Page 35 of Puck & Make Up

I swat at his shoulder. “There are no pole skills to speak of. The station didn’t even have one.”

His mouth curves up, making his beard twitch. “Well, that’s disappointing.”

“Sodisappointing,” I tease. “And most of our call outs were for medical emergencies, not to actually put out fires.”

“Also disappointing.”

I roll my eyes. “All of that being said, you really should head home. It’s late, and you have a long drive in the morning.”

He turns and, if I’m not mistaken, there might be the barest thread of hurt in his eyes. You really want me to go?” he asks quietly.

Yes.

No.

Yes.

No.

But I don’t say those things aloud. Instead, I remind him, “It’s late and you have a life to get back to.”

“Sugar.”

It’s a reprimand.

One I narrow my eyes at.

“Princess,” I say pulling out a nickname from months ago that I know pisses him off.

But tonight, he just grins, as though it doesn’t bother him in the least and says, “Trying to make me mad, sugar?”

Ugh.

Why can he read me so easily?

“I’m trying to let you off the hook,” I grumble.

“And have I not made it clear that I don’t want to be letoff the hook?”he counters, turning to fully face me.

The heat in his eyes has my pulse picking up its pace, and I suck in a breath when he comes closer. The intensity woven into his expression, the coiled strength in his big body…

I want.

So fucking badly.

My thighs tremble when he settles his hand on my knee, the warmth of his palm soaking through my pants, burning into my skin.

What I wouldn’t give for him to slide that hand a little higher.

Then higher until?—

“Have I not made it clear that I’m interested in you?” he asks, voice like roughened velvet stroking between my thighs. “Have I not made it clear that I dream about you, that I want to stroke every inch of your body, that I want to lick you from head to toe and then back up again. I need to find out how you taste,haveto hear the sounds you make when you come. But first—” His voice drops, turning silken as he brushes his thumb along my bottom lip. “I’m just fucking desperate to kiss you.”

I shiver as he nudges me back onto the cushions again, his big body coming over me, covering me from head to toe. Heat gathers between my legs, making me go damp and warm and soft.

“This is a bad idea.” But I don’t push him away, and my words lack any kind of strength.

“No,” he says, “I think it’s the best idea either of us has ever had.”

---