Page 49 of Against All Odds

Miles

Well, that means he’s still with her, but it’s probably not going well if he’s texting. Did you get shot down?

I roll my eyes and put the phone away as Violet walks back in with a plate that’s heaping with all kinds of desserts.

“You weren’t kidding, were you?” I ask as she places it on the coffee table.

“I can’t even imagine what it would’ve been if I didn’t run out of supplies.”

I grin. “If you hadn’t, then you’d never have gone to the bar.”

“And that would’ve been a shame to miss your dancing.” She sits beside me.

“It would’ve.”

Violet pulls her lower lip between her teeth and then stares down at her clasped hands. “Everett?”

“Yes?”

She lifts her gaze to meet mine. “You said all I had to do was say the word.”

I swallow and nod. “Yes.”

All she has to do is ask me, and I’ll give her anything she wants.

“Kiss me.”

I want to, more than I want air, but I don’t want her to regret it. “Are you sure?”

“I was sure the other night. I was sure the day in my room. I’ve never been more sure that I want something than I do right now.”

That’s all I needed to hear. I lean forward, taking her face between my hands, holding her so that her gaze has nowhere else to land other than on me. Violet’s cognac eyes turn heated, and I move in infinitesimal amounts, allowing her a chance to back out at any point. Her lids slowly lower, and there’s a breath between us.

I can hear her struggling to keep her breathing even, and I linger, drawing out the anticipation.

If I only ever get this one more time, I’m going to make it count. I’m going to pour everything I have into this kiss and make it one she’ll never forget.

“Violet,” I say her name softly. “Breathe or you might miss the whole thing.”

She inhales and then closes the gap, kissing me.

It’s like fire and ice. The warmth of her lips is thawing the parts of me that have been frozen, and the other parts of me that have been burning feel as though I’m numb from the cold.

Everything inside me is at war.

I slant her head to the right, and she opens up for me. My tongue slides into her mouth, tasting her again for the first time in years. She’s the same and yet different. She tastes like a sun shower that is both humid and prickles the skin.

“Everett.” She sighs my name as her hands tangle in my hair, holding me to her.

I kiss her again, moving together in a dance not unlike the one we had at the bar. Violet scoots forward, pressing her chest to mine, and I’m on fire for her.

I pull her closer, forcing her to wrap her legs around my middle. God, I can feel the heat of her against my cock.

I’m like a virgin all over again with Violet in my arms as we’re on her couch. I groan and kiss down her neck.

“Yes,” she says quietly. She drops her head back, giving me access to kiss her wherever I please.

“Tell me what you want, Violet.”

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