Stefan wanted me as much as I wanted him. That was obvious.

“Jesus Christ, Holly.” There was a primal growl that was wrapped around those words, ones that made my pussy wet. “You’re fucking stunning,” he said as I found the strength to walk toward him, slightly swaying my hips with my approach.

My mouth was dry, my throat tight, and my knees weak. Before I knew what was happening, Stefan wrapped his arm around my waist, his fingers brushing the small of my back.

I gasped when he pulled me close, my body colliding with his, my chest crushed to his abs until the oxygen was sucked from my lungs. I felt his finger under my chin as he tipped my head back, forcing me to look up and holding my eyes hostage with his possessive stare.

“Hi,” I whispered, my cheeks heating under his intense expression.

Stefan didn’t respond, but I felt his fingers rubbing at the small of my back through my coat. That light touch felt so powerful. He didn’t return the greeting, but instead, he leaned in, his lips brushing against my ear, as he whispered, “Get in the truck, Holly.”

You can bet your ass I obeyed, that dominance like a straight shot of hundred-proof liquor right through my veins and directly to my pussy.

It made me want to be a bad girl and put on Santa’s naughty list.

Dinner wasn’t anything elegant,and I was thankful for that. All I cared about was how down to earth Stefan was and the way he made me feel like I was the only person of any importance in the room. No matter where we were or what we were doing, he did just that.

Stefan’s presence overshadowed everything else in the best of ways. His personality was magnetic, and he had a sense of humor that was much like my own. Slightly inappropriate but not too offensive.

But it wasn’t just his words that drew me in and kept me transfixed. It was the way he seemed to always have to be touching me.

A hand on mine across the table while we waited for our meal.

Moving to sit next to me as we drank delicious mugs of spiked coffee after we ate.

An hour filled with conversation that never waned later, his hand resting possessively on my thigh under the table, when we shared a slice of strawberry cheesecake for dessert.

It was the way he leaned close when he spoke, his lips grazing my ear, that made my pulse race and my body so aroused the rest of the time we sat there.

By the end of our date, I could barely focus on anything but him and how I wanted things to progress.

He walked me to his truck and unlocked it to open the door for me. I turned to face him and tipped my head back, looking into his eyes. “Stefan,” I murmured, my voice unsteady but filled with all the heat I currently felt.

“What is it, baby?”

I swallowed hard and felt a flutter in my belly at the endearment. The intensity in his gaze stole my breath all over again. “You’re distracting me.”

“In a good way, I hope,” he teased.

I couldn’t speak, so I just nodded, wondering if he could see how hard and fast my pulse was beating right beneath my ear.

A slow, wicked smile spread across his face. “I’ve been thinking about you since I dropped you off at your place days ago,” he admitted, his voice low and rough. “And seeing you tonight… in that dress?” He hummed as if the visual did things to him. He grabbed my hand and pressed it right over his massive erection. “It instantly got me hard, and I’ve been trying to hide this fucking boner all damn night.”

Heat flashed through my body, and I looked away, flustered and unable to handle how turned on I was. But Stefan wasn’t having it.

“Look at me, baby.” He cupped my cheeks, and I obeyed, my gaze snapping back to his. My hand was still on his hard cock, and I even attempted to curl my fingers around the denim-covered length. “I don’t like sharing what’s mine,” he continued, his voice a dark growl. “And make no mistake. You’re mine.”

Holy shit. Can someone orgasm from a string of words alone?

“You barely know me. How can you say that after only a few hours spent in each other’s presence?” I whispered, a beam of reality peeking through the clouds of arousal.

He growled again and shook his head. “When you know what you want with everything in you, you don’t even need hours. All you need is a second, baby girl.” The possessiveness in his tone sent a thrill through me, and I nodded, unable to find my voice but agreeing that, yes, I knew what he meant.

And that Iwashis.

He pressed his front against mine before I could take a breath, my body half in the truck now, and the feeling of his lips brushing against my ear caused me to close my eyes as if I had no self-control.

“You know what I want?”