Tempting the Crown (The Crown 1)

“Sexy.” He waggled his eyebrows.

I stepped back to let him in, feeling confident he liked the dress. It was the shortest black one I had.

“And where am I going in this short dress?” I asked.

He walked into the living room and looked around. “I told you it was a surprise.”

He looked just as edible as he had last night. Part of me was reassured he wasn’t a dream or a vision I had concocted. He was wearing dark charcoal pants that showed how athletic his shape was. He had a crisp white buttoned shirt. And he was wearing the same intoxicating cologne.

“This is a cool place.” He walked toward the deck. “You said you have a roommate?”

I stood next to him. I had left the lights on and they twinkled from the posts.

“Yes. We were college roommates. Five years later we’re living together again. I think it will be fun.”

He nodded. His eyes were focused on something in the distance. He slid the door open and stepped onto the roof.

“Is she home?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. She works late most of the time.”

He saw the bottle of wine and the empty glass.

“Is she going to be home anytime soon?”

I hadn’t seen Greer since the bar last night. I hadn’t called her all day either. “I don’t know.” I stepped outside to join him. “I better unplug these if we’re going to leave.” I walked around to reach for the lights.

As I bent over to jerk the plug from the wall Vaughn came up behind me.

“Leave them.”

I stood slowly, feeling how close he was to my back.

“But I thought you wanted…”

He spun me around to face him. I searched the darkness of his eyes, recognizing the look of hunger as his mouth brushed against my lips.

“I said leave them,” he growled before taking my mouth under his with a rough kiss.

Instinctively I wrapped my hands around his neck, tugging him closer to me, deepening the kiss with sudden urgency.

This wasn’t like last night. This wasn’t the romance of a first kiss. This was the thirst for wanting it again—wanting more. There was no one watching. No driver waiting. Only Vaughn and me on a twinkle-lit rooftop.

I gasped when I felt the roughness of his palm cup my ass. He gripped it firmly and squeezed, but the kiss never stopped. He sucked and tugged at my lips, letting his tongue dart next to mine before sinking his teeth along my bottom lip. I moaned.

My eyes opened and he stared at me intently.

He took a heavy breath. My chest heaved and I noticed his hand was still holding my ass. I didn’t dare move or wiggle out of his hold. I liked how possessive it felt. I liked how this man knew exactly what he wanted.

My body eased into his and I tipped forward, drawing his lips to mine. I wanted more. His tongue lashed back and forth while my arms circled the toned muscles of his back. The ridges flexed and contracted under my touch.

While one hand pinned my waist, the other was moving in circles, massaging my ass, until the lace I was wearing was shoved to the side. He slid his fingers from the small of my back over the curve of my cheek, plunging them between my slit. I whimpered, but he held me steady.

“This wasn’t what I was planning, but I like your kind of surprise better, Emily.” He breathed in my ear while he pried my folds and I rocked into his fingers. My head rolled back. “Do you like it?”

“Mmmhmm.” I closed my eyes as the sensations took over.

He kissed the side of my neck and swept his lips over my throat. My hips moved with the rhythm his fingers created.