Page 15 of Not In Love

She slowly turned, on shaking legs.

What if she couldn’t come? What if her body betrayed her—froze up on the cusp like it had been doing for months—leaving her stripped bare in front of him?

She could see him going to all the labels she used.

Frozen. Frigid. Unfeeling. Her spine stiffened, the need to bolt sharp in her chest.

He cupped her hips, his grip firm. “Easy, Doc. Remember, you’re in control,” he said, moonlight from the open French doors bathing him in rectangular slants. “Whenever you want to stop, we will.”

Something about how he immediately sensed her panic burrowed deep into her chest. “No, I need this.” She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the cool wall. “It’s just that?—”

“You’re worried it won’t happen.”

It should’ve been humiliating, the way her thighs were already trembling, and he hadn’t even done anything yet. “Yes, and if you tell anyone that I’m a frigid bitch, I’ll tell everyone your penis is tiny.”

He threw his head back and laughed, lodging a thick lock onto his forehead. Her fingers itched to push it back, to sink into that hair and steer his head around as she pleased. Dampness gushed at her core at the visual.

“How about you don’t worry so much about the destination and just enjoy the ride?” he whispered, fingers stroking over the back of her legs, her calves, her knobby knees and her ass cheeks without resting anywhere.

That restless hunger followed them in hot trails.

“Have you met me?” she said, desperation and snark turning her voice husky.

He smiled and again, the warm openness in it tugged at the tight knot in her belly, as if he was unspooling her, inch by inch. “How about I make you a promise?”

“I don’t like promises.” She shivered as his gaze pinned her, as if he knew how many times she’d been burned. “Words are easy.”

“I’m going to make you one anyway.”

“Yeah?”

His gaze darkened, lips curving faintly. “Three times, you will come,” he murmured, voice thick and quiet. “Before I leave this room.”

The promise lodged low in her belly, whipping the embers of her desire into a small flame.

“Close your eyes,” he whispered, skimming his mouth right above the band of the shorts.

She did, and instantly, the entire world rushed in. Kids playing somewhere beyond the palm trees, the distant echo of a poolside speaker, the soft whoosh of the ceiling fan...and beyond it all, the rough exhales of the man kneeling at her feet.

“Diego?” she whispered, loving the shape of his name on her lips.

“Yes, Preciosa?”

“Is this turning you on?”

“Give me your foot,” he said in that commanding voice that sent tremors straight to her core. When she hesitated, he trailed open-mouthed kisses down her thigh. “I won’t let you fall, Kash. Not until you’re screaming my name.”

Bracing her hand on the wall, she lifted her foot. He cradled it first, before bringing it to his...cock. His thick, engorged cock that curved a little to the right and felt like a hot steel rod against her heel.

A breathy gasp escaped her as she imagined that thick length sliding deep inside her, pounding away at her, pinning her to the bed.

Firm fingers gripped her calf, and Kash rubbed the flat of her foot against his erection, up and down.

“Just the mere scent of you drives me wild,” he admitted easily, before lifting her foot away from him.

She took deep, steady breaths. Again, the world filled her first—the salty tang of the sea, threads of jasmine and hibiscus richly blooming in the grounds and damp earth.

But beneath the distracting scents, he was there. Soap and citrus and clean sweat, a cocktail that she brought deep into her lungs.

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