Page 55 of Rainbow Kisses

He wanted me, hopefully as much as I wanted him. And I was done waiting for the right time. This was the time, right or not.

“Sure, lunch sounds good.”

He stood on the other side of the island from me, taking dishes and plates that I filled with food, making small talk. We settled at the table, talked a little about the game last night, laughing about the intermission games with fans and discussing the league standings, in which we were solidly second place.

“Denny and Reid have been on a tear this year,” I said. “They’re our top goal-scorers, and they’re playing like two guys who don’t want to stay in this league very long.”

“Yeah, they’re young and hungry. And they’re good. I noticed Coach working them hard during practice this week.”

“It just seems like everyone is stepping up their game this year. Might be why the ECHL is giving us another look.”

“I know you said your dad’s leaving the decision up to you and your brothers, but what do you think he wants to do?”

I shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. He’s really not said a lot, which for Dad is odd. Dad aways has an opinion.”

And honestly, that had me worried, but we weren’t here to discuss my dad, or any other member of my family for that matter. I asked him if he wanted more food, but he declined and I rose to take our dishes to the dishwasher, but he rose and followed me, slotting his plate and dish next to mine. And, asridiculous as it sounded, it was the sexiest thing he could’ve done at the moment. Which was stupid, I know. And yet…

“Brian?”

He leaned against the island, close enough for me to be able to reach out and touch him if I wanted. And I wanted.

“I really hope I’m not overstepping any boundaries right now, but,” I took a deep breath, “I like you, and I’d like to see you in a context outside of work. If that’s not what you want, you just have to tell me.”

He didn’t move right away, just continued to stare at me until I could feel my cheeks getting red from embarrassment. Had I made a mistake? Did he not feel the same way about me? Oh my god, I was an idi?—

I barely realized what he was doing when he reached for me, curving his hand around my neck, the warmth of it seeping into my skin like a drug. He tugged, and I closed the few steps between us as he moved his hand from my neck to frame my face with both hands.

Oh wow.

My lips parted, though I wasn’t sure if I was going to say something or just as an invitation. I have no idea what I would’ve said because my brain stopped working as soon as his lips touched mine. At first, he kissed me like I was breakable, like I’d run if he got too close.

So I wrapped my arms around his waist and lifted up onto my toes so our lips could more completely align, and then I pressed my body against his and kissed him with all the pent-up longing I’d been storing for years.

I felt like I’d won the lottery after a decade of playing, my yearning for him dissolving every line of defense I’d erected since last year. My desire for him burned like sparks in my blood, making me tingle all over, while my core clenched with need.

For a few brief seconds, he let me control the pace, let me kiss him like I’d dreamed about, our lips pressed together, and our bodies smashed up against each other like we were trying to melt into one another.

And then it was like a switch flipped. His fingers flexed against my cheeks, drawing me even closer, until my lips parted. The tip of his tongue swiped against my bottom lip, and I moaned and welcomed him in.

Excitement jangled through me like a drug, and that’s what it was. One I couldn’t get enough of. I rose onto my toes to get even closer as we melded together into a kiss that felt like the start of something amazing, not just an amazing thing in itself. But his height, which I loved by the way, had become a hindrance. Yes, I wanted to climb him like a tree, but that would seem kind of desperate, right?

So I craned my neck, and he bent his as our kiss settled into this long-term agreement of pleasure. My hands spread across his back, pressing into him, until I needed more than the promise of feeling his skin. Before I realized I’d made the decision to do it, my hands slipped beneath the warm cotton and hit pay dirt.

He groaned into my mouth as my fingers flexed into his skin, kneading the muscles I could feel beneath. His hands, up until now still cupped around my face, began to act on their own instead of as a pair. One stilled around my neck again, holding my head up so he could kiss me harder, deeper.

His other hand slid to my shoulder then around to my back, pressing and sliding, pressing and sliding, until he reached my waist. I thought for a split second that he was going to stop there, like, oh, I don’t know, a gentleman out of a Victorian novel or something.

But I should’ve known better, because, yeah, Brian definitely had plans of his own. And I was all in on whatever he wanted.Because he wanted me. I could tell it in the way he held me and the way he kissed me. The way his entire body tensed against mine and, yeah, by the bulge between his thighs.

He’d worn jeans today, but they weren’t loose enough to hide his erection. A shiver of desire ran down my spine and made my thigh quiver. And made me wet.

Too fast? Fuck no, not fast enough.

He spread that one hand across my ass and molded me through the thin cotton pants I wore. Just the thought that those long thick fingers were that close to my center made me make an embarrassingly needy sound. I had just enough self-control not to hoist my leg around his waist and force him to take my weight.

Or maybe he read my mind because he slid his other hand down my back to my other side and squeezed both cheeks, a split second before he lifted me off my feet. He moved away from the island so I could wrap both legs around his waist, my arms moving up to circle his shoulders and hold on while he adjusted me in his arms.

Our lips separated as he looked down at me, a question in his eyes that I could tell he didn’t want to speak aloud.

---