Sugar

“Yeah, I’d like that.” He cleared his throat and shifted on his feet. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was. Heck, they could go up there and he might keep this strictly friendly. That was for the best anyway, because what she wanted was so far over the professional line it wasn’t even funny.

They headed inside and got into the elevator. Poppy was trained well enough in the building that she sat in the corner, knowing that she had to be on her best behavior. Boscoe, on the other hand, was a little more rambunctious, his tail whipping back and forth as he tried to jump up on Colton. Sugar held in her laugh, and when the doors finally opened and she stepped out she didn’t stop her grin.

They walked down the hallway to her apartment, and once inside, the door shut behind them, she breathed out. This was the first time he had been in her place, and as he walked around looking at the small confines, her apartment so modest compared to where he lived, she couldn’t help the heat that moved through her.

“Would you like something to drink?” She was so nervous right now, her hand shaking and her heart racing.

He looked over his shoulder at her and smirked, nodding before facing forward and looking at her apartment once more. Sugar bent down and unhooked the leash from Poppy’s collar, the little ball of fluff running right to where Boscoe was making himself comfortable on the rug in the living room.

She headed into the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of wine out of the fridge, two glasses out of the cupboard, and set the items on the island. She uncorked the bottle and poured the wine, filling up the glasses. She glanced up briefly when she felt she was being watched.

Colton was just a few feet away, his hands in his pants pockets, his focus trained right on her.

She grabbed the two glasses and headed over to him, handing him one and instantly taking a sip from her own. She needed the liquid courage right now because the truth was she didn’t know if she could keep her feelings to herself.

That would be smart though.

She didn’t know if she could hold in her emotions, telling him exactly how she felt, how she had felt since the moment she’d met him. He’d annoyed her at first, despite his devilish good looks. His arrogance drove her crazy and caused her independent side to rear up. But when she’d gotten to know him she felt differently.

There they stood in silence. She wasn’t blind to the fact things felt different. The air seemed to heat, thicken, and her heart raced even more. If it wasn’t for her hand holding the wine glass, or the other one curled into a tight fist, she’d be shaking right now.

She took another hearty drink. She needed a little liquid courage right now. Sugar had to be honest with him because it was eating her up inside. She lifted her head and looked into Colton’s face, realizing he’d taken steps toward her. He was so close to her now, just a few feet away.

Just tell him how you feel. Damn the consequences. To hell with the fact it may not be “right.”

“Colton,” she whispered, her throat so dry all of a sudden.

But before she could say anything else he was standing right in front of her, his lips on hers, the flavor of everything he was making her moan.

She kissed him with all the pent-up arousal she had, with all the desire she felt for him. He took her wine glass away, and for just a second broke the kiss, set the glasses on the table beside them, and resumed kissing her.

Yeah, she wasn’t going to stop this moment, not this time.

12

On the walk to Sugar’s apartment, Colton kept trying to think of a million different reasons why he shouldn’t pursue her. Not one of them was a good enough reason to not kiss her or to try and have a relationship with her. So, when he stood in front of her and her lips just looked too tempting to not taste, he did the unthinkable and just kissed her.

That first taste kept him going. He didn’t want to stop. She let out a little whimper and that was it, he was addicted. Sliding his tongue across her bottom lip, he heard her moan deepen and he slid his tongue into her mouth. She gripped his arms and he couldn’t help it. Moving her back toward the wall, he took hold of her hands and locked them above her head, keeping her trapped at his mercy.

Breaking from the kiss, he stared down into her dark eyes. They were glazed over with arousal. The points of her nipples pressed against her shirt. She wanted him.