Page 59 of Under the Ink

Shrugging, she handed the bottle back to him. “I don’t know. I just assumed this was it. And—”

“But would you think about it?”

He couldn’t read her emerald eyes. What was she thinking? Had his question evoked positive or negative feelings? There was no way to tell from her expression.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll give it some thought.”

“Fuck, yeah. That’s something to party about.”

When she laughed, she got closer, actually touching his arm. But then she pulled back as if a snake had bitten her. What the hell was up with that? Shifting her gaze from his arm to his face, he tried to read her eyes, her lips—and it was an expression that communicated way too much: desire, fear, yearning.

Rather than ask, he responded by listening to his body—and he let his face get closer to hers. As he closed the gap, the noise in the room seemed to dull and mute and the people seemed to be magically pulled away. His focus on her became like a magnifying glass.

Only she existed in this moment.

And she wasn’t pushing him away.

As his lips got nearer, his eyelids drooped—but he didn’t close his eyes until she did hers. And then it got so much easier. The rest of the way was through feel alone—and he could sense her warmth, her electricity as his lips got within millimeters of hers.

He didn’t trust that it would happen until it actually did.

She didn’t repel him as their lips connected—and even though he knew it could ruin everything, he parted his lips just enough to let his tongue slip out and, after several seconds, he ran it gently across her lower lip.

Holy fuck. When she opened her mouth, inviting him in, he thought he was gonna bust a nut. It took everything inside him to not wrap his arms around her and pull her up against his body, but he sensed that he had to go ultra slow. This beautiful woman was going to take a soft, measured approach.

No stampeding. No rushing.

And, goddamn, she was delicious. Yeah, the brandy was overpowering, but she was underneath, and she tasted divine. It made him want to run his tongue over her entire body, bring her to orgasm with his tongue.

What the actual fuck? All his imagination was making his cock throb like it hadn’t in ages—and that, if nothing else, would make him lose all control.

This woman needed kid-glove treatment, and even if it killed him, he was going to do it.

Butshewas the one who deepened the kiss. He wasn’t sure where she’d put the bottle, but she wrapped her hands around his neck before shoving her fingers in his hair at the base of his scalp. Ever so gently, Sage brought his arms around her waist, respectfully tasting of her honeyed lips.

Resisting the urge to grind against her.

But there was no way to stop that fucking hard-on brewing below. His jeans managed to hold it back somewhat, but his bulge was pressing into her.

And she didn’t seem bothered by it.

So he was going to kiss the fuck out of her until she pushed him away.

After another minute of deep, sensual kisses, she pulled her lips from his, and he figured that was that. At least this memory could live in his spank bank.

But then she whispered in his ear. “Wanna get out of here?”

Beyond his wildest dreams. “Fuck, yeah.”

How the hell had he fallen so hard for this woman? And in such a short time? They’d finally figured out how to become friends, but her doors were still closed, her heart still cold.

Maybe that was it. Maybe it was because he wanted to solve the mystery.

Slipping a hand in hers, he began to lead the way. Making their way through the crowd, he half expected one of the band or crew to say something that would scare her off.

But no one did. They were all having way too much fun in their own little worlds. Naomi’s head was down, practically tucked into her chest as she gripped the bottle of brandy in her free hand, letting it rest against the side of her leg. It wasn’t until they were almost out of the room that Sage caught Andy looking their way.

What was that guy thinking? Obviously, he’d had designs for Naomi at one time…meaning he might be feeling jealous now or angry—but Sage didn’t want any trouble, especially at this specific moment. As casually as he could, he gave Andy a chin nod. After all, the guy didn’t know what Sage and Naomi were leaving for.

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