Page 97 of Matchmaking the Rival

When I was confident it was going strong, I joined her in the kitchen.

I went up behind Meredith, kissing her neck. To my surprise, she’d already taken out champagne glasses.

"How did you know where they were?” I asked.

“Oh, I saw them when I emptied the glasses from the dishwasher. Do you mind?"

"No, I want you to feel comfortable here, Meredith."

It made me happy that she knew where everything was, that she felt at home here.

I turned her around slowly. "I've never been this close to anyone."

"Neither have I," she admitted, her eyes searching mine.

"When I saw today that we made it to the next stage, I didn't think about celebrating with my family. I wanted to celebrate with you."

"Really?"

"You're important to me, Meredith. You’re an integral part of me."

I tilted closer, kissing her slowly. She tasted like orange juice. She moaned against my mouth, putting her hands on my chest. Breaking the kiss, I smiled down at her.

"Champagne first,” she said, “or I have a feeling you're going to make me forget all about that."

"You're right." I took the bottle from the freezer, popping open the cork and pouring it in glasses. It had chilled surprisingly fast. I was going to take the bottle with us. I had plans for the rest of it. "I'm sorry you didn't make it to the next round." I meant it sincerely. She’d put in a lot of effort.

"Honestly, it doesn’t matter. It was only a means to an end for Sonya anyway. But for you, the win itself is important. And I'm so happy for you." She was genuine; I could see that in the way she looked at me. It slayed me.

I felt invincible when I was with her, and I wasn't talking about business. I felt as if I could take anything life threw in my way. It was incredible.

We clinked glasses. "Bottom’s up," I said.

But we only took a few sips before I put down the glass, and she did the same. I was too hungry for her to drink champagne. I put a hand on the back of her head, kissing her even deeper than before. With my other hand, I grabbed the champagne bottle, then walked her backward.

"Where are we going?" she muttered.

"In front of the fire. That’s where I want you tonight.”

I wanted to claim her in a primal away. The rug in front of the fireplace was thick enough to be comfortable. I put the champagne on the floor.

"What are you going to do with that?" she asked.

"You'll see." She was wearing a skirt and a sweater, a change from her usual dresses. Those came off quicker, but this wasn't bad either. I took off her sweater, and then she shimmied out of her skirt and tights.

"I will never tire of looking at you. You're so damn sexy." Her curves were endless, and I wanted to worship them.

"Mmmm," she muttered, coming close to me. "You should wear these shirts more often."

"Why, because they're easier to take off?" I asked.

"That, too, but also because your muscles look so damn delicious in them." She took it off right away, then moved her mouth to my chest and continued in a downward trail, lowering herself to her knees. She undid the belt buckle of my jeans and yanked them down before doing the same with my underwear. I kicked them to one side. Fuck, I was so hungry for her.

"I like this. Already hard for me." She palmed my cock.

"I've been hard for you ever since we stepped through that door," I admitted.

She licked once from the base up to the tip. I dropped my head back, groaning, moving my hips back and forth. Then I straightened up, focusing on her again. She was like a vision on her knees in front of me. The fire lit up half her face and body. She lowered her mouth on my cock, and it was all I could do not to thrust even deeper.

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