Page 48 of Brooklynaire
Nate shakes his head, and then reaches out with his other hand, too. He’s cupping my face so gently that my skin tingles under his warm palms. Except he’s giving me a look of exasperation—like it’s causing him pain just to have this conversation. “I couldn’t stand it, Bec. I wanted you to have someone and be happy. But I didn’t want towatch.”
Ialmostask why once again. But then it starts to sink in. And what he’s saying is big. No—it’shuge. And I really didn’t see itcoming.
Meanwhile, we’re having the world’s most heated staring contest. His eyes—which are an unusual shade of light brown in the daylight—are as black as the night. I’m studying him so closely that I swear I can see the flecks of gold even in the darkness. And he’s staring back at me like the future of the world depends on his refusal toblink.
And maybe it does. Because his hands move, sliding down from my jaw to my very bare shoulders. I’m suddenly so aware of how close our bodies are right now. The point of contact between his palms and my body seems to hum. If we break this standoff, something even crazier might happen here. His face is mere inches from mine. We’re so close that I can feel the heat rising off Nate. Goosebumps prickle my bareskin.
The possibility of his kiss is a brand new thing. I have stood in front of this man a thousand times before without being half so aware of his mouth. It’s a very handsome mouth, one I’ve seen smiling from magazine covers and smirking at me over cups of coffee. But for the first time in years, I want to know how it would feel againstmine.
“Why?” I whisper again. But this time the question means something else. It means,why am I suddenly so aware of you? Why are my breasts heavy against the lace of my nightie? Why is there so much heat in your eyes, and what is it doing to me? Whyis…
He kissesme.
Again I’m caught off guard. His lips are so soft. But my mouth is suddenly super sensitive. The snick of his kiss echoes inside my chest, and the hairs rise up on my arms when his lips brush over mine again. It’s overwhelming. I grab his biceps and let out agasp.
The sound sort of vibrates between us. He feeds on it. He cups the back of my head, and his kiss tilts, perfecting our connection. There’s nothing tentative about it now. I now know exactly how Nate’s mouth would feel against mine. It feelsawesome. I part my lips and his tongue touchesmine.
And,goddamn it. That zing I’m hearing now is all my hormones firing all at once. And it pisses me off. I make a loud, startled sound, from deep in my chest. Because…goddamn.
The sound startles Nate into jerking backward, breaking thekiss.
“Nate!” I squawk. “What thehell?”
“Jesus,” Nate whispers. “I’msorry?”
“You should be!” I squeak. “You just broke the seal! We spent seven years not doing that! And now I know what it’s like.” I didn’t know that Nate’s kiss would light me up everywhere, or that he’d taste like whiskey and heat. “I mean…” I put my fingertips to my lips and let out a strangledsigh.
His head tilts to the side like a Labrador retriever who can’t quite figure something out. “Bec, listen—I will apologize again and get the fuck out of your room. But for the love of god, help me understand—are you pissed off about the kiss? Or are you pissed that Istopped?”
“That’s not an easy question!”Obviously.
His handsome forehead wrinkles with confusion. “But it’s multiplechoice!”
All I can do is stare up in confusion at this man to whom I’ve spent years cultivating a sexual immunity. Not that he makes it easy, with his unusual eye color and intelligent stare. That scruff he wears on his elegant jaw because he’s too busy inventing the world toshave.
At that moment I find the whole picture as arousing as he is infuriating. He’s blowing up my head with confusing thoughts and this sudden, uncomfortablelust.
What. A. Jerk! Obviously, I am forced to retaliate. I grab that famously handsome face in two hands, and crush my mouth tohis.
“Ungh.” His moan is all shock and awe, because I’ve finally got the edge on him. I tilt my head and kiss himagain.
But Nate is a fierce competitor. Less than a second goes by before he slips an arm behind my thighs and slides my body down onto the bed. He pushes me into the pillows and takes control of thekiss.
And I experience a whole host of sensations in a big hurry. Because Nate is good at this. It should come as no surprise, since he’s good at everything. But I’m caught off guard as his lips massage mine with slow, dragging kisses. Each one is a little deeper than the last, until his tongue finally strokes againstmine.
I hear myself moan into his mouth as his tongue teases me toward recklessness. I used to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. It was a lot of work to put it out of my head, thank you verymuch.
And now I’ll never forget. Goddamnit.
In spite of my irritation, I slip an arm around his waist so I don’t lose contact with his bossy mouth. My tongue slides against his. Sohot.
This will prove to be a horrible idea. I already know it. But he startedit.
Didn’the?
My brain ismelting.
His might be, too. Neither of us is ready to stop and think. Our kisses never end—each one just rolls right into another. Hot and ceaseless. Then he drops his hips onto mine and I moan at the new connection. I welcome his weight, pressing me into the bed. I close my eyes and just give in to the desire that’s rising up insideme.
