Page 56 of From London, With Love

The deep green pools staring back at me probably reflect what Carter sees in my own; desire and need—on the precipice of losing all control.

As my search comes up empty, two words ring out in my mind.

Fuck it.

Placing my weight on my toes, I lean forward and connect my lips to his.??

For a moment, neither of us move. I’ve never had a kiss this still. Slowly, I reach a hand up to cup his cheek, desperate to feel his stubble beneath my fingertips. The small movement acts like a tripwire, and Carter comes to life.

Still keeping his hands firmly on my waist, he pulls back. Not much, but enough to see my face.?

“What was that for?”

He’s seriously questioning this? Good grief, this man is impossible. I’m struggling to discern how he feels, concerned I’ve somehow got it all wrong. That is, until he continues gazing into my eyes, his own softening ever so slightly.

“Do you have objections?” I raise a brow at him, daring him to tell me he doesn’t want this. There’s still a small part of me fearing I’ve read this entire thing wrong, but there’s a larger part telling me to own it like the badass woman I aspire to be.

A smirk ghosts his lips. “No objections here; I’m merely hoping this isn’t the wine acting on your behalf.”

I’m momentarily stunned by his admission, by the fact he’d be less inclined to continue this if alcohol were behind it.

“Carter, I’d been drinking non-alcoholic wine since the second glass.”

I revel in the way his pupils react to this; solid proof I made the right move. His eyes flare as heat emanates from them.

“I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to continue what you started in the stockroom.”

“Lara, you only had to ask, and I’d have dropped everything for you.”

Before I get the chance to let a statement like that take over my thoughts, Carter returns his lips to mine, cutting off any chance of overthinking.

Blood thumps heavily against the artery in my neck, but there’s a hitch in its steady flow as a thought occurs to me: that was the first time our lips have touched. It seems unbelievable, almost ridiculously so. The feeling of his lips on mine is somehow more familiar than any kiss that’s come before.

The barely-there stubble is rough against my skin. A small moan elicits from deep within at the reminder of that feeling between my thighs. Carter nips at my bottom lip, spurred on by the sound, before smoothing his tongue over it.

Teeth and tongues fight each other for dominance. Carter sucks my tongue into his mouth, and I retaliate by latching onto his bottom lip and dragging my teeth across it. A sonorous growl flows from Carter’s mouth into my own, the low hum wreaking havoc on my body. My legs threaten to bottom out beneath me, my breathing kicks up a notch in both speed and intensity, and my pussy attempts a vice grip on nothing but the sounds emanating from him.

Not a moment too soon, Carter snakes one hand around me and further up my back, planting itself firmly between my shoulder blades. My skin heats immediately at the contact, burning beneath his touch. His other hand slides up the column of my neck and rests gently against my wild pulse.?

He must feel the way the blood pulses beneath his fingertips in answer to his unspoken question. Carter applies the slightest amount of pressure around the front of my throat in return, and I swear I see Heaven.?

This is bad, this isverybad. We shouldnotbe doing this, and it shouldnotfeel this good.

It’s just a kiss Lara, snap out of it. You’ve had plenty of excellent kisses; this is simply another tally on the scoreboard.

Of course he’s a great kisser; he’s had plenty of practice. So many women, even more kisses.

It’s as though time stands still whilst our lips are pressed toone another’s. The world simply ceases to exist outside of Carter. His tongue tangles with my own, fighting for dominance once more.

I let out a groan, but it’s cut short by the sound of voices entering the inn’s foyer. We break apart. Carter’s wide eyes and heavy breathing match my own.

“We should probably move.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree with you.”?

Our lips find each other again not a moment later.

Chapter 26

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