Page 25 of Hold My Heart

“Yes. Maybe.”

In response, he lifted her fingers to his mouth and kissed them, his gaze holding hers, the tip of his tongue flicking out to graze her knuckles.

“Jeez, what are you doing to me?” she breathed. Unable to look away.

It pleased him more than he could admit when a little tremor of pleasure shook her. “I’m not just good with children. I want to give you a little preview of my other skills. I’m very handy with my tongue when I put my mind to it.”

He noticed the moment her eyes darkened, desire flaring to life.

“Come upstairs.” Still holding his hand, she got to her feet and took him with her. Then finished her wine on an afterthought, as if bolstering her courage. “Come upstairs with me and try not to make this awkward.”

“Me? Awkward? I would never.”

“We have to be quiet so we don’t wake Renee.”

She walked beside him up the stairs and along the hallway, trying not to feel cherished as she continued to hold his hand. He could tell she was uncomfortable with the idea of real intimacy. Uncomfortable with the idea of being intimate with someone who was so unlike her.

It was the way she moved—uncertain, vulnerable—that made him want to whisk her away and protect her. His fingers were gentle on her and with every step they took toward the bedroom, he could feel her growing annoyance that despite her resistance he’d managed to worm his way into her life.

He didn’t take it personally. In fact, it was a good sign. Averygood sign. It meant there were cracks in her armor and she was working on letting him in. Maybe it was his optimism talking. Either way, they moved together into her bedroom and she closed the door behind him with a snick.

“All right. You have me here.” He shuffled until they were facing each other, her back to the door. Both quiet. Breath stilled in his lungs. “What do we do now?”

“Something I’ve never done before.” She stepped forward and pressed herself against him. Harlan wouldn’t have said no, not even if there was a gun to his head.

When her mouth moved up to meet his it was hot, branding, taking him under her spell. He opened to her and let her take control of the kiss. But only for a moment, until he felt her self-confidence blooming.

He’d been there for her for nearly a month. Now it was time to take something back. She’d held the red flag in front of the bull for too long, he thought hazily, his arms pinning hers and leaving her unable to escape. It was a damn good thing she didn’t want to.

He was helplessly trapped in the kiss and the hunger between them, the emotion, the passion, the thrill of finally having her where he wanted.

“I’ve barely been able to contain myself,” He whispered as he ripped his mouth from hers to trace his lips across her forehead, down her cheeks. “Be with me or don’t, but this is your last chance to back out, Olympia. I won’t be able to stop again. Not when I’ve wanted this for so long.”

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. “And what if I told you to get out? To take your hands off of me? What if I say I’ve changed my mind?”

“Please don’t.” He ran his fingers up her spine. Into her hair. It was both heaven and hell to touch her like his, stroking her in such a foreign yet familiar way. There was a wild, reckless freedom about it and he pushed the last of his questions, worries, and doubts from his mind.

“Then I won’t,” she told him with a wicked grin.

Game.On.

It was all he could do to keep his hands off of her hot, smooth skin after that. She bit down near his neck and he nearly went wild with the sensation. Whispering half-crazed demands of each other, they stumbled their way to the bed.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think for wanting her. His lips skimmed over hers and he was delighted when she murmured, “Don’t ever stop touching me.”

Her wish was his command and Harlan filled his hands with her curves. His blood rushed and surged beneath his skin, a primal response when her breath caught and she quivered against him. He fell on the bed and pulled her on top of him, sliding his hands along her legs, groaning when he grabbed a handful of her supple rear.

Olympia bit down on his earlobe and nearly halted his progress, his fingers tugging at the material of her shirt. He managed to get it over her head, going to work on her bra and tugging impatiently at the thin fabric.

“I need to see you.”

He fumbled with the rest of her clothes until she was naked in front of him. A vision. There was a faint sheen of light on her skin, illuminating creamy curves, ample breasts, supple thighs.

Her head dropped back when he plunged his finger into her. “Dear God.” She fell forward to bury her face in his neck, shuddering around him. “Please.”

Now she was the one begging him. Lust drove him forward and he fixed his mouth on her throat, driving her wild while she whimpered and shook. She felt impossibly good. Softer than anything he’d ever felt. When he found her mouth again it was by instinct, and he swallowed her sobbing breaths.

His free hand he used to cover her breast, which his mouth, hot and hungry, soon replaced.

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