“No.” Deck let me go then nodded to my jogging pants.
I swallowed, bent over and took them off, leaving them on the floor beside me.
He waited.
I stood half-naked against his door while he watched me. It was thrilling as much as it was unsettling. And I was completely turned on and confused that I was turned on by it.
He didn’t need to say anything; he merely looked at my panties.
I didn’t want it like this. I wanted passion, him grabbing me and ripping off all my clothes, not him standing there while I undressed. This wasn’t even remotely like my fantasies. Well, except for the fact I was burning up and aching with so much anticipation for his touch that I was afraid I’d collapse.
“Kiss me, Deck.” I wanted him in my arms, to hold me, hear him groan, feel his hands on me.
“You can’t do what I ask then get out.” Deck turned on his heel and strode down the hall.
Fuck. God, what was I doing? But I found myself running after him and saying, “Okay. Okay, I’ll do it.”
He was already at his bedroom door and I sighed as my words stopped him and he turned. My skin was on fire and it wasn’t from embarrassment as his eyes roamed over my body as if he was contemplating whether I was worthy of him.
When he leaned back against the doorframe and crossed his arms, I knew exactly what he was waiting for. I slipped my fingers into the bikini straps of my white panties and slowly dragged them down then stepped out of them. I lifted my head and stood up straight, cocking my hip as I put one hand on it.
I waited. There wasn’t anything else I could do because I wanted Deck. It needed to be him. I’d waited ten years for it to be him, so I’d stand and wait for the next ten years if Deck had his eyes on me like he did at this moment.
His arms uncrossed. “Perfect.”
My insides went haywire as he strode toward me. Could a body be set into flames from a mere look? Yes. Hell yes, we were talking about Deck here.
He stopped a foot away and I was screaming for him to come closer. I wanted to beg. Jesus, did I just say that? All my internal thoughts were screwed up and I had no idea what I was thinking except the beacon of ‘kiss me’ flashing relentlessly.
“Look at me.”
I thought I was, but I was staring at his tatted chest, willing it to come closer. The smartass in me wanted to defy him after all the orders he gave me. However, the desire was too overpowering, and I knew if I gave him any smartass he’d turn and leave without a single backward glance. I wouldn’t risk it.
I met his eyes and the dark steadiness I always saw was lit with a smoldering flame. Okay, I could get some power back here. I opened my mouth. His brows lowered and I quickly slammed it shut. Maybe not.
“If this happens, there’s no going back.” The creak in the floorboards sounded and a shiver raced through me.
What did he mean ‘no going back’? “What exactly does that entail?”
His lips pulled down in the corners, and I knew he was a little pissed off. Add the sudden tension in his shoulders with it and he was angry. Okay, what the hell?
“It entails everything.” He stepped closer and when his hands curled around my upper arms, the ache between my legs became unbearable. “You ready for that?”
I decided I wanted to be brave because I was feeling insecure and needed some of it back. “Kiss me and I’ll let you know.”
There was a twitch at the corner of his mouth and his fingers slid down my arms in a slow glide, the roughness against my smooth skin like silk and sandpaper. They moved up again and tightened. I couldn’t read him, damn it. Deck was a complexity I hadn’t figured out and probably never would.
His one hand caressed up to my shoulder and then to the curve of my neck until his fingers cupped the back of my neck. I lost my balance as I swayed into him, each molecule drawn toward him.
With one swift pull, he dragged me into him and then his head tilted and my lips met his. It was hard and soft and holy shit, it was alarmingly better than the kiss in the shower. His tongue slid across my teeth and then pushed past, entering the warmth. His arm went behind me, preventing any escape, although I didn’t even consider escaping.
My hands found their way around him and I caressed up his back until my fingers gripped his neck. It was cathartic as I felt the vibration of his groan and the sensation zapped my skin, sinking between my legs. His kiss deepened, if that was possible. He pulled my hair and I had no choice but to tilt my head back.