"Do you want ice cream? I hear there's a joint somewhere in the park," he said.
"Mmm, no space. Thanks to a gorgeous man, I'm already full."
Graham laughed softly in my ear. "I see. Tell me more. You like him?"
"Oh, yeah. He's quite something."
"Does he make you smile?"
"Often."
"Good. If I ever stop making you smile, I want you to tell me, okay?"
I stilled. "Why would you even say that?"
He didn't respond, so I turned around, trying to gauge his expression. His lips were set in a thin line. "Does it have to do with your divorce?"
Something flickered in his eyes, and I knew I was right. "Want to tell me about it?"
For a brief moment, I thought Graham might brush me off, but then he said, "When we divorced, Elizabeth threw it in my face that her happiness wasn't a priority for me. We were married for three years and didn't see eye-to-eye on anything. She was an aspiring actress, and I think she believed marrying me would be more glamorous. She wanted us to attend every movie-related event in town, travel constantly. I tried, in the beginning, because I knew networking was key in the industry. But I couldn’t keep up with all the events, all the parties she wanted us to attend so we’d be seen by key people. And as for traveling, it started to wear me out at some point.
Eventually, she attended more and more events on her own, travelled alone. I don’t blame her; it’s what she wanted. But we spent more time on different continents than together. I flew to visit her every other weekend, but it wasn’t the same. We were married for three years, and during the last two, I think we didn’t spend more than a couple of months together.”
“So things... fell apart?”
“Yes.”
"Sounds like you were too different to compromise."
"You could say that. We wanted different things in life, and neither of us realized it until a few years into our marriage. Or maybe I just don't know how to do relationships right."
"I don't think that's true. You're close to Amber and Matt. You've charmed me and Milo like a pro."
I was humbled by his openness. I also didn't know what to say to reassure him. These were early days, and I didn’t know him that well. Plus, I had fears of my own. Graham kissed up and down the side of my neck, but where the kisses had been light and playful before, they were more sensual now. His lips lingered longer, and when the tip of his tongue came in contact with my skin, a current of awareness zipped right through me.
"This wasn't my best idea," Graham said. It gave me immense pleasure that his voice was rougher. "Should've taken you somewhere private. We can do that now."
"I knew it. You've lured me here under the pretense of a date, when all you want is to have your wicked way with me."
"No pretense, sweetheart. I like spending time with you—talking to you, holding you. But I also like to sink deep inside you, and I won't apologize for it."
I was officially on fire. Using nothing but words, he'd transformed me into a bundle of need. I shifted on the blanket, turning so I could look at him. His gaze was molten.
"You cannot do this," I informed him.
"What?"
"Turn me on, just like that. I could teach you a lesson, you know." I moved my hands upward on his thighs, so he'd get the message. "But I'm not that cruel. I can't send you back to work with blue balls."
He threw his head back, laughing. "You're something."
"I can be a little devil," I confirmed. "You ain't seen nothing yet."
"Is that a threat?"
"Yes. Yes it is." I added a scowl to drive my point home, but Graham merely laughed again. Then he pulled me even closer in his lap, kissing me, the heat of his body seeping into mine.
Kissing like this, slow and deep, felt incredibly intimate. It was also arousing as hell. I felt every stroke of his tongue against mine between my legs.