Page 43 of Fireworks & Forehead Kisses

“Yes. A twenty.”

“I told you I took care of it.”

“I know, but you’re rich. No offense,” she rushed to add.

Again, she made me smile for a couple of reasons. First, by inferring that I would be offended by the fact she called me rich.Also, if she believed me to be rich, then why did she think she needed to tip Lucas?

“None taken, but I’m not following.”

She took a deep breath. “I’ve workeda lotof jobs in the service industry. A lot. And, in my experience, the richer the person, the worse the tipper. Lucas told me his wife is expecting, and even if she wasn’t, he deserves to be tipped and tipped well. Tips are what bartenders and servers live off of. They depend on them. I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy myself tonight if I thought he got stiffed. And I wanted to enjoy myself.” Her cheeks flushed again.

As I stared into her ocean eyes, wondering if she was real or an actual angel, a thought struck me like a lightning bolt that knocked the wind right out of me. I thought,if I’m not careful, I’m going to fall in love with this girl.

The reason all of the oxygen left my body was because I didn’t even believe in love, not the romantic, all-consuming love that people talk about in movies and books. Not the love that people used to explain away bad behavior. Not the love that people used as a shield to protect themselves and hurt others. I believed in commitment, trust, and partnership.

She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “I’m sorry if that upsets you, but I had to?—”

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. I lifted my hands and cupped her face, then lowered my mouth to hers, claiming her in a kiss. Her entire body froze for a split second before she melted against me. My fingers tightened behind her neck, tilting her head back to give me access to the recesses of her mouth as I slid my tongue between her lips, and when her tongue met mine, it ignited the kiss like an explosion of gunpowder.

Her arms lifted to my shoulders and then to the base of my neck. Her fingernails dug into my skin, and a zinging sensationshot straight to my balls. They tightened against my body, sending a surge of arousal shooting up through my already straining erection. My hands roamed up and down her body, committing to memory the curves. I wanted to touch all of her all at once. I needed to be as close to her as humanly possible. She gripped my shoulders as I deepened our kiss and swallowed her whimpered moans. My cock throbbed heavily, straining as her body writhed against mine. I could feel the pressure building in me as she fisted her hands in my shirt and her chest pressed flush to mine. A surge of release shot up my shaft, and I felt my climax coiling and getting ready to strike. I knew that if I didn’t slow this down, I was going to come in my pants.

Using the last shred of self-discipline I had, I fisted my hand in the back of her hair and broke our kiss, then rested my forehead against hers. Our heated breaths intertwined as we gasped for air. I pressed a soft kiss to her lips, then the tip of her nose, and then a long kiss to her forehead.

“Turn around,” I instructed gruffly.

She did as I asked, and my hands trembled as I reached up and unzipped her dress. That was very unlike me. I didn’t shake. Ever. I knew that there was music playing from the speakers, but all I could hear was the pounding of my heart in my head as I pulled the zipper down her back. Once it was all the way to the base of her spine, I ran both of my knuckles up the bare skin of her back that was exposed. I heard the intake of her breath at my feather-light touch.

When I reached her shoulder blades, I spread my fingers out and slipped them beneath the material, sliding them down her arms. Her dress fell to the floor with a thud, pooling at her feet. I leaned down and pressed my lips to her bare shoulders. A tremor ran through her body. My hands gripped her hips as I continued kissing her neck and then moving across to her other shoulder.

Her breaths were growing more and more shallow every time my mouth made contact with her skin. My fingers skimmed the dip of her waist as they traveled up and then unclasped the back of her bra. I slid the straps down her arms and stood back. Now, she stood in only her lace thong and high heels. I took my time admiring the rounded mounds of her full ass cheeks.

She must have been around five foot seven because, with her heels on, I was only about four inches taller than her. Although she was thin, her curves were dangerous. She was built like a pinup model. Her hourglass shape was accentuated with full breasts and hips and a slim waist.

It’s like someone had created my fantasy woman. She was my walking wet dream. Except that this was real life. This was actually happening.

My hands gripped her hips once more, and I pulled her close to me. She gasped as I roughly tugged her against my straining erection. I kissed the side of her neck as one hand snaked around her waist and dipped beneath the waistband of her underwear. The other moved up her body and cupped her full breast. I teased her with my thumb and forefinger, pinching the puckered tip as I massaged her mounds. The tips of my fingers grazed her pubic hair and then found the swollen nub of her pleasure center. Her hand gripped my forearm as the pad of my middle finger flicked her swollen clit.

We stood facing the glass windows, and I watched our reflections in them. When her body began to tense with signs of her release, her hands reached up and grabbed my arms. Her eyes were shut as she held onto me, anchoring herself against me as her head fell back on my chest.

“Open your eyes,” I growled against her ear.

A soft whimper escaped her mouth as her lids opened, and her gaze met mine in the window’s reflection. As soon as our stare’s locked, her entire body seized with release. Herstomach contracted as her legs began to tremble. I continued my flickering touch as she rode out her climax until the final wave washed over her, and she fell limp in my arms.

I dipped my finger between her slick folds, coating it with her come, then pulled my hand from between her legs and lifted it to her neck. I spread her arousal on the sensitive skin below her ear, then licked it off. Her arousal tasted so sweet on my tongue.

“Mmm,” I growled. “So fucking sweet.”

Her body slumped against me as she recovered from her release. I picked her up, cradled her in my arms, and then lowered her onto the bed. She sat on the edge in front of me, and her eyes lifted up to meet mine beneath her dark, inky lashes.

I stepped back and began to undress. She watched silently. The energy between us crackled with unspoken tension. I could see as I removed my tie that she was curious about what I had planned next. As badly as I wanted to tie her to the bed, I wasn’t going to do that. I didn’t want to push her out of her comfort zone.

“Take your shoes off,” I instructed.

She bent down and unbuckled both of her shoes and slipped them off.

“Now, take off your panties.”

She stood and slid her panties down her legs.

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