Page 80 of You Rock My World
I pull myself up anyway. “I should go.”
“Do youwantto go?”
“Eh, not particularly, but…”
“Then stay.”
I freeze. “Here?”
“Yes, tonight.” He pulls my hands in his lap. “No pressure. Take the guest bedroom. We can have breakfast together tomorrow.”
I nod, relieved. “Okay,” I agree too quickly, but the thought of staying longer, of not cutting tonight short, is too tempting.
He squeezes my hands. “I’m glad.”
We rise from the couch, and he leads me up the grand staircase.
In the upstairs hallway, he pauses at a linen closet, pulling out a stack of fluffy white towels.
“If you want to shower.” He hands them to me. “And here.” He fishes out a spare toothbrush from a drawer.
“Thanks,” I say, clutching the items to my chest.
He walks me to the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. The room is enormous, with a king bed wrapped in luxurious linens. I take a step inside, and the plush carpet sinks under my feet.
Dorian stops at the threshold, leaning against the frame with one arm braced on the top beam, looking hot as sin.
“Goodnight kiss?” he asks cutely.
It’s become a new game for us. He pleads for kisses he knows I can’t give, and each time, I struggle with the desire to say yes. And he knows. He’s giving me sad-puppy eyes, but can’t hide the spark of mischievousness. Dorian is testing me, teasing me, and I wonder who’s going to break first. Maybe I should mess with him in return, give him a taste of his own medicine.
“Sure.”
He frowns, his face a mix of feral longing and hesitant caution, which makes me smile inwardly. But I keep my features serious as I walk up to him seductively, swaying my hips. Hope flickers in his eyes, and his lips part ever so slightly in anticipation.
I stop just short of him, close enough to feel the heat radiating from his body. My hand comes up to his cheek, and I study the thousand thoughts racing behind his eyes. He’s wondering if I’ll do it, if I’ll break our rules. I rise on my tiptoes, bringing our mouths less than an inch apart. He goes still, holding even the air in his lungs.
I close my eyes and savor his breath as it fans on my lips, warm and inviting. Every cell in my body is screaming at me to go for it, to take what I want. But at the last second, I brush to the side, my mouth landing on his cheek. I linger longer than I should, enough for the sexy scrape of his stubble to ruin me, enough to make him groan.
“Goodnight, Dorian.” I pull back.
He drags a hand down his face, shaking his head with a helpless grin. “Guess I deserved that. Night, Josie.”
Dorian leaves, closing the door behind him. I brush my teeth in the adjoined bathroom and then sag on the giant bed, still clothed, staring at the ceiling. I’m wide awake. The tiredness from before gone.
I don’t know how long I stay in this position. But it feels such a waste to be here when he’s just in the other room. My skin itches. I’m never going to sleep. On impulse, I get up, pad down the hall, and hesitate only a second before knocking on his door.
It flies open immediately, and my eyes widen. Dorian is on the other side in only black boxer briefs, a white T-shirt, and his ink. His hair is more tousled than usual. He’s so breathtaking, I forget how words work and just stand, blinking like an idiot too long before I recover.
“Did you fly here from the bed?”
“No.” He smiles. “I was pacing.”
Ah. He must’ve been as restless as me.
“Can I sleep here with you? Only sleep,” I add, even if I don’t really need to specify.
Dorian doesn’t hesitate. He grabs my hand, lacing our fingers together. He pulls me toward his bed with no urgency, just a slow, steady tug, as if leaving room for me to change my mind.
