Page 86 of The Opposite of Romance
“That’s ok. I don’t mind waiting.” He shoots me a smile, but I’m slack-jawed. His hair is cut and his face is freshly shaven so his jawline stands out. The tux splays perfectly over his wide shoulders and broad chest. Somehow, he looks even taller than usual as he towers over me.
“For you,” he adds after my silence stretches for too long.
“Oh.” I haven’t even noticed the giant bouquet he holds in his hand. I get myself together enough to take the flowers and murmur, “Thank you.”
But when he rests two fingers on my jaw and softly presses his full lips to mine, I’m done. My insides turn liquid as his scent enters my nose, the heat of his lips burning me.
The kiss both grounds me and sends me soaring, and fuck, I’m going to miss this when it’s over. When it eventually comes crashing down. But when the kiss fizzles out, and our eyes open, I know for a fact I’m going to milk every second of it.
“Can you help zip me up?” I ask, my voice breathless.
“Of course.” He finally enters the house, closing the door behind him. In a single step, he’s right behind me. I can feel the warmth of him on my naked back, reminding me that my dress is fully open.
He grabs the end of my zipper, getting even closer, before sliding it all the way up to my neck. The move is slow and sensual, and the sound of the metal teeth interlocking reverberates in the otherwise silent room.
I’m holding in a breath that whooshes out of me when his warm lips land on the skin of my neck. The moment stretches for eternity as I’m rooted to the spot, unable and unwilling to move away from his touch.
“We should get going,” he whispers beneath my ear, and a shudder runs through me.
“I thought you said you don’t mind waiting.”
“I don’t. But if we keep this up, we won’t be going anywhere tonight.”
He inches even closer to me, enough so I feel his hard erection rubbing on my ass. A whimper escapes me.
“I-I’m sorry. I know this is probably not the way you imagined our date going,” I say.
“Are you kidding me? Watching you in your element, being celebrated for the rockstar that you are? I couldn’t think of a better date.” He stresses his words with the press of his palms on my upper arms.
It’s practically summer, but I feel like I’m freezing, his touch the only thing that’s able to bring me heat. It warms my body, while his words ignite my heart. A heart that was used to David’s annoyance by another one of my award ceremonies. To him waving off my nominations like he was used to them.
“Can I help you get ready somehow?” he asks.
“No, I just need to put my shoes on.”
“Let me.”
Gently pushing me down to sit on the steps, he kneels in front of me, taking one shoe that was placed next to the staircase. For the fifth time in five minutes, I’m stumped, so his lips turn up into a smirk while he waits for me to realize I need to lift my foot and slide it into the shoe.
His touch is feather light as he clasps the strap of my gold, heeled sandals around my ankle, before repeating the process with the other foot.
“There,” he says with a demure smile.
My breathing is slow and labored, the moment heavy and intimate, just like him zipping me up.
“We should get going.”
He chuckles at me repeating his words from earlier. But he’s right. If we keep this up, we won’t be going further than my bedroom.
“You look beautiful, by the way,” he says, taking my hand in his.
“Thank you.” My cheeks tint with a blush.
He helps me into his truck, which is freshly washed.
“Wow, the car looks brand new.”
“Yeah.” He scratches his neck. “It’s usually a mess with all my tools and supplies, but I wanted to make sure your dress didn’t get dirty.”
