Page 44 of Suddenly Tempted
“You’re . . . something . . . else,” he whispered. Each word dotted between kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her neck.
Devlin explored the skin in the dimple of her collar bone, trailing a tongue over the gap and back up her throat to her mouth. He couldn’t get enough. She was perfect. She tasted just how he imagined. Her skin was so soft under his calloused palm. He dipped his head and met her lips with his again, tentatively exploring between them with his tongue. When she answered with her own, Devlin felt his heart hammer against his rib cage.
He felt Darcy’s breath hitch, her lips parting as Devlin’s tongue teased hers, sending shivers down his spine. Her hands fisted the fabric of his T-shirt, pulling him even closer, desperate for more. His lips moved hungrily, and he struggled to slow himself down, be more deliberate, memorising every curve, every taste of her mouth. The rhythm of their kiss shifted, deepening with each passing second, until the world outside of them ceased to exist.
Darcy’s legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, pulling him even closer. His good hand roamed her sides, slipping again beneath the hem of her jumper, warm against her bare skin. She gasped, breaking the kiss for the briefest of moments.
“Darcy?” Devlin murmured, voice hoarse with restraint, her breath hot and rapid against his lips. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she whispered back, her voice shaky but certain. “Not this time.”
Their eyes locked again, and for a heartbeat, there was only silence. Devlin’s thumb traced the line of her jaw, his touch gentle, tender, in stark contrast to the passion of their kiss. His gaze flickered over her, from her flushed cheeks to her swollen lips, before he leaned in again, sealing her promise with one final, slow kiss that left her trembling.
The heat between them was undeniable, blazing and relentless, but beneath it was something deeper — something that threatened to consume them both. And as Devlin finally pulled away, their lips parting with a soft gasp, they both knew they had crossed a line. One that couldn’t be undone.
But neither of them cared.
Chapter 23
DARCY
Darcy’s heart was still racing. She could feel it pounding in her throat as she pressed her lips together, trying to regain some semblance of composure while sitting on the table. Devlin’s warmth lingered on her skin, the taste of him still fresh on her lips, and she swore she could still feel his fingers tracing lazy patterns along her spine. An ache pooled in her and she wanted release from it, but she needed to show some restraint.
It had been overwhelming, intoxicating — everything she had feared and everything she had secretly longed for.
She swallowed, her hands gripping the edge of the table beneath her as if the world would tilt at any moment. This was real. He had kissed her. No,theyhad kissed each other. Devlin Storm, the man who seemed to belong more to the wilderness than to any woman, had lifted her from the floor and kissed her like he needed her more than air.
And she had kissed him back. Hard.
The realisation came like a wave crashing over her, pulling her deeper into the whirlpool of emotions she had been so desperately trying to avoid. What had she done? She had let herself fall, let herself give in to something she wasn’t sure she was ready for. This was Devlin, after all — the man who chased adventure with reckless abandon, while she clung to the safety of routine and predictability.
But for the first time, that didn’t seem to matter.
Darcy glanced up, catching a glimpse of him standing there, his chest still rising and falling, his emerald eyes glassy and unreadable as they lingered on her. He hadn’t said anything since their lips had parted, and the silence between them felt fragile, like it might shatter if either of them spoke. The air was thick with unspoken words, with feelings neither of them had dared admit until now. Maybe they still didn’t.
Her heart screamed at her to do something, to break the tension, to say anything that might give her back control of the situation, but her body refused to move. She had no idea what to say. How do you talk to a man who had just set your world on fire with a single kiss?
You’re scared,she reminded herself.You’ve always been scared.
But maybe she didn’t want to be any more.
Before she could find the courage to speak, Devlin’s hand reached for hers, his fingers gently brushing against her skin, and she felt that same electric spark shoot through her veins. He moved closer, his eyes never leaving hers, and Darcy’s breath caught in her throat.
“Are you all right?” he asked, his voice low, rough around the edges.
Was she? Darcy wasn’t sure. She had no idea how to be all right when her entire body was still humming from his touch, her mind racing with the implications of what had just happened. But she nodded anyway, her fingers closing around his, because despite everything — despite her fears and uncertainties — she knew one thing for sure: this was an adventure she wasn’t running from.
Darcy took a deep breath, steadying herself, and looked up at Devlin, her fingers still intertwined with his. There was something she needed to say, something that had been tugging at her since the moment their lips had parted. She licked her lips, tasting the remnants of their kiss, before speaking.
“Maybe we could make each other a promise,” she said, softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Devlin’s gaze locked onto hers, and the intensity of it made her feel as though the room had shrunk around them.
“A promise?” he repeated, his thumb lightly grazing her knuckles.
Darcy nodded, her heart hammering in her chest. “I’ll . . . I’ll go on more adventures. I’ll try to stop running from everything that scares me.”
Devlin’s expression softened, and for a moment, she thought she saw something vulnerable flash in his eyes.
“And I’ll try to be a kinder person,” he said, his voice still rough but filled with sincerity. “The man who doesn’t shout when things get tough. Who doesn’t make ridiculous demands.”
