“I know.” He held his hand out to me. “Come on, let’s find the ice cream.”
He strides became purposeful, because once Murray was on a mission, there wasn’t much that would get in his way.
“Wait, hang on.” I ran slightly, trying to move round to the front of him so I could block his path.
“Are you okay?” He frowned.
“Yes, I am. I’m good. But you didn’t correct her, and this morning you said we’d talk.”
His shoulders dropped with a sigh, considering me for a second before answering.
“I know.” He brushed my cheek. “I did, I’m sorry. We haven’t exactly had much alone time though.”
“I know we haven’t. I know the time we’ve had, we’ve…” I trailed off, not really sure what I was asking. “Last night, and then just now, was incredible. Your family obviously knows something is going on. ButIdon’t know what’s going on. I work for you, I look after Bell.”
His frown deepened, creating lines on his forehead that weren’t usually there, because he rarely frowned. He was always so happy and jovial.
“I don’t want you to feel like you work for me. You’re more to me than that; you’ve been more to me than that for a long time, and I’m sick of fighting it. Kit, I want you, more than I’ve ever wanted anyone. Believe me when I say you’re all I think about and I’ve tried being a gentleman, but fuck if it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We’ll figure it out soon, I promise. I’m already working on it with Rafe.”
I had no idea what Rafe had to do with it, or why he was working on our relationship with him, but his eyes shifted to somewhere in the distance and a twitch flexed in his jaw. It was clearly troubling him as much as me, so I left it alone because my focus had zoned in on something else he’d said.
“Okay…” I bit my cheek, my eyes glancing down to the smooth, soft sand. It was too much to look at him directly. “You can stop being a gentleman now…”
“Kit…” I could feel the heat of his gaze on me, “I don’t want to rush you into anything. I don’t want you to think it’s all I’m after. This isn’t about sex for me.”
I crooked an eyebrow, “Seriously?”
He held his hand across his heart. “I promise.”
I wasn’t sure if this was some type of reverse psychology; but if it was, it was working. And it wasn’t a case of wanting something more because you’d been told you couldn’t have it. I wasn’t sure I could want him more, the intensity and chemistry between us was off the charts.
“I don’t need you to do that.”
In a split second his eyes lost all their sparkle, turning dark and fiery, burning through me like a laser. A thick lump stuck in my throat from his predatory glare, the one which caused my pulse to shoot up, the flames already licking me where I yearned to feel his tongue.
His fingers traced along my cheek and under my jaw, tipping it up to his face so his lips could snare mine. “Are you sure?”
I swallowed thickly, “Yes.”
His head tilted and his eyes narrowed again, while he contemplated. “Ice cream, then we’re heading back. You should have a nap; you’re going to be in for a long night.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d shocked me into silence.
He kissed my mouth, which had fallen open. “Come on, let’s go.”
* * *
I hadn’t had a nap. I’d tried, but I couldn’t sleep. I’d also tried calling Payton so she could talk me out of the anxiety knots I’d built up, but that had only caused her to shriek down the phone with excitement, and I’d hung up because I obviously hadn’t learned my lesson from earlier this morning.
I’d had sex before, nota lota lot, but enough to have the knowledge of how good it could be. Yet in all my years of having ‘the sex’ , I’d never been as turned on or as desperate for an evening to be over in order to get to the next stage as I had been for this one.
I’d spent the day subjected to absolute torture, suffering endlessly at the expert hands of my tormentor. He’d purposely kept me from falling over the cliff edge, never quite letting me go; furtive touches against my skin, lips pressing my ear as he leaned in close, knuckles brushing my nipples as he moved past me. Once, during the afternoon, we’d all been in the pool and his fingers slipped into my bikini, teasingly searching until he found what he was looking for, and I was ready to declare him the winner of whatever game we were playing.
“You’re going to be so much wetter than this later,” he’d promised, and I lost the ability to breathe.
In the end, I’d had to feign an early night, not caring that anyone suspected what was happening, because I was no longer able to concentrate on anything that required me to be mentally present. I had no idea what was about to happen, but having already sampled at the Murray buffet twice, I knew this wouldn’t be like anything I’d experienced before. The expectancy and anticipation was enough to make my heart hammer so hard in my chest I could see it as I stood in front of the mirror, my naked body on full display.
Throughout the course of the evening, I’d soaked two pairs of panties. I’d showered twice, lathered my body up using almost the entire bottle of outrageously expensive wash which had been left for me, then dried and lathered again in an outrageously expensive lotion.