Page 38 of Once Kissed

“Did you like it? Did it feel good?”

She opens and closes her mouth several times, just like she does whenever I tell her something she might not want to hear. She then glances around to see who’s listening before hunkering in close. “What does that have to do with anything?” she whispers, tightly.

I give her a one-shoulder shrug. “Just answer the question.”

Tess presses her full lips together, and for a second, I’m sure she’s going to lie and say no. Then I see it, that spark in her eyes that tells me she’s remembering what I did, and maybe how I held her hair when she fell to her knees and pulled me into her mouth. “Yes,” she answers. “I did like it.”

I latch on to her gaze and hold it. It’s only for a moment, but it’s long enough to show her that I know she’s thinking about us, and what we did. I take a sip of my water. “Then what’s to regret?” I lean back, pretending not to care, and that the conversation is over. But I’m a man, after all, and now I can’t shake the image of her riding me hard.

Shit.

“Didyoulike it?” she asks, barely above a whisper.

I pause before reaching for my water glass again. Yeah, the old jeans aren’t as loose as when I first sat down. “Sure.” Another sip, another stretch against the denim.

“That’s it?” she asks. “That’s all you’re going to say.”

I grin then. “Were you expecting something else?”

She adjusts her glasses. Aw, hell, did I mention she does naughty librarian well? “I just thought you’d elaborate,” she stammers. “You always have a lot to say.”

I laugh. “You saying I run my mouth?”

Her voice quiets. “Not when it matters, Curran.”

Ouch.

Considering she called me out, I don’t say anything right away. My eyes travel to her neckline. It’s high enough to be respectable, but low enough to give me a peek at the swells of her breasts. My jeans tighten further when I think how good it’d feel to give those nipples a flick. “You want me to elaborate?” I ask, my voice deepening.

“No.”

“No?”

She plays with her hands, growing flustered. “I just assumed you would.”

I think back to that night, how we couldn’t stop touching each other or driving each other wild. And yeah, maybe I also think about how those doe eyes watched me when she swallowed before I threw her on the bed and returned the favor tenfold.

Maybe that’s why I shoot off my mouth before I can stop myself. “I like the way you tasted,” I admit.

Her fingers tighten around her glass.“Tasted?”she squeaks.

“That’s right.” I finish my water, slowly, as if my comment’s no big deal. As if I’m not popping enough wood to shame a forest.

I fix my attention on the giant flat screen, where the 76ers are trying to keep the Bulls from scoring. It looks like a good game, but all I see is Tess and her spread legs, begging me for it.

I’m hard as a bowling pin and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Not here, and not with Tess.

As the game progresses, I settle enough to stand, but not enough to walk straight.

I can’t forget my time with Tess.

Or that she’s close enough to touch.

“Come on,” I tell her. “I’ll take you home.”

We reach the car as the first few snowflakes break through the clouds. She slips inside quietly when I open her door, keeping her face away from mine. It’s just as well. Declan would beat my ass if he knew I crossed a line. For all the ball-busting I do, the job means everything to me. I can’t jeopardize it for a skirt.

No matter how pretty that skirt is.

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