen, her skin tingling from the brush of his beard growth against her. All she knew was she didn’t want it to stop. Not when it felt this good.
Nate dragged his lips from hers, sliding them to her throat. His hand moved down, tracing the line of her collarbone where it emerged from her dress. “Can I?” he whispered, his fingers hovering at the top button of her dress. Below it were five more, leading to the waist band. He looked up at her with those deep eyes, and for a moment she was lost again.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes, please.”
He unfastened the buttons, pressing a kiss to her skin between each one. As he released the last, and pushed her dress open, she felt a shiver slide down her spine.
“Are you cold?”
“Not at all.”
Their eyes connected, and she felt electricity jolt through her veins. He gave her a half smile, then looked down at her exposed chest. His pupils dilated as he took her in. Thank God she’d worn a pretty bra today – a scrap of white lace with demi cups that pushed her up in all the right places. Nate must have liked it too, because he reached out to touch the swell of her breasts.
“So beautiful.”
He cupped them, taking their weight into his palms. He was taking his time, in no hurry at all to do anything but savor her. It was tantalizing and excruciating, making her want to beg for more.
Dropping his head, he pressed his lips against her stomach, his mouth warm and firm as he dragged it up the center of her ribs. He stopped at the fabric bow attached to her bra, then moved his lips to her breast.
“Oh!” Pleasure shot down to the tip of her toes.
“Is that good?” he asked, glancing up.