Page 28 of Holding Out

He laughed out loud.

He put the phone down.But it took him a few minutes before he felt like he was safe to pull back out on the road.And the drive to Seattle felt like it was a hundred fucking years long.

12

The doorbell rang.Jenina, thankfully, had agreed to make herself scarce, so Becca didn’t have to try to figure out whether she should play coy and let Jenina answer or make a grand entrance.

She took a deep breath and pulled the door open.

The man standing there was so good-looking he took her breath away.He was wearing gray dress pants that clung to his thighs and revealed just enough about his size to suggest that he could give Jondalar a run for his money.He’d paired them with a white Oxford button-down—nothing fancy, but the way the shirt fit across his chest and shoulders made her want to yank it open and send buttons flying.Maybe she’d do that later.The nice thing about a one-and-done situation was that it didn’t matter—despite what Jenina had said—if you did something outrageous or embarrassing.

She finished her appraisal and realized he was doing one of his own.She could feel his gaze as it traveled over her body, taking in her bare shoulders, the curve of her breasts, the short flippy hem of her dress, the long expanse of bare thigh and calf, and the sandals.When his eyes reached the sandals, they flicked back to her face.

“You are forbidden to take those shoes off until I tell you to,” he said mildly.

Oh.That was sexy.

“You look unbelievably hot, Becca.”

Even if he was saying it because she’d made him feel competitive with a fictional character, she didn’t really care.It still felt like a caress, like he’d reached out and run an admiring hand down her body.

“You’re not so bad yourself.”

She was about to turn and reach for her clutch, which she’d set on a table in the hall, when he took a step forward, reached out, slid his hand up her neck, threaded his fingers into her hair, pulled her forward, and kissed her.She let out a gasp, half surprise and half pleasure, and he groaned and nipped her lip, then licked it.His mouth was warm and certain, the perfect amount of pressure.His tongue made another exploration of her lower lip, teased her open, and stroked her expertly, making her think about what else she’d like him to do with it.Her body, which had been primed from a week of anticipation and several hours ofValley of Horses—she was nothing if not obedient—tightened all the way down the front, a subtle but very real tug.

“That’s it,” he urged, pulling her closer so their bodies were lined up.The feel of his washboard abs against the curve of her belly intensified the tug.Maybe she’d done too much priming.Maybe she wasn’t a challenge at all.Maybe she was going to start humping his leg.

As if he’d read her mind, he slid his thigh between hers and his tongue back into her mouth, and she squeezed her legs together, pressing her needy body against thick muscle.He made a sound that was stuck somewhere between groan and grunt and grabbed her ass with both hands.Then abruptly, he let her go and stepped away.

“I think we should probably go to dinner.Right now.The sooner we eat, the sooner we can have dessert.”

She didn’t think those exact words had ever come out of Jondalar’s mouth, but she was okay with that.All she could do was nod mutely, however, which made him laugh.

She grabbed her shoulder bag—she’d shoved in a toothbrush and a change of undies just in case—and pulled the front door shut behind them, locking it.As soon as she dropped her house key back into her purse, he took her hand.His was big, warm, and rough with callouses as he walked her down the front path to his truck.He helped her up, his hand on hers, the other one at her back.

“Not a lot of guys do that,” she said, when he’d walked around to the other side and slid into the driver’s seat.“By which I mean, none.”

“What’swrongwith men?”he demanded.

“I think chivalry’s dead,” she said.“No one expects it anymore, so no one bothers.”

“See, that’s exactly the reasontobother.It’s like when people say nobody bothers with details anymore.Be the person who bothers, that’s what I say.If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

Becca made a small noise of appreciation, and he turned his head and narrowed his eyes darkly at her.“That’s right,” he said, low and growly.“If she’s worth doing, she’s worth doing right.”

She couldn’t help herself, she reached out and put a hand on his forearm, gave a little tug, and he grabbed her wrists, pulled her toward him, and kissed her breathless.

“Dinner,” he said firmly, breaking away.“That’s part of the foreplay, too.Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

He kept his eyes on hers as he slid the key into the ignition—infinitely slowly and gently—and turned it.Heat suffused her face, and he raised his eyebrows and smirked.

When he finally let her off the hook, aiming his gaze on the road, she collapsed back against her seat, almost relieved.

Her whole body was screaming for more.And the thing was, her body didn’t scream.It cooperated.Or maybe, if she was with someone really hot who was a good kisser, it gave a quiet littleyippee.But there was no screaming and no begging.

Griff had leveled her up, and she was starting to think—tofear—that when he was done with her, she’d be spoiled for everything she’dthoughtsex was supposed to be.

Which was exactly what shouldn’t be happening.

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