30. I Licked It, so it’s Mine

Jared

What in the hell am I doing? I had no plans to come here when I left the casino, my mind chaotic with thoughts of Sophie, my subconscious took over and guided me to the one place I wanted to be most––here. With her.

It was the worst kind of torture, watching her all afternoon, hoping she’d look my way even though there was no way she could actually see me through the reflective glass of my office window. If she had at least tried, it would’ve given me a sliver of hope that she was having just as much trouble focusing after our lunch as I was. That maybe she was thinking about my slip of the tongue. How I’d blurted out that her peck on the cheek was the best kiss…

But she never even glanced in my direction. I know because I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Not even for a second.

And when she left without saying goodbye, my mood plummeted even further.

This is probably a mistake. I should have just gone home and slept it off. We could start fresh tomorrow and solidify our relationship as strictly professional. We’d both move on from the awkwardness, and everything would be fine.

Eventually.

But I’m here now, and there’s no way in hell I’m leaving until she tells me to go. I need to know if this attraction is one-sided or if she’s as drawn to me as I am to her.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I quickly unlock the screen to read her response.

Sophie: Apt. 4C.

That’s all the invitation I need, and I’m out of my car and jogging toward the building’s entrance before either of us can change our minds. I press the button to call the elevator, but when it doesn’t arrive in three seconds, I bite out a curse and slam my way into the stairwell. Taking the steps two at a time, I make it to the fourth floor in less than a minute.

Pushing through the door, I find myself in a long, tiled corridor. I hurry toward the opposite end, following the letters until I find her apartment. I lift my hand to knock, and the door swings open on the first rap of my knuckles against the wood.

My pulse skyrockets as my eyes devour her, looking somehow cute and sexy at once in her plaid boxer shorts and thin t-shirt. She waits until my gaze rakes back up to her face before speaking.

“Why are you here, Jared?” she asks, her cracked and breathy voice tickling my skin and setting my nerve endings ablaze.

“I honestly don’t know,” I say, peering into her blue eyes.

Her throat works as she swallows thickly, then her tongue darts out to wet her lips. I inhale sharply as the blood rushes to my cock, and Sophie’s chest starts to heave.

She feels this thing––this pull––between us. I know she does. The only question now is whether she’ll give into the feelings or deny us both.

“I don’t know how or when it happened, but something has changed between us, Sophie,” I say when she doesn’t speak. “I know you can sense it. It’s like all the angry tension between us morphed into something else, and I want to explore it.”

She sucks in a long, shuddering breath, and I quickly spit out the rest.

“To be perfectly clear, I want to kiss you, for real this time. I want to feel those perfect lips on mine, to taste you and see if you’re as spicy-sweet as I’ve been imagining.” I pause for a beat, then add, “Or I can leave, and we can pretend this never happened. Go on as we have been, keeping things strictly prof––”

My words cut off on a grunt as she slams into me. Her hands are in my hair and her legs are around my waist, squeezing me tightly as her lips nibble at mine. My hands automatically grip her ass to support her weight as I stomp forward into her apartment, kicking the door shut behind me before spinning around to pin her to it.

I lick at the seam of her lips, and they part, her own tongue darting out to meet mine in a frenzied, yet somehow perfectly choreographed riot of motion. There’s a roaring in my ears, and my heart is pounding against my ribs as a sense of profound rightness washes over me.

Mine, mine, mine, my mind screams as my hands knead her ass and her fingers tear at my hair.

I push her down against me, letting her feel how rock hard I am, and she groans into my mouth. She breaks off the kiss, tilting her head back to gasp for air, and I take the opportunity to lick and nip at the column of her throat.

Her hips buck against me, and a growl rumbles deep in my chest. Pulling back, I wait for her to meet my eyes. The blue of her irises is nearly blacked out by her expanding pupils, and she’s panting with need.

“Tell me you want this, Sophie. That you want me.”

She nods quickly, then swallows before saying, “I want you.”

Tightening my grip on her, I seal my mouth to hers before spinning around and carrying her to an open door just past the living room. A quick glance proves it is, indeed, the bedroom, and I carry her to the bed. She clings to me like a spider monkey as I bend over to lay her down, and we kiss like the world’s ending for several beats as my hand slides under her t-shirt.

She’s not wearing a bra, and I’m pretty sure I black out for a split second as my palm covers her breast. She bucks against me at the contact, and I rip my mouth away from hers to yank her shirt over her head. I freeze, staring at her perfect breasts as I pant for breath.

Tags: Piper James Romance
Source: readsnovelonline.net