Page 42 of The VIP Doubles Down
He released the wheel and leaned toward her, reaching behind her head to cup it in one hand as he slowly brought his lips to hers.
The kiss was a question, asking if she wanted this, giving her time to say no. But the moment she felt the firm heat of his mouth against hers, she knew she wasn’t going to stop him. She might have to share Pie’s cat food when she ran out of money, but she craved the kiss of this fascinating, pain-damaged man the way she craved chocolate. It was bad for her in so many ways, but the flavor was so darned delicious.
She softened into him, putting her hand on his chest so she could deepen the contact. The moment he felt her yielding, he buried his fingers in the coiled bun of her hair and angled her head so he could lay a line of kisses along her jaw and against her neck.
“Allie, you taste like innocence and sin all mixed together.” His breath whispered against the sensitive skin behind her ear, and she purred like her cat.
“Don’t mistake hillbilly for innocent,” she said, turning her face so their mouths met again. She teased his lips with the tip of her tongue, loving the firmness of his skin, the mild rasp of his whiskers against her chin, the crisp, herbal scent of his shampoo. She slipped her fingers into his hair, remembering the thick, slightly coarse feel of it from their treatment sessions. It had a strong texture that suited a powerful man.
In return, he unraveled her bun so her hair cascaded down over her shoulders. “You should always wear your hair down,” he said, stroking it. “No, you should wear it up so men can fantasize about tearing out the pins and watching it fall down like a curtain of fire. And picture it spread over the pillows on their beds.”
He took her mouth again, his hands sinking into her hair on either side of her face. She moaned as the touch of his tongue stirred a deep, simmering longing. She clutched at his shoulders to press her aching breasts against him, the delicious contact sending sparks into her belly.
He lifted his head. “We need more space. Let’s go inside.”
“What?” She thought of the three cramped rooms of her apartment with the treadmill in the bedroom and the kitty-litter box in the bathroom. “No! My apartment will remind you too much of the days before you sold your book.”
“Does it have a bed?”
“Only a double.”
“Then we’ll have to get very, very close together.” He smiled in a way that made her insides turn molten with desire.
“Wait here.” He pressed a quick kiss on her lips and sprang out of the car.
Was she really going to do this? She clenched her hands around the straps of her handbag.
He opened her door and held out his hand, his strength evident in the easy way he pulled her to her feet. She wanted to feel that strength over her and inside her. But she halted as he wrapped his arm around her waist and started toward her apartment building’s battered front door. “If we do this,” she said, “I can’t be your physical therapist anymore.”
He sighed. “I have an alternative in mind. We’ll talk about it later.” He propelled them both forward again, and Allie felt a strange sliding sensation of pleasure. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him.
When she sorted out the right key, he took it from her and fitted it into the lock, sweeping her through the open door. Starting up the stairs, he asked, “How many flights?”
“Four.”
He laughed and climbed faster, almost carrying her along with him. “So this is how you stay in shape. An aerobic workout with every return home.”
His hard thigh grazed her hip as they continued upward and jostled each other in ways that kept raising her temperature. By the time they reached the fifth floor, she felt as though one kiss from him would make her explode.
As her door swung open, he backed her up against the wall inside, kicking the door shut behind them. Then he gave her the full length of his muscular body, driving his thigh between hers so the friction made her moan, and letting her know the level of his arousal by the feel of his erection against her stomach.
“How’s your breathing?” he asked as he twined his fingers with hers and raised her hands up over her head to pin them against the plaster.
The change in position dragged her breasts against him, and she gasped and rocked her hips without conscious thought. “Breathing? What’s that?” she managed to say.
“You may need resuscitating.” He explored her mouth slowly and thoroughly, making her twist and squirm as desire scorched through her, lighting exquisite fires wherever their bodies touched. The ache between her legs grew overpowering, but still he held her in place.
He released her mouth to whisper in her ear, “This is my revenge for having to lie still while you ran your hands over my skin.”
“It wasn’t easy for me, either.” She deliberately ground her pelvis against him, the pressure lighting up her nerves like a skyrocket.
He groaned and pulled back from her. “Where’s the bedroom?”
She almost laughed. There weren’t many possibilities in her apartment. Then she had a moment of concern. “Are you allergic to cats?”
“No. How many do you have?”
“Only one. I’m not a crazy cat lady.”Yet.She led him through the living room by their intertwined hands. “But she sleeps on the bed.”
