Page 104 of Closer

“I will.” His breath tickles my ear, his voice dripping with seduction. “Anything else?”

I bite my lip hard, stifling any sound that might escape. I want to give in. To turn around and kiss him. To let him lift me onto this counter and have his way with me.

His heart beats against my back, steady and strong. Or maybe it’s mine, pounding like a jackhammer.

It wouldn’t just be sex. Not with him. It would be everything.

“That’s… that’s it for now,” I say.

“Okay.” He hums, the sound vibrating through me.

A shaky breath escapes me, and we fall into an easy rhythm. I direct him to crack the eggs, sift the flour, and mix the batter. It feels effortless, relaxed. As if we’ve never been apart.

“Okay, taste this.” I hold out a spoonful of batter. “I think it needs more vanilla. What do you think?”

Sebastian dips his head, closing his lips around the spoon. His eyes flutter shut, a low moan rumbling in his chest. “Fuck, that’s good.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks at the obscene sound. At the way, his tongue darts out to catch a stray smear of chocolate in the corner of his mouth.

My voice comes out breathier than I intended. “Yeah?”

His eyes blink open, locking with mine. “Yeah. It’s perfect.” But he’s not looking at the bowl anymore.

“You know what this needs?” I whip around, snatching the bag of chocolate chips off the counter. “More chocolate.”

He chuckles, low and deep. “Is that your solution to everything, princess?”

“Pretty much.” I dump it into the batter, stirring vigorously. “Chocolate makes everything better.”

“Isn’t thisenoughchocolate chips?“ Sebastian points at the huge, way-too-much mountain of chocolate chips building.

“Uh, yeah, that should be good.” I pop the first batch of cupcakes into the oven and set the timer.

“What now?”

“Now, we…” I notice leftover chocolate clinging to the mixing bowl. Before I can think twice, I swipe a finger through it, popping it into my mouth. The rich sweetness coats my tongue, and a little moan escapes me.

His eyes darken, zeroing in on my mouth. “You can’t do that.”

“What?”

His hand comes up to cup my jaw.

I freeze.

“You’ve got some chocolate…” His thumb brushes over my bottom lip. “Right here.”

Maintaining eye contact, he slowly, deliberately darts his tongue out, licking the chocolate from his thumb. I can’t look away, mesmerized by the sight. Imagining him between—

Fantastic. I shouldn’t be thinking about his tongue like that. About all the things it could do…

He’s watching me, his eyes dark and intense. Devouring me whole.

Breathe, Lil. Breathe. In and out.

He steps back, and the tension disperses. “We’re taking a course.”

“What?”

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