Nothing More (Landon Gibson 1)

And embarrassed.

An embarrassed idiot.

This seems to be a recurring theme when she’s around. In my defense, she started the random touching the other day with the dark-fingernails-on-the-naked-stomach bit.

Nora’s eyes remain on me. A touch of boredom is there, hidden behind the sheepish pride in her edible creation. I get the feeling that it takes a lot to please this woman.

“What?” she says, like I’m halfway between being rude to and flattering her.

I shrug. “Nothing.”

I lick my lips, and her eyes scan my face, resting on my mouth. Her energy is kinetic; there’s something insanely electric about this woman. Before my thought can finish, she’s crossing the small space between us and has wrapped her hands around me, resting them behind my neck. Her mouth is harsh at first as her lips crush against mine. My mouth opens, welcoming her after I get over the initial shock of her action. Her lips are warm and her kiss is unforgiving as she slides her tongue over mine. I fight the urge to pull her closer and let the kiss soak into me. Nora’s hands are moving from my neck now. Her hands are small, but not dainty in the least. She has long, crimson nails today. She must get them done a lot. Her hands are sprawled out, rubbing against the tight muscles on my chest.

Kissing, teasing, kissing.

Kissing her is like touching hot wax. The brisk burn of surprise stings, but the burn quickly fades into the opposite, transforming into something else entirely, something softer. My hands find her hips and I push her body against the counter. Soft moans escape her, and her teeth bite at my bottom lip. My body responds before I can stop it. I try to take a step back so I won’t be pressing my arousal into her, but she’s not having it. She grips the top of my sweats and pulls me flush against her soft body. She’s swearing a tight shirt, and even tighter leggings. I know she can feel every inch of me pressing against her.

“My God,” she breathes into my mouth.

I sigh into her.

She twists and pulls away, and instantly, I feel a pang of emptiness.

Her red fingernail taps me on the tip of my nose and she smiles at me, cheeks red and lips swollen from our kiss. “Well, that was unexpected.”

Her hand covers her mouth and she pinches her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger.

Unexpected? You think so?

I play it cool, leaning against the counter. I rest my elbows on the cold stone and try to think of something intelligent to say. My body is still humming, silent electricity shooting through my veins, while she looks like she’s completely unaffected.

What was that about?

I decide to be bold, like her. At least for a moment.

“Why did you kiss me?” I question.

She watches me, eyes narrowing, and takes a deep breath. The bottom of her shirt is pushed up slightly, caught on the tanned curve of her hip. She’s distracting me in every way without even trying.

“Why?” she asks, seeming genuinely puzzled. Her hair escapes from behind her ear and she pushes it back. Her neck is exposed; it seems to be begging for my lips to cover her skin. “Didn’t you want me to?”

Yeah, I didwould sound desperate.

No, I didn’twould sound rude.

I struggle with the right answer. It’s not that I wanted her to kiss me. On the other hand, I didn’t not want her to kiss me. I’m confusing myself, so I know if I try to explain it to her, it will be an even bigger jumbled mess.

As I stand there in stupid silence, she suddenly looks bored again, and I watch as the heat around her fades into a warm blur.

But then she quickly changes the subject. “You should come out with me and my roommates tonight.”

Okay ...