Page 21 of Best Kept Secret

She licked her lips again, and her breath was ragged. I brought my lips closer to hers, my eyes drilling into hers, keeping her with me.

Stay, baby, stay with me.

I dropped a hand from her hair to curve her face and at the same time placed my mouth on hers. She opened, letting me in, and I plunged my tongue inside her mouth. She moaned, and I was fucking gone. I tasted her, slow, and then fast. Languid, and then hungry. She wasn't stepping away, she wasn't pushing me away. I felt like I'd won a trophy.

The kiss deepened, evolving into something else, something more. I wanted to move my hand beneath her skirt and see if she was wet for me. She would be. The way she was pushing against me, angling her head so she could get more of me—no way she wasn't damp, open, wanting me to fill her. That thought made me dizzy.

What the fuck? Beau Bodine who had sex all the time was dizzy? Sex was an avocation for me. I enjoyed it and women—butI didn't wax poetic about busting a nut. But then a kiss had never been this intense before, this deep, this fucking satisfying.

She whimpered, and instead of raising my head, I further invaded her mouth, plundering. I wasn't used to not taking who I wanted, and when and how I wanted. I wasn't used to tempering my needs. I wasn't looking for a relationship with women. I just wanted to fuck them, and sometimes, I wanted two women at the same time—but not with Mira. That thought struck me hard, harder than my dick, in fact. I wantedonlyher. She would be enough, more than fucking enough. She'd be everything.

"Fuck, but you're tempting," I whispered against her ear, my mouth exploring her face. "You're a sexy temptress, aren't you? Teasing me, tempting me."

She froze, went board stiff. Even in my heightened state, there was no way I couldn't feel her complete withdrawal.

I raised my head, not releasing her. "Baby?"

"I wasn't teasing," she blurted out, her eyes big, filled with…fear?

I dropped my hands away from her. Had I misread her signals? Had I forced myself on Mira? Fucking hell! How could I be such an animal?

"I'm so sorry, Mira, I thought you wanted to kiss me and—"

"I did," she whispered, her eyes downcast. "I did want to kiss you.ButI wasn't teasing you or trying to tempt you. I…don't…I—"

"Hey, it's okay." I felt reliefandregret race through me. So, I hadn't forced her, but she looked just about ready to have a nervous breakdown. Her body was shaking, and this time, when I pulled her into my arms, it was to offer her comfort.

I stroked her back, crooning that everything would be alright.

She clutched my linen shirt and remained still. After a minute, she straightened, and stepped away from me. My shirt was crumpled around where her fingers had dug in.

"You okay?" I asked. I could still taste her in my mouth—her unique flavor that was fresh and citrusy, innocent and sweet.

She nodded and chewed the inside of her bottom lip. I held back a groan. Fuck, I wanted back in that mouth of hers. A part of me was saying that she was Asha's sister, but I'd had sex with sisters before, so, that wasn't it—if this were just casual fucking, it wouldn't be a problem. I couldn'tcasuallyfuck my daughter's aunt, the one who'd raised her from birth. Fallon was right, if something went wrong between us, Pari would pay for it.

"I've been better," Mira finally told me. She took another step away from me. "That…was…is…it's a mistake."

The fuck you say?

I mean, yeah, it was, butshewasn't supposed to say that. She was supposed to…what?Want your dumb ass?

"I'm so sorry, Mira. I shouldn't have kissed you." This was my fault. I should've kept my hands off of her.

She smiled. "We both were involved in the kiss, Beau. You don't have to apologize, or do you want me to also say I'm sorry? Because I'm not."

What the fuck?

She gave me a shy smile. "You're very handsome."

I was a grown man. I'd walked the earth. It was rare that I was surprised.Thiswasn't the response I expected from Mira. I knew she was attracted to me, but I didn't think this mouse of a woman would have the courage to tell me she found me handsome. Maybe I assessed her wrong, I thought, maybe there was more to shy Miss Mira Sen than I knew.

"And you're very beautiful, darlin', but our lives are complicated enough right now without us fuckin', yeah?"

She chuckled then, and I arched an eyebrow. I didn't think I'd said anything funny.

"It was just a kiss, Beau. It wasn't penetrative sex."

Okay, so Ireallydidn't know this woman. Had she just saidpenetrative sex?

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