Page 39 of Once Kissed

The flakes morph from the thick ones that don’t quite stick to the little bastard ones that do. This is the type of snow that causes roads to ice over and businesses to shut down. Already a good chunk of it is accumulating on the wipers. I adjust their speed as we draw closer to Tess’s place, but by the time I pull into the lot, they’re on their highest setting.

I park as close as I can to the door and cut the engine, snagging her arm when she opens the door. “Wait. Don’t get out without me. You’re gonna kill yourself in those shoes.”

I walk around and help her out. She wraps her arms around mine. “Is this okay?” she asks carefully, motioning to the way she’s holding me.

And damn it all, her doe eyes are looking up at me again. “Yeah. Sure,” I say, leading her forward, my voice gruff.

Her arms slide away from mine as we wait for the elevator. Neither of us speaks.Maybe it’s better this way,I tell myself.

I step through when the doors open on her floor, making sure everything’s clear before allowing her into the hall. It’s too cold to wait in my car. I’ll probably have to keep watch from the chair at the end of the hall until Lu arrives.

It’s going to be a long few hours. Not just because of my stakeout point, but because of all my thoughts revolving around Tess’s panties hitting the floor.

Sports. Think sports, asshole.

I press my back against the wall as I wait for her to unlock her apartment. She fumbles with her keys, appearing to struggle with the one to her deadbolt. Her hands are shaking; she’s probably cold.

“Here. I got it,” I say, lifting the keys from her hand.

I unlock the door and push it open before dropping her keys into her open palm. “Thank you,” she says, noticing that I’m doing my best not to touch her.

Without another word, I proceed ahead and do a full sweep of her apartment. When I’m done, I notice she’s still waiting by the door. She hung up her coat and placed her purse on the antique table, but that shouldn’t have taken her long. Why is she still standing there?

She inches forward so she’s just in front of that hall table, her hands folded over her flat stomach. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I say, wondering why she seems on edge. I prowl forward when she doesn’t move and stop directly in front of her. “What’s up?”

“When you said—” She clears her throat and looks around. But there’s not much there.

It’s just me and her.

“Just say it,” I tell her, my voice unusually tight.

Again, she clears her throat, this time meeting me square in the face. “When you said you liked how I tasted, you weren’t talking about the way we kissed, were you?”

It’s as if every shred of body heat heads south and straight into my erection. “No,” I bite out.

I’m not sure who leans in first, and I don’t care. Our lips smash into each other and our bodies collide.

My hands immediately grab her hips, smoothing down to palm her ass. I back her into the table, barely managing to flip the deadbolt while she yanks off my jacket.

We’re all over each other. My fingers, they can’t keep still. They rake up her body, tangling in her hair as I pull her closer and deepen our kiss. My opposite hand trails from the nape of her neck to her breasts and back up, teasing her as it slides along the silky fabric. She moans. She likes it. Maybe she’ll like this, too.

I curl my body to shove my hand beneath her long skirt. She breaks our kiss, groaning when I rub my fingers along the crotch of her panties. “Do you want me to stop?” I rasp against her ear.

“No,” she whimpers. “Please don’t stop.”

It’s all I need to hear. I tear off her panties and hoist her onto the small table. “Open your legs for me, beautiful.”

Her head falls against the wall as she complies, pulling her skirt up and dropping her knees open. She gasps when I part her folds, my tongue immediately finding the spot I need.

I don’t just lick, or suck, or nibble. I devour her soft flesh, pulling it into my hot mouth.

Tess cries out, her pelvis tilting back and forth against my face, her movements fast and forcing the table to slam in a perfect beat against the wall. “Curran,” she gasps. “God,Curran.”

Her hands smooth over my head, pulling me closer and deeper. I shove her knees out, extending her as far as she can go, knowing I need more of her.

She comes with a loud grunt, but it’s not loud enough. So I keep going, until those grunts turn into throaty screams.

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