Page 34 of Destined For Forever

He was close enough to touch her now, but she was the one who broke. Her hand came up to his chest, her fingertip tracing one of his shirt buttons. “I’m not supposed to want you.”

“But?”

“But I do.”

He closed his eyes for a moment, drawing on his strength. He found none. Only need. Only want. “I have thought about this moment more than you would ever understand.”

“I think I would understand,” she whispered, flattening her palm to his chest. For as independent and worldly as she was, there was a hint of vulnerability simmering underneath the surface.

“Why’s that?” He traced the strap of her dress with his fingertip and she shivered.

“Because I’ve thought about us—this thing between us—far more than I should have. Far more than I ever wanted to.”

Hearing her words unlatched something inside him. He reached for her, tugging her close and sliding his hand along her jaw. When his lips met hers, her body melted against him and her fists bunched his shirt. The kiss was hard and desperate, but ended slow, deep, and tender.

“We’ve got no audience now,” he said. “There’s no one watching us. If anything happens…”

“It’s not for show.”

There it was—the line in the sand. If they stepped over it, then they were acknowledging that this wasn’t about keeping up appearances. It wasn’t about an arrangement or a deal. It wasn’t about playing a role or being a means to an end.

It meant something.

The atmosphere felt thick and heavy, loaded with crackling tension and mutual excitement. Shared wanting. The hesitation was addictive and Sean’s heart pounded against his ribs, desire and longing creating a potent cocktail of anticipation inside him. Nobody twisted him up inside like Lily Dunn. Nobody.

“This is your call,” he said, brushing his lips over hers. His hands were on her waist, holding her steady. At least, that’s what he told himself.

More like holding onto her is the only thing from keeping you floating off into the night.

Her eyes were luminous. “What do you mean?”

“I mean… if you want to call it a night and turn in as friends, then I’ll do it. We don’t have to mention this ever again.” He let out a breath. “But I want very much to get you out of that little black dress and underneath me, Lily. I want it more than anything.”

Her breath hitched and her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. He traced the curve of her jaw with his fingertip, following the line down her neck and over the bump of her collarbone.

God, she was exquisite.

“Say the word. Tell me to stop,” he said hoarsely. His body was tense with need, but he wasn’t going to take another step down this path unless they were in it together.

“No,” she whispered, looking up at him. “Don’t stop.”

“You sure?” he asked. “Because I don’t want you to regret anything come morning. What about your ‘no hanky panky’ rule?”

“I really said that, didn’t I?” She cringed. “I thought I was being so smart, too. Laying ground rules early, setting boundaries.”

“I don’t care what you thought then. I care what you think now.” He practically growled the words.

“I want you. I want… this.”

The smoke in her voice almost set him alight. “Turn around.”

There was no telling whether her dress looked more amazing from the front or the back. The stretchy fabric gleamed in the lamp’s light, highlighting her shoulders and the gentle flare of her hips. It was cut into a low vee and a cleverly concealed zipper ran from the point of the vee and down her back.

He swept her long hair over one shoulder, exposing the delicate line of her neck. His lips gravitated to the spot, drawn by the need to taste. To touch. The scent of her—faded perfume and floral soap—teased him as his hands smoothed down her sides, tracing her shape. Then he tugged on her zipper. The sliver of bare skin deepened, revealing a pair of black, lacy underwear and thigh-high black stockings. With a slither, the dress slid down her body and she stepped out of the slinky puddle, kicking it to the side.

Glorious dark hair fell over her bare breasts; she was a goddess who’d fallen to earth. Being here with Lily was different to how it normally felt when he took someone to bed. The way he desired her had always gone deeper than what felt normal to him. Deeper, even, than what felt comfortable. He was drawn to her on a primal level.

A thought danced in the back of his mind that this wasn’t going to be something he could easily walk away from. Leaving her to head back to Australia would hurt.

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