Lie (Betrothed 8)

I grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back. With one gentle move, I pulled her into me, her chest against mine, and placed my kiss on her lips.

I closed my eyes at the connection, finally feeling those full lips that I had stared at so many times. My hand slid from her arm and down her back, coming into contact with her bare skin for the first time. My outstretched fingers planted across the expanse of her back, and I drew her into me, invigorated by this sexy woman.

She didn’t pull away.

She didn’t fight, kick, or bite.

She surrendered.

She was still at first, taking seconds to process what I’d just done. Last time I grabbed her, she spun out of my grasp so fast, it was clear that my touch was the last thing she wanted. Now, she submitted, completely gave in to me when she felt my mouth on hers.

Fuck, it was nice.

She pulled away, taking her lips off mine so she could stare at me. A dazed expression was on her face, as if she couldn’t believe what had happened. My hand was still on her back, but she didn’t push it away. She didn’t grab a drink and throw it in my face. She could easily knee me in the balls right now. That didn’t happen either.

She cupped my face and pulled my mouth back to hers, kissing me hard, kissing me aggressively like that had been all she wanted to do since she’d laid eyes on me. Her lips were hungry as she kissed me, and she breathed into my lungs and took my oxygen away. “Asshole…” She moved closer, her tits right in my chest. Her fingers moved into my short hair, and she moaned into my mouth as she kissed me.

Damn.

I matched her desire with my own hunger, falling into the best kiss of my life. I could feel how much she hated me, but I could also feel how much she enjoyed me. Somehow that made the experience even better, feeling her battle both emotions. She knew how to kiss a man, how to give her tongue in the sexiest way. She knew how to breathe, how to pace, how to kiss without tapping her teeth against mine. Her hand slid down my neck to my chest, and she tugged on my shirt like she wanted to take it off. My hand slid up her back and moved into her hair, coming into contact with one of her softest features.

She quickly pulled away, that fire back in her gaze. Now she looked at me like she really did hate me, but she hated me more because that kiss was so damn good.

She slapped me across the face—not hard, but not soft either. Her palm struck my cheek with purpose.

I didn’t turn with the hit. Part of me expected it to happen even though she’d kissed me, because her emotions were always erupting at unpredictable intervals. I wasn’t angry.

In fact, I kinda liked it.

Then she grabbed my arm and yanked me into her again, kissing me with the same intensity.

Fuck.

I smiled against her lips and cupped the back of her head, my fingertips sliding into the fall of her hair. I fell harder into this woman than I ever had with anyone else, suffocated by our volatile chemistry. I never knew what was gonna happen, and that made me so fucking addicted. She might hate me one moment, then need me the next.

She pushed me away again. Self-loathing was written all over her face, her eyes skeptical as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just done. She released a big breath, packed with so much irritation she didn’t know what to do with it. “This is over.” She turned around and walked off, her nectarine ass so fucking plump.

I wipe my thumb over my lips, tracing the areas where her lipstick was now on my face. There was no reason to chase her because I had everything I needed. She wanted me, felt exactly what I felt with that kiss. She would come back for more.

It was only a matter of time.

I gave her a few days to process what happened. She loved that kiss; she loved my lips. She hit me because she was angry by how much she liked it, not because of my actions. The memory of our embrace would make her hot whenever she thought about it, and maybe my distance would make her want it more.

She was worth the wait, so I could be patient.

I decided to go to her show again, but this time, I didn’t sit in the front row. I enjoyed her in the back, watching her move across the stage without her having any idea I was there. Now that I’d kissed her, I desired her even more. Watching her move her body in the most elegant ways was so sexy.