Page 271 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
He arches his brow. “And how do you figure that?”
I stand on my tippy toes to press a peck on his sinful mouth. His growl vibrates through my lips when I refuse to open my mouth at the demand of his lashing tongue. It’s hard denying him, but I’m trying to prove a point.
“Last night, I said it would be my final question if you said yes to pleasuring me.” I purse my lips and screw up my nose. “You didn’t say yes, and you didn’t put out, so that question didn’t count.”
“So you’re going to hold out kissing me until I answer your question?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
My defiance waivers when he curls his arms around my waist and tugs me in closer. My insides purr like a kitten when he places a trail of kisses along my neckline and across my jaw before sealing his mouth over mine. My mouth gapes open when he rolls my nipple between his thumb and index finger, and his tongue slips inside. He strokes and licks the inside of my mouth in a frenzied pace that soon has my knees buckling.
When he pulls away from our kiss, my breathing is labored and my eyes are wide, shamefully exposing my arousal. “Your kisses aren’t up for negotiation, Isabelle, and neither is your body,” he declares, staring into my eyes. “They're not your bargaining chips. They'remine.”
My knees violently clash from the sexy growl that accompanied his voice when he said “mine.”
“Okay?”
A smile curls on my lips. Even while unleashing the dominance I love, he still seeks permission. “Okay.”
He places the photo back onto the mantelpiece. “I snapped that picture before I left Regan’s apartment the morning after you called me during a nightmare.”
My brows scrunch. “I asked Regan the following morning if you were there. She said no.”
He shakes his head as air escapes his nostrils. “She told me she’d do that. She was worried you’d call every night if you knew I came.”
I keep my mouth shut, knowing what Regan said is highly probable.
“How did you get in undetected? Hugo and I noticed a surveillance van outside the apartment the very first day.”
Isaac’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he scrubs his hand along his jaw. After sitting on the couch, he pulls me into his lap. A shallow moan seeps from my lips. He isn’t hard, but his well-endowed package doesn’t need to be stiff for me to notice.
When he lifts his gaze from my budded nipples to my eyes, my anxiety levels rise. His eyes are brimming with concern. I realize why when he murmurs, “I kissed Regan.”
I freeze as the air is forcefully removed from my lungs.
“If I had a sister, it would’ve been like kissing her. I swear to you, it wasnothinglike the images running through your head right now.”
I close my eyes, blocking out the painstaking visual filtering through my mind.
“It was the only way I could get into the apartment without raising suspicion. If I turned up at my…fuck padwithout a…companion, Theresa would’ve realized you were staying in the building. I couldn’t run the risk of her hounding you there.”
Even though everything he says makes sense, it doesn’t stop the pain stabbing my chest.
“Isabelle…” his voice is croaky and full of hurt, “… please look at me.”
I exhale a long, shaky breath before opening my eyes. His reflects his genuine regret. “I had to know you were okay. I had to know you weren’t crying. I couldn’t bear the idea that the last time I talked to you was when you were crying. The kiss wasnothinglike you're imagining, I swear to you.”
The stranglehold on my heart eases when his eyes display the truth in his statement. His eyes can see straight into my soul, but that also means they're open and exposed, verifying the honesty in his words.
“Was there any tongue involved?”
An inappropriately-timed chuckle escapes his lips before he shakes his head.
His laughter immediately ends when my furious, narrowed eyes glare at him. “No,” he answers more respectfully.
I sigh. A kiss without tongue can be construed as a friendly peck. If tongue were involved, there's no denying it was a sexual act. Although I’m not happy about him kissing Regan, I don’t want to fight with him. I’m sick of fighting.
“While we’re being honest and sharing…” my voice judders with nerves, “… Hugo and I may have cuddled a few times.”
