Page 35 of Resisting the Grump

She laughed hard at that, sighing afterwards as if the chuckle had taken her by surprise. “Well, that’s good. You’d be in for the disappointment of your life if you were.”

I smiled politely, but deep down, it was hard to imagine her disappointing me.

“Though that begs the question,” she asked, lifting her brows. “What are you after?”

I spun her towards me, pulling her hips flush with mine in the middle of the path. Her breath hitched when she looked up at me, and I swelled as the soft sound passed between her parted lips.

“What do you think I’m after?” I asked, searching her caramel-colored eyes as my heart squeezed in my chest.

“I don’t know.” Her eyes fell to my lips as her voice dropped to a whisper. “Tell me.”

I leaned forward, the citrus scent of her dark auburn hair filling my nose as I brought my lips to her ear. “I want to pull your hair while I melt down your throat like an oyster.”

Her fingertips dug reflexively into my arms as my words sank in, and I could imagine being with her, could imagine how we’d fit together. I could imagine dragging the bridge of my nose along her jawline as I sank inside her, her warm breath whispering my name like prayer.

“I see,” she breathed.

I slid my hands around her lower back and pulled her against me, my face curling towards the nape of her neck. “I want to bury myself so deep inside you that you howl at the moon as you wrap your legs around me.”

The heat of her exhale hit my cheek.

I leaned back and lifted her chin, fighting the urge to slide my fingers into her hair and taste her lips. “I want to make you feel so good that letting me taste every inch of you is all you think about, so good you realize you’ve never truly been had by anyone else.”

“Oliver...” She said my name like a plea but didn’t pull away. Instead, she stayed still, lingering in the shadow of my body like a deer that doesn’t know which way to move.

I dragged a finger down the column of her throat and wished I had something more substantial than a nearby hedge to push her up against. “But not tonight.” I lifted my face to look at her, noticing her lips looked as puckered and bee stung as if I’d kissed them the way I wanted to. “Tonight, I’ve promised to be the perfect gentleman.”

Disappointment flashed across her shiny eyes.

“Can’t give it all up on our first date and risk you not respecting me in the morning.”

Amusement brightened her expression.

“Does that answer your question?”

She nodded slowly and swallowed.

“But to be clear…” I glanced at the people minding their business across the street before returning my attention to her. “I’m only treating you like a lady because I think it’s what you deserve. Not because I think it’s what you want.”

She feigned a scowl but didn’t argue. “Bit presumptuous,”

I turned sideways and offered her an elbow.

“I haven’t even agreed to a second date much less…”

“Shhh.”

Her surprised eyes spun towards me.

“We both know you’re going to go out with me again.”

“Oh yeah?” Curiosity narrowed her gaze. “How do you figure?”

“Because if you weren’t, you would’ve slapped me back there.”

Her cheeks bloomed bright red.

I wondered how soon I’d get to find out if she flushed the same shade all over.

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