Page 26 of Fake It for Christmas

Something in my chest went a little molten. “You’ve already told me that one, too,” I challenged him, but in reality he could tell me that athousandtimes and I’d never get sick of it. “It feels good for me, too.”

He took a swig of his drink and set the glass down. “Your lips, Shane…”

Fuck. I knew he was deflecting again, but when he looked at me like that, it went straight to my cock in a way that I had very little control over. All I could do was look at his half-lidded eyes like I was some feral animal, craving his closeness.

Screw it.

My breath caught in my throat. I licked my lips, a sudden streak of confidence rolling through me.

I reached out, dragging my thumb across his jaw. “Tell me why you won’t talk about yourself.”

I looked from his eyes to his lips and back again.

He pulled in a sharp breath, turning his head to one side. “Not really my style.”

“Is that right?” I said. “Maybe it’s my turn to call bullshit.”

My thumb grazed his lower lip and his eyes flared wide, just for a moment.I’dgotten that reaction out of him.

He moved to draw my thumb between his lips, sucking on it. And if I’d been getting hard already, now I was at full fucking mast beneath my pants.

“I promise you, Shane,” he said, letting my thumb go, “you don’t want to hear about my life.”

“Wrong.”

I pushed him downward until his back was on the couch. I was above him now, my heart pounding about a million times a minute as I pinned him below me. His shoulder was warm beneath my palm.

What the fuck was I doing?

I watched as a slow smile spread across Rowen’s face, though, and his gaze trailed over my face. He liked this. And he liked that he’d gotten this reaction out ofme, too. His hands landed on my thighs and he dragged them upward, inching toward my cock.

I had to feel more. Toknowmore. To get closer to him, somehow, even though he felt like he was always one step farther than I wished he would be.

“Come here,” I said softly.

If he wouldn’t open up to me, I knew I could open up to him. To show him exactly how interesting he really was, if he’d just give me a chance.

I leaned in and pressed my lips to his.

He tasted sweet. There was the hint of whiskey ginger on his mouth, but it was also justhim—he was unlike anyone I’d ever kissed before.

He kissed like he was still trying to distract me from my questions, and the problem was that it was working. He was giving me everything with his tongue. Wet heat slid out against my tongue gently at first and then a little more insistently, making my cock throb.

His fingers dig into my thigh, grasping for more.

“Still think I’m afraid to kiss a guy?” he murmured against my lips.

“No. Think you’re afraid to talk about yourself, though,” I said back to him, lifting an eyebrow as I held his gaze, steadfast.

“You really want to know about me?” he asked, searching my face.

I leaned down again and took his lower lip between my teeth. “Obviously,” I said, but even now I was distracted by his soft moan.

“And what do you want to know, pretty boy?”

“Don’t call me that,” I growled even though when he’d said it, my cock had throbbed all over again.

He pulled in a slow breath, his eyes looking lower. His lashes were so dark, and when he looked away from me, I wanted to just keep staring at him for hours like he was a painting.

---