Page 87 of Love Without Demands

We stayed in the kitchen for almost an hour, laughing, talking, and sipping wine. I hadn’t spent much time with Kassie before this but found that I really liked the sweet, funny attorney.

At one point, Cruz and Monty came into the kitchen to replenish the food tables in the living room, and my heart rate sped up when Cruz gave me a sexy smile that would melt butter.

“Uh, no sir, dear brother-in-law,” Gianna said, smacking Monty’s hand when he reached for the tray of shrimp toast on the center island. “We’ve claimed these for ourselves.”

“You ever noticed how much Cruz and Monty look alike?” Kassie asked after the guys left.

I nodded, comparing their similar faces and builds in my mind. “They do, though, of course, Cruz’s skin tone is darker.”

“And they and Auburn all have those amazing blue eyes,” Gianna said, nibbling on a piece of the delicious shrimp toast. “Hey, we should have a girls’ night at my house next weekend.”

“That sounds fun,” Kassie said, and I nodded my agreement. Cruz would be working, so I knew we wouldn’t be doing any of our role playing scenes.That is, if he even still wants to.

“Good. See if Artie wants to come. I miss his face,” Gia said.

“Let me text him.” I pulled out my phone and sent him a message, receiving an instant reply. Laughing, I met Gianna’s eyes. “He said he’s in as long as Auburn will be there. Shirtless.”

“Tell him he can look at my man candy, but no touching,” she replied with a cheeky grin, rising from her plush barstool. “I need to go check on the kids.”

“I’ll go with you. I want to check on Sully too,” Kass said.

“I’m going to get another glass of wine,” I told them as they left the kitchen. Going to the small wine fridge, I pulled out the bottle, almost dropping it when a pair of hands landed on the counter on either side of me.

The sultry scent I knew so well surrounded me as firm lips lightly grazed my neck. “Were you a dominatrix in a former life, Tink?” Cruz asked, and a shiver passed down my spine at the sound of his husky, deep voice.

Setting down the wine, I turned to face him, and he took the opportunity to step even closer, plastering his front against mine.

“I’m so sorry about last night,” I blurted, and his sexy smirk morphed into a frown.

“What are you sorry for?”

“I tied you up, and you didn’t want to be tied up. I read your list, I really did, but I guess I just got caught up in the moment, and then I remembered this morning, and I freaked out and came to your apartment, but you weren’t there, and I’m so sorry.” I realized I was talking in one long, run-on sentence, but I was unable to stop myself.

Cruz stopped me though. With gentle hands on my face and a not-so-gentle kiss against my lips. “Shut up, Lehra.”

“I… what?” I was feeling a bit dazed from the kiss.

“I liked it. I liked everything you did last night. In fact, if you want to tie me up and have your filthy way with me every fucking day, I’m down for it.”

My eyes searched his. “Y-you’re not mad at me?”

Those panty-dropping dimples appeared alongside his slow smile. “I’m not mad, sweetheart. I put no on that question because I didn’t think it was something I’d be into. I was wrong. If I didn’t like it, I would have told you.”

My entire body melted with relief, like a chocolate bar left in the sun. “Okay, good. I got in my head and freaked out.”

His thumbs brushed lazy circles on my cheeks. “You know you can always talk to me, right?” I nodded, my lips parting when he lowered his mouth to mine. Diving in with his tongue, Cruz ran a hand beneath my curls to grip the hair at the base of my neck. The kiss was deep and perfect, his fingers massaging lightly against my scalp.

When he pulled back, his thumb dusted over my bottom lip. “I think—”

“Does she have food on her face?”

We jerked apart as soon as we heard the small voice. Kassie’s little boy was standing only a few feet away, looking curiously up at us.

“Sully, my dude,” Cruz said, with faux cheerfulness, taking another step back. “Yeah, uh, Lehra had something on her mouth.”

Uh-huh. Your mouth.

“You have to do it like this,” the boy said, licking his thumb and miming rubbing something from an imaginary face. “That’s what my mom does.” His cute nose wrinkled as his voice lowered. “With spit.”

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