Page 236 of Now and Forever

“I barely slept a wink after I left you last night …” he began in a low voice, leaning towards me. “You made it impossible for me to sleep after that, knowing you were so close. I had never fought against such powerful urges as those I had to seek you out once more last night. I had to be a true gentleman and let you rest, but I doubt I’d be that accommodating the next time.”

My mouth ran dry at the thought of him coming to me while I slept with naked abandon. What would he have done then?

My mind lingered on the limitless possibilities. The picture he painted in my mind was so vivid I had to shut my thighs together, my pussy turned on. Fuck me. Why did he have to be so damn sexy?

Holding my breath, I fought the urge to turn my head to the side, kiss him like mad, and ask him to show me what he had in mind. I was turning into a sex addict. Who would have thought? It was insane to be this constantly turned on by a man.

“Please, it’s too early for me to be this … stimulated.” I barely glanced at him. “Give me a chance to breathe and get some caffeine in my system.”

Cruz gave a husky laugh before he gently placed his hand on my chin so our eyes connected. For a moment, we simply took in each other before he left an endearing kiss on my forehead then the tip of my nose and lastly my lips. Then he took his seat across the table.

If I could project how much I was glowing right at that instant, I would probably have enough power to wield electricity to a small city. I felt as though I were floating, and all Cruz had done was kiss me. It was such a simple thing, yet it resulted in so much reaction from me. My pheromones were going haywire. One could only pray that this lurid response would somehow die down soon, because a girl could only take so much mental, visual, and physical stimulation at once.

I felt his expressive, beautiful eyes on me intently as I slowly worked on my meal. I was giddy, so it was hard to hide that fact, and I was smiling like an idiot until my cheek muscles started to protest. It seemed that a lot of my body parts had their own protests going on where Cruz was concerned.

His phone beeped, making him pull it out of his pocket before reading through it with a frown.

Silently watching him as I sipped my coffee, I wondered what the message entailed. I was so engrossed with looking at him that I was caught by surprise when he lifted his eyes and his gaze clashed with mine, giving me the full impact of his formidable stare.

“Do you want to talk about last night?” His question threw me off balance as I tried to read his mind and failed miserably.

About last night … I wasn’t ready to break it down and what it all meant. It was too much, too soon.

I slowly shook my head. “No, not right now.” Someday maybe, but not the day after …

“Some other time, perhaps.” He made a solemn nod, as if understanding where I came from before he cleared his throat. “I should get going and let you be. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

Wait, what?

“Oh, you’re going? Like, right now?” I asked, jolted by the fact that he was ready to leave so soon after I had arrived. “You’re heading home or … somewhere else?” I had to know. Maybe he had prior plans …

He seemed thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. “I’m not so sure yet.”

“Oh … okay.” My insecurities came back with a vengeance, and all of my thoughts were directed towards his ex Ivy. Fuck.

“Go on. Tell me,” he urged.

Cruz’s word made me snap back to reality.

Blinking, I glowered at him. “Tell you what?” I wasn’t playing coy; I didn’t know what he meant.

“What’s making you frown at me like that?” He didn’t hesitate to call me out.

Um, fuck, like I would seriously tell him the whole theory behind my worrisome expression.

“I just didn’t expect you to leave so soon.” Half-truths were better than lying in my book.

Cruz considered me for a moment, as if he didn’t believe what I had just fed him.

“Afraid to miss me, Serena?” he asked.

I had to admire his punch lines. That shit got me every single time.

Thrown off by his question while I simmered in my own redness, I still tried to portray what little confidence I could muster up. “No. I …” I began to say, sounding unsure of myself.

His eyes sparkled, basking in my evident discomfort. “Do you know how arduous it is for me not to kiss you right now?”

“No, not here, not when someone could see us,” I immediately protested.

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