“Penelope,” I growled, stalking her slowly.
“Um, hi,” she whispered, and I took a good look at her.
Fuck.
She was gorgeous. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Clearly, she’d been crying. Her eyes and nose were red.
I wanted to hunt down and kill whatever had distressed her, only I had the tiniest inkling it was me.
“Um, I’m sorry A-Avery called you like that,” she said.
“Don’t apologize. Talk to me.”
“I don’t know where to start,” she replied, her cheeks turning pink.
My Pretty Penny.
Sweet Sugarplum.
“Start with what I did wrong last night,” I growled.
She looked away, averting her gaze, and I didn’t like that. I wanted, no, I needed her eyes on me. So I moved closer, my hands on her neck, lifting her chin with my thumbs.
“God, you’re so fucking pretty.”
“You don’t have to say things like that,” she whispered.
“It’s only the truth, Sugarplum. You’re not asking me to lie to you, are you?”
“No, actually. I only want the truth,” she said, and I tightened my hold, relishing the way her pulse throbbed beneath my fingers.
Need pumped through my veins, and I had to work to stop the growl building inside my chest from spilling from my lips. But I couldn’t wait another moment to kiss her. That would be asking too much from a saint, and I sure as fuck wasn’t that.
I was a motherfucking Devil, and this woman was mine.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN-PENELOPE
Iknew his intentions only a split second before his lips came down on mine, and then I was lost to the sensation of Max Leeds kissing the hell out of me while holding me with his big hands wrapped around my throat and his hard body pressed against mine.
He was so big. So strong. I knew he had to be crouched down because of our height difference for this to work. But it wasn’t a big concern.
All I knew was this man was kissing me, and it was every bit as good as last night. Even better.
Last night.
I frowned and ducked my head, ending the kiss. Max pressed his forehead to mine.
“What is it, Sugarplum? I thought you had fun last night. And you sure don’t seem to mind kissing me now,” he said softly.
Well, as softly as a guy like him could get. His voice had this rough and tumble quality. Deep, seductive, and delicious, and it only got more gravelly as time went on.
“Did you have fun last night?” I asked.
“Of course, I did. And I thought you did, too. But then your friend calls me saying something about an app and some guy named Bob, who’s a dead man, by the way, if he comes near you, and all I can say is what did I do?”
I was holding him by the wrists, and I realized we were still wrapped up together against the wall. I nudged him, and he released me, stepping back to give me room.
That was good. I needed space to breathe and to think, to get out what I had to say.