Page 78 of Old Flame

I sucked in a breath as he buried his nose in my hair.

“Mmm, you still smell like coconut and fucking honey.”

What did one do after waking up from passing out drunk in their first love’s bed almost two decades later? Was there etiquette to this? Did I act like it was no big deal, like he was doing? And, God, WHY did my nipples have to be hard and tingly?

Okay, I had to remain calm. Play this off. Then get out of here and go freak out before pulling myself together in the shower. I could do this.

I opened my mouth to say something like,Are you sure you don’t mean chlorine water and cigarettes?since Nina had been smoking last night in the hot tub.

But no words came because Rome’s hand slid down my back. I stopped breathing when it reached the curve right before my bottom—and then he kept going. His large palm cupped my left butt cheek and squeezed. A rumble that sounded like a pleased sound vibrated in his chest, and I sucked in air.

“Fuck, that’s a spectacular ass.” His tone wasn’t sarcastic or teasing. “Let me feel it.”

Was I asleep? Was this one of those dreams?

“Silence is going to be taken as a yes,” he told me as he tugged up the hem of the shirt I was wearing.

This time, I did an audible gasp as the callous tips of his fingers brushed over my skin. I began to tremble, but I couldn’t help it. I would stop it if I could.

“Fuck,” he swore in a gravelly tone, then squeezed my bottom and jerked me closer.

A whimper passed my lips, and my nails bit into the rock-solid chest that my hand had been pressed against.

His hand moved further down, until his fingertips slipped between my legs. I jerked from the contact and the mini explosion of pleasure that it had sent off throughout my body.

“Ah, fuck, you’re wet,” he growled, then grabbed my leg and tugged it up to rest my knee on his hip. “You gotta let me play now, Angel Face.”

Play? This wasn’t playing. It was…it was a path to my destruction. Again.

“I, uh…” My words went from telling him that this needed to stop to pleasure that I’d forgotten existed, igniting between my legs as he ran a finger through my sensitive area.

“Look at me,” he said gruffly.

I tilted my head back to stare up at him. The pale green color, which was the very first thing I’d noticed about him, still drew me in. His eyes were heavy-lidded from just waking up, and I was sure that there had never been a man who was more tempting than Rome when he looked like this.

“That’s better,” he praised me. Then his finger went from caressing to gently pumping, but not exactly penetrating my entrance. It was more of a tease. “I want to see your face. Know it’s you creaming on my hand.”

I sucked in a quick breath, then let it out. I’d forgotten about his dirty talk.

When his finger sank inside me, I shuddered, and my eyes fluttered, but I didn’t close them. They stayed locked on his. His pupils were expanding, the black edging out the green. The darkness excited me, although I wasn’t used to it. I didn’t know what it meant, yet my stomach flutters began as I watched it happen.

He used his long, thick finger to slide into me, then out in a torturously slow rhythm.

“This was my pussy.” His words sounded like a growl as his jaw tightened. “It was always supposed to be mine.”

Although that claim made me pant, I didn’t want to think about it. Not what it meant. Not right now. The guilt would come, and I wanted this moment with him. As much as it might hurt later, I wanted this. I just hadn’t realized how much.

His eyes dropped to my mouth, and I watched as his tongue traced his bottom lip. The silver bar that pierced it caught my attention. Before I could think about it much more, he lowered his head and cupped the back of my head, his hand bringing me closer to him.

The press of his warm lips on mine caused a small cry or moan—I wasn’t sure which, but a surge of elation pierced my soul, as if to wake it from dormancy. He invaded my mouth, and the flick of his tongue had me clambering to get closer to him. I grabbed his arms and arched against him, savoring his taste. The connection made my heart thump wildly.

Rome’s chest rumbled with a sound of satisfaction as his fingers tangled in my hair. There was nothing else. Not now. Just us. His tongue—although it felt different now—tangled with mine, as if I was the only thing that could sate his craving.

“Goddamn, you still taste sweet,” he rasped as his mouth left mine to trail kisses along my jawline, all the way to the pulsein my neck. With the tip of his tongue, he licked the spot, then pressed his lips to it. “Roll onto your back. I want to see if your pussy still tastes like honeysuckle.”

That hit a chord that I wished had been left alone. I didn’t want to think about it or…Eamon. But the mix of emotions came in a rush and sat heavily on my chest. Rome didn’t wait for me to move; he used his body to pin me to the mattress. He braced his arms on either side of my head as he stared down at me.

“Don’t get in your head now, Angel Face. We’ve already unleashed this. I can’t shut it off.” His words felt almost like a warning.

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