Page 13 of The Broker

Her smile widened. “Right. And if I went back in the bathroom, I’m sure the bed wouldn’t suddenly get made either.”

“We could test that theory.” I meant it too, because if she wanted the bed made—I’d do it. But when I’d thought I had limited time to fix something, I’d decided the laundry was more urgent. Plus, if this evening went how I hoped it would, wouldn’t we be messing the bed up anyway?

“That’s okay,” she said, brushing past me.

I hadn’t started organizing the bookcase, so books were stacked randomly, along with the items I figured would endup there. An old award from winning my department’s fantasy football league. A pint glass from my favorite bar at NYU. A framed family photo from a vacation we’d taken to Paris years ago.

“Is this your family?” She picked it up to study it, and a knot grew in my stomach. Even if it wasn’t a major mood killer, which it was, I didn’t want to talk about them right now.

It felt too personal.

“Yeah.” I strode over, gently pulled the frame from her grasp, and set it back on the shelf. “Let’s talk about something else.”

I was standing close to her, too close for her not to notice. Her pretty eyes blinked rapidly as she peered up at me. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“What’s your stance on me kissing you?”

Her breath caught. “My . . . stance?”

“Yes. Are you for it or against it?”

“Oh.” Heat flooded her expression, and her voice fell to a whisper. “I’m definitely for it.”

“Okay, good.”

And then I reached for her, setting one hand on her waist while sliding the other into her hair. I’d planned to lean down and set my lips on hers, but the girl was just as eager as I was and met me halfway.

Our lips crashed together. It wasn’t the most skilled or seductive kiss I’d ever given, but it definitely seemed to be working for her. Fuck—it was working for me too. Her mouth was warm and soft, and our tongues tangled.

Heat spilled down my spine, and my heart kicked up a notch. Charlotte kissed me back with a ferocity that matched my own, like she needed this as much as I did. I sank my hand further into her hair, and I didn’t mean to, but I began to grip, dominating our kiss.

She let out a little sigh of satisfaction.

My dick jerked and began to harden inside my pants, but that wasn’t surprising. I already had a hair trigger, plus kissing her only a few feet away from my bed was too much. Her fingertips bristled against my whiskers as she slid her hands up to cup my face.

I’d been worried we didn’t have anything in common, but this? It was proving me wrong, because this girl knewexactlywhat she was doing. Exactly how to deepen our kiss so all I could think about was sinking down on the bed with her beneath me.

Our feet stumbled along as I shifted us closer to it, probably moving too fast for her, but she was able to keep up. Our kiss broke when I eased her onto her back on the bed and she sucked in a sharp breath. But then I was over her. My lips were on her again, and her surprise was forgotten.

The positioning was awkward with me bent over her and the unmade bed, and she must have sensed it. Charlotte crawled backward, getting me to chase her, and as I climbed on the bed between her parted legs, her greedy hands reached for me. They clutched at my shirt, stretching the cotton and urging me to take it off.

If I was starving, this girl was ravenous—and it was hot as fuck.

I rose, leaning back on my knees, and stretched the t-shirt over my head, flinging it away. She stared up with wide eyes and let out an appreciative sound at the sight of me, and I’d swear I could feel my ego swelling right along with my dick. To know this girl, who was at least a decade younger than I was, liked what she saw...

It was thrilling.

But it made the situation in my pants dire. Had I ever been so goddamn horny in my life?

Her hands wandered over my chest as I leaned down and kissed her again. I was glad to have my shirt gone because it seemed to be a thousand degrees inside this room. Was it the same for her?

Maybe she needs her shirt gone too.

I inched my fingers up under the hem, resting my palm on the warm skin of her stomach, testing the waters. I didn’t want to move too fast, but that wasn’t an issue for her. Charlotte placed a hand over mine and dragged it up until I could cup her breast.

I groaned my approval and squeezed, before tracing my fingertips at the edge of the lace of her bra. Her back arched into my touch, her tongue slicked against mine, and she ground her lower body against my erection.

All signs for me to keep going.

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