Page 45 of Kiss and Tell

Lucy’s grimace answered that question, so she didn’t bother to answer it, but instead lodged one of her own. “Is he always this relentless?” she asked Miles.

“Honestly? Yes,” Miles replied. In the past, he’d always considered Joey’s drive one of the best things about him because their ambitions lined up perfectly. They were committed to making the show a continued success, hoping to draw this career out for as long as they could. After all,House Hunterswas still going strong after two decades. They wouldn’t mind beating that record.

“You know you want to do this, Lucy.” Joey took her beer away, placing it next to his on the end table. “If it helps, call it a work trip. You can bring your equipment and record a few episodes ofKiss and Tellwhile we’re on the road.”

With that suggestion, Joey managed to slam the last nail in Miles’s coffin because his friend had finally dangled the ultimate carrot.

“Icoulddo that,” Lucy said softly. “I’ve always wanted…”

“You don’t really want the show to be a hobby, Luce,” Joey continued. “Why not take the next few weeks to see if you could turn it into a career. Your dream job, right?”

She nodded, clearly overwhelmed by temptation. “It is,” she confessed. “I think if I told Sam and Theo I would be filming the show…”

Joey stroked Lucy’s hair, and Miles didn’t miss her soft intake of air at the touch or the slightest tinge of pink creeping up her neck to her cheeks.

Joey leaned toward her, his lips next to her ear. “They’d encourage you to go.”

“They would,” she whispered.

Miles tried to ignore the way his body was responding to this conversation.

No. It wasn’t the words that were impacting him.

It was their body language. He was reacting to Joey’s hand slipping beneath Lucy’s hair to gently grip her neck. To the way Lucy’s eyelids became heavy. To the way she turned her face just the slightest bit until Joey’s lips were a mere inch from hers.

Miles told himself he should get up and walk away, but he couldn’t. Just like he couldn’t stop watching them.

He was tempted to tell Joey to hurry the hell up and kiss her. Then he wanted to demand he do more. Like unbutton her pretty blouse and run his lips along that elegant neck, down to her breasts. From there, he’d suggest Joey draw her bra down until one of her nipples popped free, so his friend could take it in his mouth and suck until Lucy moaned.

Jesus Christ. He’d never considered himself a voyeur, but he wouldn’t mind a show.

To keep himself from speaking, Miles took a long sip of his beer, nearly draining the bottle, before deciding alcohol was the last thing he needed right now. He should keep his wits about him. He put the bottle down, trying again to make himself leave the room.

Joey must have sensed the war he was waging with himself because his friend’s gaze darted over Lucy’s shoulder to capture his, and Miles saw the subtle way Joey shook his head before turning back to her…and giving her the kiss Miles had been waiting for.

This kiss was much different from the first one Miles had stood witness to on the porch. That one, while hot, had been more tentative, an exploration, a get-to-know-you kind of first-date kiss.

This one surpassed that by far, Joey and Lucy coming together like they’d known each other for years. It was as if they were ravished, their hungry, passionate embrace rivaling those of lovers reunited after a war.

Joey gripped her neck tightly in one hand, the other slipping around her back. Lucy’s fists clenched his shirt, tugging him closer with a desperation that took Miles’s breath away. He saw their lips part, their tongues touch, and suddenly, Miles was parched for his own taste.

He sat there, still as a statue. Or so he thought.

Between one blink and the next, he realized he wasn’t as far away as he’d been a minute ago. Because before…he couldn’t feel the heat from their bodies, couldn’t smell the beer on their breath as their kiss went nuclear.

Joey released Lucy, rubbing his beard against her cheek as he whispered in her ear, loud enough for both of them to hear. “Kiss Miles. I want to see it this time.”

Miles tried to resist, but everything about tonight—the cozy fireplace and romantic atmosphere in the restaurant, the wine, the way Lucy’s lips were right there, so full and pink and utterly kissable—was just too much. So, he allowed himself to shut down all the thoughts and anxieties and bad feelings that had been swirling around inside him for nearly a week and give in to what he wanted.

One kiss, he thought as he looked at her.

Just one.

Lucy twisted, desire etched in every line on her face, and he was helpless to resist her. They slammed together with the same level of need as they showed Joey exactly what he’d missed yesterday morning. Miles grasped her waist, his fingers itching to pull her over his lap, so that he could feel the heat from her pussy against his denim-covered cock. He hadn’t dry-humped since he was a teenager, but damn if he didn’t want to do that with Lucy.

She cupped his cheeks in her soft hands, kissing him like…

Fuck. She kissed him like he mattered.

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