Page 22 of All It Takes

“Wes?” she prompted.

My eyes whipped up to hers, and I felt a little sheepish. The pink tinge staining her cheeks sent electricity sizzling through me. I didn’t realize I had taken a step closer to her until I heard the soft intake of her breath.

“Wes,” she began.

Her voice was a husky whisper. It was just her voice, for fuck’s sake, yet I craved the sound of it. I let my gaze coast over her face—the subtle arch of her brows, the way her dark lashes curled against her cheeks when she blinked, the spray of freckles across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks, and the way her bottom lip was a little plumper than her top lip. When her tongue swiped across it, my body prickled with the imagined sensation of it because I wanted to feel her touch me.

I didn’t mean to whisper her name. It was almost a growl, just a rasp of sound. I glanced down to see her hands curled on the edge of the counter. She was gripping it tightly. I watched as the flush on her cheeks deepened. Her mouth was parted slightly. I kept cataloging details about her—every single one of them was another match thrown in the fire of need, kindling the flames higher and higher.

“Wes?”

“Yes?”

“We can’t kiss.”

“Tell me why not.” I heard myself saying.

Rational thought and reason had fled. Hell, they’d abandoned the building. The door to their return was locked firmly as need and desire threw a party in my body.

Tiffany worried her bottom lip as I waited, one hand gripping the counter.

“I don’t know.”

“We can be sensible,” I offered, which was laughable. It was so ridiculous I couldn’t believe I even suggested it.

“We need to focus on Ross,” she pointed out quite sensibly.

“Don’t you think we’ll be able to think more clearly if we just get this out of our systems?”

Nowthatwas an idea that made sense. I nodded to myself, almost proud for making that little point.

Her pretty blue eyes studied me. Her breath was a little unsteady, as was mine. She finally rolled her eyes, letting out a husky laugh. “I suppose that’s something to consider.”

“Only tonight,” I said.

The sound of her swallow was audible. After several long beats, she nodded, just barely. I waited, holding myself in place. Because as fiercely as I desired her, I needed to know it was something she wanted.

Her hands uncurled from the counter, and she lifted one, tracing it along the stubbled edge of my jaw. I turned to face her, putting both hands on the counter beside her hips. We stared at each other for several thundering heartbeats.

The air around us felt lit with a charge, heavy and weighted. In another moment, her hand slipped down the side of my neck and over my shoulder as she whispered, “Not fair.”

“What’s not fair?” I rasped.

Her eyes lifted to mine, a hint of mirth held in her gaze. “You’re too hot.”

Before I could reply, she leaned up and slid her hand around the back of my neck to pull me down to meet her mouth. That charge detonated, a lightning bolt sizzling between us when our lips met.

Her mouth opened instantly for me as she arched closer. I growled into her mouth at the feel of her soft curves pressing against me.

I had no idea how much time had passed. I could’ve kissed Tiffany for hours on end. The plush give of her lips, the teasing dance of her tongue with mine, and, fuck me, the little sounds she made—soft whimpers and husky pants when her mouth broke free from mine as we periodically needed to gasp for air before we fell back into kissing.

Like the rush of water tumbling down a mountainside, we started tugging at each other’s clothes.

I let out a groan when my palm glided over Tiffany’s soft skin. The curve of her belly felt just right. I brushed the backs of my knuckles along the plush softness of her breasts, savoring the sound of her moan when she broke away.

We stared at each other, our breath coming in rapid gasps. Her eyes had darkened to navy, and I saw my own need reflected in her gaze. With her lips parted slightly, her cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink. It felt as if every cell in my body was sizzling, the claws of need sinking deeper into me.

My eyes dipped down. Somewhere along the way, I’d unbuttoned her blouse. Her bra was black silk lace, her nipples tight and pressing against the fabric. I sucked in a breath, shackling my need. My hand had come to rest just on the side of her rib cage where I could feel the beat of her heart with every breath.

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