Page 44 of Getting the Grinder
I shake my head, trying to clear my head. “The sweater with my name.”
“Oh. I asked Suki to get me one.”
She turns, drying her hands on a towel. “Want me to crack the eggs? I’m freakishly good at it.”
“You wanted to wear it?”
She smiles, looking confused. “Are we still on the sweater? Yeah, I wanted to wear it.”
I forget the ingredients on the island. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“I should’ve looked away. That day in the bathroom. I guess I was being a desperate pervert, because I think you’re beautiful. I never meant a single thing I said about your ... bush. I’ve fantasized about it a thousand times, just as it was that day.”
Her lips part. “You don’t have to say that. I was in the shower to shave my bikini line, because we were getting in the hot tub, and I wanted you to ... it doesn’t matter.”
She looks away. My blood pounds with excitement as I walk around to the side of the kitchen island she’s standing on, tipping her chin up so we’re at eye level.
“It matters,” I say softly. “What were you going to say?”
She wets her lips with the tip of her tongue, vulnerability in her expression. “I wanted you to look at me. And like me. I borrowed one of Suki’s swimsuits that’s too small for me because it makes my boobs look amazing.”
Her words make my cock stiffen. “When have your boobs ever not looked amazing?”
A smile dances on her lips. “Fair point. But you know what I mean. This suit is like a custom-made display case for my tits. I wanted you to want me. And when you saw me like that ... I lost my shit.”
I cup her jawline, smoothing the pad of my thumb over her lower lip. Her eyes widen slightly. “There’s never been a time since the first time I saw you when I didn’t want you.”
She pinches her brows together. “Not in that moment. With the green clay mask on my face and conditioner in my hair?”
“Are you kidding? I wanted to get in the shower with you. And then, once you started yelling at me every time you saw me, I wanted you even more. You’re ... wild. Like the most exotic flower that only grows in places man can’t get to. I could only admire you from afar, but never get close.”
“Maybe ...” She swallows, looking nervous. “Maybe that’s the appeal, that you couldn’t have me. Maybe if you could, you’d be bored.”
My grin almost turns into a laugh. “Mara, the one thing I’d never be around you is bored.”
“I don’t want to disappoint you.”
I put my hands on her waist and lift her onto the kitchen island, keeping my hands on her. She cradles my face as I rest my forehead against hers. “You’ll never disappoint me. I’m not the playboy you think I am. I haven’t been with a woman in a long time, because if it’s not special, I don’t want it.”
I grab the sweater and gently pull it up over her head, tossing it aside. Underneath, she’s wearing a tight black camisole. My anxiety attack is a distant memory as I bend down and kiss her jawline, then her cheek. Her breath is warm on my face, coming in uneven little bursts.
When I kiss her, she slides her arms around my neck, moving closer to me. Her mouth is soft and warm. She tastes like cinnamon gum. When I put a hand on her lower back and press her closer to me, deepening the kiss, she moans softly.
I’m rock hard, and she knows it. She wraps her legs around my waist, pressing her core into my erection. We’ve only kissed, and this already feels more intimate than anything I’ve had with other women.
Mara is the only one who has seen all of me. She knows my secrets and wants me anyway. All those heated arguments were foreplay, and I want to devour her and savor her in equal measure.
She pulls off the camisole, revealing a lacy, pale-pink bra. I trail a fingertip over the silky fabric, her nipple pebbling beneath my touch.
“Are you sure?” I ask her.
“Yes. I have a birth control implant.” She grabs my tie, just holding on to it and not moving. “Are you sure?”
“Completely.”
She pulls on my tie, our mouths hungry when they meet. It’s a tangle of lips and teeth and tongues as we work together to get my tie and dress shirt off. She slides off the island and takes her shoes and leggings off, leaving her in socks and underwear.
