Page 58 of Whisper of Love (Whisper Lake 1)

CHAPTER 21

Ali stopped in her tracks and turned back to face him. Her eyes flared as they met his. She could feel that her cheeks were flushed and her heart was racing a mile a minute. A thought popped into her head and she almost lost her self-righteous higher ground by laughing at it.

Being angry sure feels a lot like being turned on.

She didn’t know what to say or do anymore. It felt like every word she wanted to say she couldn’t get out. It was exhausting and she was tired of being consumed with so much anger. And lust.

That was the other thing she was consumed by. But she wasn’t quite as tired of that. At least not in that moment.

She was a young woman. Even though the life she lived sometimes made her feel like that was the furthest thing from the truth. She had needs. And right now, the need that was closest to the surface was being touched by Kade. Her pride was the only thing standing in the way of taking what she needed.

She’d been the one to say that nothing else could happen between them. She’d been the one to declare that the night they spent together was a one-time only event. She’d been the one that had insisted they stay just friends.

And now she wanted more. She wanted what they’d shared the other night. She wanted to forget everything but how amazing he made her feel.

“Talk to me, Ali.” The desperation in his voice tipped it for her.

It made her feel like he needed to connect with her just as badly as she needed to connect with him.

She stepped forward and pressed her body to his. She didn’t hesitate; she didn’t wait for his reaction. She didn’t—and this was new for her—pause to think about how her actions would affect anyone but herself.

She was putting her own feelings first for a change and she didn’t feel one damn bit of guilt about it. Well, at least not right now, anyway.

She snaked her arms around his neck and lifted on her toes to press her lips to his. Somehow, being lip to lip was even better than she’d remembered.

He froze for a minute before wrapping her up in an all-consuming embrace and crushing her body to his. She let out a moan. There was something so primal about being held by Kade. It unleashed a primitive “Me Jane, you Tarzan” thing inside her that made her feel safe and secure, so cherished and protected by the manliest man who ever manned.

Their kiss started off slow and exploratory. It was smoldering and sultry. Then it changed into something raw and savage.

Just when she was starting to lose herself, Kade pulled away and trailed his fingertips down the side of her face and looked into her eyes. “Are you sure you want to do this?” His voice was raspy and raw.

“No,” She shook her head. “But that’s the wrong question.”

He grinned, just a little. “Okay. What’s the right question?”

“Do I need to do this?”

The last syllable was barely out of her mouth before his lips were on hers, his tongue thrusting into her hot and waiting mouth and drowning out any additional words she might’ve been about to say.

He reached down and grabbed her ass, gripping it so firmly that she could feel the outline of every finger through her denim shorts. A groan escaped from low in her throat, disappearing in the hot, wet field where their tongues were doing battle.

She loved it when he touched her like that. It was so hot and so visceral, the way he planted his hands on her like he owned her. It was like the romance novels she’d read where the hero was claiming what was his.

It wasn’t something she ever thought she’d appreciate in practice, but a lot was surprising her when it came to Kade.

A deep, throbbing ache grew between her thighs and she knew that it was a pain that would not be satisfied until Kade touched her there. There was simply no cure for a lady boner except an orgasm. That’s what Jess had told her once and she was beginning to believe it.

That made her way too dependent on him in this moment, but with his tongue moving in her mouth and his hands tightly gripping her booty, she decided she didn’t really care. In fact, she was thinking it was working itself out quite nicely.

He took a few steps forward, pressing her up against the wall. It jarred her and she sucked in her breath. It also sent trembling waves of arousal through her. For all her independence, she couldn’t believe how much she loved being manhandled by Kade.

“You’re really good at this,” she breathed. She barely had the strength to speak that tremulous whisper, but she could tell from the hungry way that Kade started kissing her neck and the deep groan that ripped from his chest she’d gotten her message across.

His lips were tender as they traveled down her neck, but they were anything but passive. He pressed them against her soft flesh with a determination and authority that sent heat spreading out from every place they came in contact with.

“Nobody touches me like you, Kade,” she whimpered, only barely in control of the words that she was saying in her head-spinning ecstasy. “Nobody makes me feel the way you do.”

In between kisses that were now traveling down her chest, he stopped and growled, “Good. Nobody better.”

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