Page 38 of Embedded
His big hand landed on my thigh and drew my attention back to him. I looked up at his eyes then without thinking they dropped to his lips. His fingers flexed and I knew he felt it too. It was pure lust, and I was more than ready to let it take over. The fact that he obviously felt it too made my heart pound and the spot where his hand sat on my leg heated to the point of pain.
“Answer me this.” His warm breath blew over my face. “Is it a man or a woman?”
“Does it make a difference?”
“It does to me.”
“Yeah?” I turned to see him better and raised my chin as my feisty side kicked in. “Why?”
He reached up and gently pushed back a piece of my hair then ran his fingers along my collarbone. I shivered.
Cole whispered something, and Paul’s hand dropped away. He closed his eyes and answered Cole back so fast I couldn’t tell if he said it in English or French. He did, however, leave his hand on my thigh.
Once we got back to the house, everyone went in their separate directions. I hurried to go check on Chase, and when I got to his room, Abigail was slowly closing the door.
“Hello, dear.” She smiled warmly at me and put a finger to her lips. “The little one finally fell back to sleep.”
“Oh, that’s good.” I smiled. “Did he eat anything?” I wanted to see him, but I knew how important sleep was.
“He did, but not much. Maybe tomorrow you can try before you leave.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
She gave me a gentle squeeze on the arm and left me alone. I glanced at his door then forced myself to turn toward my own.
I pulled out my phone and tapped on Glen’s number. Just as he answered, the phone was snatched out of my hand.
“Nicole?” I heard Glen snap, and Paul’s eyes narrowed in on me as he hung up my phone.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Who is he?” he snarled.
“None of your business, that’s who.” I took my phone from him and pushed open the door to my room. I used my foot to try to slam it shut on him, but he grabbed it and stepped in behind me.
I whirled around, and my gaze flew to his face, but he didn’t say a word; his expression had changed from anger to something more like pain. His eyes shifted like he battled with something internal.
“Is this how it’s going to be between us?” I blurted. “Because I don’t know about you, Paul, but I’m basically maxed out. I told you the truth, I never used Chase for a story, so until you get past your own mental block and see the situation for what it is, I can’t do this anymore.” He took a step toward me and closed what little space there was between us. “I wish you’d trust me.”
“I want to,” he admitted and stared down at me like he was trying to figure something out. “I hate that we kissed before because it’s consumed me in ways I can’t describe.”
I looked away briefly and carefully framed my reply because I knew what his problem was. “When was the last time you had sex?” There it was, point blank. No beating around the bush there.
“Don’t insult me, Nicole.” His brows pinched together. “A kiss can be even more intimate and impactful than sex.” My gaze dropped to the floor, and I felt like a jerk. “I’ve dated one person in the last decade, and since we split, I haven’t slept with anyone else. It’s not who I am.” His jaw flexed and his breath came out in a short huff.
“Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “You just seem angry with me again.”
“Mm,” he mumbled from somewhere deep in his throat.
“So maybe it’s best we cut our ties here before any more feelings get?—”
He hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me to him.
“No.” He ran his other hand through my hair, along my jawbone, then his thumb tugged at my bottom lip. He let it flick back into place then squinted as if lost in thought. “You remind me I’m not who I was.” He moved so fast I barely registered what he had said. Who he was? The thought flickered at the back of my brain, but before I could get my mind around it, his lips found mine. His tongue broke the seal of my lips and dove inside, making my entire body tense then slowly relax into warm jelly. His hand on my back flexed as he drew me closer. His solid body felt like steel against mine. I ran my hands over his large shoulders and enjoyed the feel of his muscles as they flexed under my touch.
Paul had a way of demanding my body that even I couldn’t control. He kissed like we were saying goodbye.
Hold on!
