Page 45 of Love JD

“Okay, I think I got it all.” He set the bird feeder aside and gently untangled my hair tie from my hair and massaged the tresses out with careful strokes. Being touched by Zev was like eating the middle of the brownie pan—warm, delectable, and mildly addictive. Also, most likely, dangerous for my health.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, starting to sit up.

His big hands framed my face and eased me back down. “No, you don’t. You’re bleeding everywhere.”

I held up my forearm and looked at the steady trickle of blood that, despite my earlier concerns, had stained my gray outfit. “Dammit.”

“Are you saying that because you hurt yourself or because it stained your clothing?” he asked with censure already waiting in the wings.

I ran my tongue along my bottom lip. “I’m saying it because I don’t want to be on a countertop.”

“I don’t know why.” Zev’s voice dropped a notch as he leaned over me with his hands still framing my face, radiating warmth into my cheeks. His eyes roved over my upside-down face. “Counter height is fun.”

The fact that I’d already let my mind meander down that path once already only made his words tickle down my belly and between my legs. Fuck. I swallowed, knowing he could see the nervous gesture. “Food… is fun,” I admitted breathlessly.

His lips twitched, and I fixated on them, which was all too easy to do at this vantage point. “Eating on counters is infinitely easier than other places,” he conceded.

He’s teasing you, I reminded myself. This doesn’t mean anything. Stop reading into it. I tried to turn it back to safer ground. “What’s your favorite food?”

“Goat,” he replied immediately.

My face lit on fire. “Oh my God.”

Chuckling, he stepped away. “I’ll get the first aid kit. Don’t go anywhere.”

Like I could move even if I wanted to. When Zev returned, he muttered something about needing super glue on hand—not a terrible idea with me here—but cleaned off the gash and fitted an adhesive gauze around it.

I gave him an uncertain eye bounce. “Am I good?”

Zev rotated around so he stood behind my head again, and leaning over with his hands planted on either side of my shoulders, he brought his face close to mine. “Good? You’re fucking peachy, Isla.” He leaned over further, and my heart stuttered as he hovered his lips over mine. “How do you feel about a follow-up lesson?”

“Upside-down kissing is a thing?” I whispered with a tilt of my head.

He righted my face again so his lips could brush against mine. “It was good enough for Spider-Man.”

“Huh?”

He puffed out a laugh. “Right. Before your time.” His thumbs caressed the corners of my mouth. “It’s very much a thing.”

Curiosity drove my lust straight over a cliff. “Show me.”

Zev molded his lips to mine, sliding over my mouth like whipped honey. His short beard, kept just longer than five-o’clock shadow, scratched against my nose pleasantly as he moved, fitting his lips between mine and coaxing them open. When his tongue swept along the inside of my mouth, flicking at my bottom teeth, it caused desire to slide like hot oil down my navel and straight to my core.

I let out an unconscious moan. Zev froze, and I stiffened, opening my eyes. He groaned in response, and against my mouth he murmured, “I might eat you after all.”

Please, yes, I thought desperately. “I dusted myself with birdseed for you. Pre-seasoned.”

His chuckle came out rough and tinged with something feral, and then he slanted his mouth against mine with desperate hunger. I reached up my hands and threaded them through his hair, tugging at the roots as he made good on his promise and devoured my mouth like a sugar addict in a chocolate factory.

When he broke the kiss, I had to force my fingers to resist yanking him back down. I released my grip and he pulled away far enough to catch my eyes with his. “I’m fully convinced you’ve made this whole thing up. I don’t think you needed kissing lessons.”

“You’re right,” I replied seriously. “I was just trying to get into your pants.”

He gave an answering, crooked grin. “Devious peach.” He dipped down again, tickling a kiss on the underside of my jaw and causing me to shiver. “It’s working.”

I couldn’t believe any of this was happening. I’d assumed after Starla’s appearance that he had been humoring me. But people didn’t “humor” other people to this point, did they? Then again, Zev was probably used to having flings without too much thought. If what Azura had told me about him was true, he had a new partner every weekend.

And if that was the case, then what was to stop me from learning more? If Zev enjoyed it, and I wanted it, then what was there to lose? While the idea of asking made me want to throw up a little, the idea of not asking when I had the perfect opportunity felt infinitely worse.

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