Page 88 of Eye Candy

CHASE

HavingCaroline back in my arms was a deep relief.

She pressed her body to me as if she had no intention of letting go, and I held her tightly so she would know I wouldn’t let her anyway.

We had to get out of this hallway; we were in a thoroughfare and it was far from private, but I couldn’t resist pressing my lips to hers one more time. I meant it as a gesture to seal things off, but kissing Caroline Holliday wasn’t the thing to do to try and slow your heart rate. It was the opposite, especially when she hitched her leg over my hip and pressed her body into mine, wordlessly begging me to pick her up and put those lush legs around my waist.

She was only wearing a robe, and underneath, the panties with all the straps she’d revealed onstage. I’d never seen underwear so extravagant yet so meager.

Showbiz was a feat of engineering.

Caroline plastered her body to mine as she kissed, and the buckles in the harness that had been holding her balloons duginto me. I groaned and gripped her shoulders to put some space between us.

“Not here.”

She blinked, her eyes unfocused, which made me feel like a proud caveman. “Right,” she said, pulling up the robe that had slipped off her shoulder and shaking herself slightly. “You’re right.” She seemed adorably annoyed that we couldn’t have sex on the hard concrete of a public hallway. “I just need ten minutes to say goodbye to everyone and tell them I’ll see them tomorrow morning. Then can we head back to your apartment?”

I considered pulling the fire alarm to make it happen faster. Instead, I said, “Go talk to your friends. When you’re done, we’ll go back to mine and you can get out of those clothes, hey? They can’t be comfortable.”

She looked at me over her shoulder, eyes playful. “Do you think I’ll be more comfortable naked?”

“Yes.”

Iwould be. My erection was about to split through my pants.

Caroline grinned. “That’s correct. See you out front in ten.”

It could have beena blood flow issue that made ten minutes feel like twenty, or maybe it really did take that long, but when I finally got my girl back to my apartment, I was nervous.

For something to do, I filled the electric kettle I’d bought and flicked it on.

Her eyes widened when she saw the addition to my kitchen, and correctly guessed the reason for it. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“And—” I pulled the box of tea out of the cupboard and held it out to show her.

“Yorkshire!” She clapped her hands and bounced a little.

As Caroline sipped her tea, I tried not to stare too hungrily orseem too impatient. She’d swapped her robe for sweats before getting in my car, and I was dying to know whether she’d changed out of the strappy panties too.

Finally, she set her mug on the counter, on a coaster. It was hard to explain, but that heated my blood almost as much as the panties.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked.

I couldn’t lie. “You. In my bed.”

“Let’s go then, Mr. Moral.” She hitched her duffel bag over her arm and walked in the direction of my bedroom. “I’ll need help undressing.”

“Sure,” I followed, but stopped in my tracks when she peeled off her sweats and I saw what she meant. She still wore the underwear with all the straps, but she’d taken off the harness and now I could see the sparkly disks over her nipples. She wore no bra, and the sway of her breasts and full swoop of her thighs had my pulse hammering. It was one thing to see her like this onstage, and another to have her all to myself in my bedroom.

A bit stunned, I pointed at the disks. “What do you call those?”

“Pasties.” She raised up on her tiptoes and bounced. The tassels hanging from the disks jerked and spun in quick circles. I tracked their movement, fascinated.

“You’ll tell me if I do anything you don’t like?” I asked, my voice rougher than intended.

“Yes. I’ll always tell you to stop if I need you to. Or if my mouth is busy”—I had to squeeze my eyes shut for a second—“I’ll pinch you.”

I don’t know who moved first, but there wasn’t anything more to say. We were on each other, mouths meeting in a clash of urgency. As she always did, Caroline softened in my arms, letting down her guard. I loved that about her. I loved everything about her.

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