Page 37 of Devil's Tulip

Twining my arms around his neck, I return his kiss with equal fervor. It’s hot,wet, and erotic. His fingers tighten in my hair before one hand slides down, searing a path down my neck to mold around my tit.

My nipples perk up, hardening instantly, and he groans into the kiss like he feels it too. Then he finds one, catching the sensitive peak between his thumb and index finger, and—oh, fuck—a white-hot jolt of pleasure zips through my veins. My head knocks back against the wall so hard, our kiss breaks with an audible smack.

We pant, foreheads nearly touching, breaths mingling as we stare at each other.

His lips are glistening, stained a little red from my lipstick, and his eyes—a very vivid blue now—are so intense. This close,I can see tiny green flecks circling his pupils, making them even more mesmerizing.

“You’re so beautiful,” I breathe, slowly raising my right hand.

His eyes flicker to it, his expression shifting to something wary, cautious. Then, just as my fingers are about to brush his cheek?—

He steps back.

And just like that, the warmth, the fire, the dizzying effect of him—all of it is ripped away. I swallow hard when he takes even more steps away from me, his brows furrowing in adorable confusion. “What was that?”

I lick my lips, still feeling aftershocks of pleasure pulsing through my core and clit from just thatonekiss. My thighs press together involuntarily. I’ve read about this kind of insane chemistry before, in all the smutty books I’ve devoured over the years. But I never really believed it. Now, though? Now I understand.

And God help me—I want more, and more, andmore.

“We kissed.” My voice is so husky, it drags his gaze to my lips, and I make a show of wetting them sexily, enjoying the way his throat bobs. His eyes fly to mine, and I add, “Or more accurately,youkissedme.”

He rakes a hand through his hair, looking so lost it almost has me grinning. For a second, I think he might say something, acknowledge whatever the hell just happened between us….

Then he turns away from me.

Running.Again.

Oh, no,you don’t.

I didn’t think my little seduction plan would work, not really—not this soon, anyway.

After eating earlier, I remembered the little waterproof makeup kit in my backpack and went up to check if it was still intact. Then I swiped on some eye shadow, mascara, andlipstick. That’s literally all I did, and he mauled me like a starving wolf catching his first meal.

A satisfied smile curves my lips as I smooth my hair back. This is going to be so much easier than I thought.

Honestly, I should have changed out of his clothes first, but I was in a bit of a hurry—the makeup took longer than I expected. I glance down at the drab shirt swallowing me whole and his baggy boxer shorts underneath hanging loose on my hips. Not exactly seductive attire.

That didn’t stop him from kissing the hell out of me, though.

Still, I can do better.

Gathering the hem of the shirt, I tug it up just below my boobs and knot it, exposing my belly button.There. That should do the trick, I nod to myself, then slide the hair tie from my wrist and quickly pull my hair up into a calculated messy ponytail before hurrying after him.

I catch up to him just as he goes into the living room. He suddenly stops, and I slow, following his gaze to the dining area where he’s staring at the food with an almost comical look of confusion.

I bite my lip, holding back a giggle. My initial plan was to invite him down for dinner, then seduce himslowlywhile he ate.

Guess that plan’s out the window.

I step forward, my voice sweet but purposeful. “You didn’t eat when I did earlier, and you spent so long locked up in that room, I figured you might be hungry.”

“I’m not hungry,” he snaps, but his stomach growls, immediately calling out his lie. He glares at me, daring me to say something. Instead, I take his hand, shuddering at the sparks of fire that travel through me.

He goes rigid, but I don’t let it deter me. “Come on,” I coax, giving his hand a little tug. “I went through the effort of heatingthe food up and plating it. Even if you’re not hungry, you should at least take a few bites to appreciate my hard work.”

His head turns towards me slowly, almost like he’s afraid to look. I smile up at him prettily and take a strategic step back, just enough to draw his attention to my shirt. His gaze drops to my bare midriff, and he inhales sharply.

Gotcha.

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