Page 64 of Sloth
He blinked. Didn’t expect that. Then a surge of dissent flowed through him. “Is this about last night?”
“What?”
“Because, I know I stopped things early, but… ” He strode over and took her nape. Squeezing her neck, he locked eyes with purpose, and planted his lips on hers. The kiss was only meant to be a brief reminder of his passion, but once he tasted her, he was all in. Her flavor was something more than feminine. It was heavenly. Her tiny whimpers of approval aroused him, and it took all his resolve to draw away.
Diamonds and satin sheets, he reminded himself.
“Wow,” she muttered. “Every morning starts now, huh?”
“Damn straight.” His voice came out rough. “Whatever it takes to make you believe what I feel for you is real.”
“Oh, I know that.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, I can feel it. Literally.”
“So what’s with the frown and the question?”
She chewed her lip. “Nothing. Just something Parker said to me.”
“Parker’s got a carrot stuck up his arse, so I’d take whatever he says with a grain of salt.”
She snorted. “You speak weird.”
“You’re weird.” He flicked her nose playfully.
“You love it.”
“Yeah. I do.” Lifting her from her perch, he pulled her into his arms. The sun had baked heat into her skin, and it infused his own. Sky reflected in her eyes as tenderness washed over him. He rubbed his nose against hers. “Sloan.”
“Yeah, Max.”
“You’re not a whiny bitch.” She didn’t respond, so he elaborated. “I think he’s jealous.”
She scoffed in disbelief.
“I’m serious,” he added. “Maybe it’s because you’ve got better hair than him.”
The laughter squealed out of her until it ended in a snort. Fucking adorable.
“I know, right?” she laughed.
“Sloan. Someone like Parker has a hard time seeing beyond his own reflection. I like him, but he’s not immune to saying things he shouldn’t out of frustration. For the record, I think you’re smart, beautiful, and talented.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re you.”
“I’m saying it because it’s true. What brought this on?”
“Things didn’t go according to plan. I messed up last night.”
“No, you didn’t. You rescued a blackmailed man. You put a serious dent in their operation. All we need to do now is rescue his daughter.”
She lifted the broken device, still in her hand. “I can’t get it to work. We’re screwed.”
“Why?”
“Well, I have no idea how to get where we need to go.”
