Page 29 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

“Berry,” he said, confirming that, yes, she did indeed still wear that ChapStick. Then he slid his hands down to her hips. “Can you tell me you’re not sure if you liked that kiss or not?”

“No,” she said, swaying into him. “I liked it.” She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, but he stopped her, stepping back.

“Am I making you uncomfortable?” he asked.

She shook her head, no more signs of nerves or rejection. “No.”

“I used to think of you all the time, dream of you,” he said because it was the truth. “You can’t imagine what it’s like for me to be standing here in front of you.”

She smiled at that. “I think I can, actually.”

She could imagine? Meaning she’d dreamed of him too?

With that emboldening thought, he closed the distance between them again and touched the sleeve of her dress, rubbing the luxurious material between his thumb and forefinger. “I thought about what I might say, what I might do if I ever got the chance.”

He curled his right hand over her shoulder, and she kept her eyes on him, unblinking, as he eased his fingertips down to her collarbone. He toyed with the small gold charm on her necklace before walking behind her, letting his fingers drag along her throat. He pressed his chest against her back, and this time, she was fully relaxed. They took one, two, three breaths together.

With the curve of her ass pressing right up against him, his body responded reflexively, grinding his quickly hardening length against her. “You’re beautiful, Lane.”

He nipped at her ear, and when she stretched her neck to the side, he opened his mouth against her pulse, licking and sucking at her throat. She groaned, and he smiled into her skin. “Still like that?” He didn’t give her time to answer, going back to the spot she’d always loved. “Of course you do.”

Then he let his hand sink below the neckline of her dress to her breast, so full and soft. Her nipple pebbled beneath the lace of her bra, and he had to see it. He untied the bow at her waist, and her dress listed open. He lifted his head to take in her body in the matching dark pink set. She turned her head to meet his gaze, the corner of her lip trapped between her teeth. He tugged it out with his thumb then dragged the pad of it along her lower lip. “Did you wear this for him?”

She shook her head, inhaling deeply, so his hand on her belly shadowed the movement. The tip of his middle finger dipped below the top of her panties on her exhale. “I wore it for me. To feel confident. It didn’t work.”

He growled out his approval into her neck. “It’s working for me.”

She laughed, deep and full, and he wanted more of it. More of her laugh, more of her mouth, more ofher. When he kissed her again, she arched into him, inviting his hands to wander over the landscape of her body, relearning every tender and ticklish spot until she was writhing against him.

He would have liked to continue, to slip his hand into her underwear and show her exactly how much and how often he dreamed of making her scream his name, but Dean was upstairs, and Ethan wasn’t much into him finding them this way. So instead of curling his fingers between her legs, he forced his hand back up to her shoulder and followed the lines of her shoulder blades with his knuckle as he circled back in front of her.

Her skin was flushed all over, and she was breathing heavily, her thighs pressed tight together.

“I’m not some needle-dick kid,” he told her, tying the belt of her dress together so her lovely lace was completely covered up once again. “Iknowyou, and I know what youneed.”

Then he grabbed her waist and offered her one more kiss. One that proved they weren’t eighteen years old anymore. She clung to him, gripping the cotton of his shirt in her fists like she might fall over, and he held her tighter. The feel of her fingertips on him, the taste of her lips, the smell of her perfume, it was all familiar yet new at the same time.

“See?” he said against her lips, finally loosening his hold on her, and she leaned back in his arms to gaze up at him. She blinked. Then blinked again. And he made sure his glasses weren’t crooked before smiling. “You’re completely comfortable with me. That other guy is the problem.” He kissed her forehead, cheek, and then mouth one last time. “Don’t let that asshole ex of yours affect who you are. You are not broken, Lane. You’re perfect.”

Then he picked up his coat and stepped into his shoes. “See you later.”

She only lifted her hand, her cheeks pink and lips kiss-swollen. Gorgeous.

10

Ethan removed his glasses to rub at his eyes with the heels of his hands before slumping back in his chair. It was almost five, but he’d been hoping to finish this report before quitting time. Although with the way his mind circled back to Friday night with Laney in his arms, he’d been useless all day. Hell, all weekend.

The Anchormen had practice Saturday morning, but he’d been all over the place, screwing up songs he’d been playing since high school. Once a month, they had a standing gig at a local bar. Dean, Hank, and Ethan had formed their jam band in high school with two other friends, but since they’d reformed, they’d recruited two other guys, Tony and Jerry, on keyboard and bass guitar. The money wasn’t great, but it was fun to do something they all loved, and they got a night of free food and drink on the third Thursday of every month.

Twisting his pen between his fingers, Ethan briefly wondered if Laney knew about the gig coming up and if she’d be there. In high school, she’d attended any performance they had. Even though Dean and Laney ran in different circles, they had always shown up for each other. Ethan had known some siblings to be competitive, but with them, they were so different, he thought it might have been impossible to have any competition between them.

Like what Ethan had with his own brother. With six years between them, he had basically worshiped Justin as a kid. The guy could do no wrong, and Ethan’s analytical brain couldn’t let go of the fact that he hadn’t been able to fix this yet. When Laney had turned him down for help with his nonprofit, he’d spent a few hours Googling what to do or where to go for advice on fundraising, but he wasn’t confident enough in his schmoozing skills to pull a big event together. Sure, he was good with a small group, easily befriending people, but he didn’t know how to host a fundraiser.

With a sigh, he put his glasses back on and combed his fingers through his hair before picking up his phone. He’d had Laney’s cell phone number for a long time, but he hadn’t used it since high school. No better time than the present, he supposed.

You coming to The Tavern on Thursday?he texted, and he tried not to focus on it when she didn’t immediately respond.

At five of five, he shut off his computer, slung his coat on, and waved goodbye to the department’s administrative assistant before heading out to his car, checking his cell phone on the way.

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