Page 52 of Runaway Bride's Guide to Love

Her blue eyes are begging. Her voice is pleading.

And my willpower is crumbling.

“Stella…”

She tries to turn her head away from me, assuming I’m about to say no. I quickly catch her chin in my fingers, making sure she hears what I’m about to say.

“Please,” she begs. “Don’t say anything. Don’t make this even more embarrassing than it already is.”

I shake my head. “Nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Says the man who isn’t going to kiss the girl who just made a fool of herself.”

“Who said I’m not going to kiss you?”

Her eyes go wide at my words, and I think for the first time since I’ve met her, I’ve rendered Stella Banks speechless.

“I’m going to kiss you, but I need you to know one thing,” I begin. “I want to kiss you more than anything. I want to be the man who relieves a little bit of this pain. But you have to know: the man you described earlier? The forever guy? That’s not me. So if that’s what you’re looking for…”

She shakes her head. “I don’t want that. Not now. And I know you aren’t that forever man. But that’s not what I need. I just need you, Emmett.”

The groan that passes through my throat is low and primal. My name on her tongue rips my last thread of self-control.

“Fuck it,” I growl, and I close the last remaining gap between us.

My mouth is on hers before she can say anything else, taking what I’ve dreamed of since I got here. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Since the day I met her. Then I could convince myself to push down my desire. But now? With Stella in my lap? Asking me to take her out of this dark place? To help her feel again? It’s all I want in this world.

Even if it’s just for now.

guide to love rule #75

Get over your ex by getting under

your brother’s best friend.

15

stella

When you’ve been kissedfor a certain way for years, you forget there are other ways to be kissed. And when you’ve been kissing Duncan Hughes, you forget that kisses ever contained things like sparks and butterflies.

I forgot. Holy cow, did I forget.

Or did I ever know? I couldn’t have. This is a feeling I don’t think I’d forget. And at the same time, I couldn’t describe it for all the money and shoes in the world.

Emmett’s lips are soft yet claiming. His hands are gently holding my face, but the strength is there. And his tongue? It’s taking what it wants, yet somehow I feel like I’m still in control. The combination is setting my body on fire.

I know I asked Emmett to just kiss me, but I’m already contemplating asking for a lot more.

“Emmett…” His name spills off my tongue as he starts kissing across my cheek. His hands move from my face to my hair, where he gives it the slightest tug, making me tilt my neck back so he has the perfect opening to leave a trail of kisses across my pulse.

“Oh!” I let out as Emmett hits a spot that I didn’t realize was sensitive in a very good way. He’s kissing and sucking and…

Holy shit…

Can you have an orgasm through kissing? No. That’s not possible. Is it? I mean, I don’t remember the last time I had one the normal way, and when I did it was because I helped my own cause, so maybe there’s just a whole new other world I’m missing out on. I mean, this isn’t how I thought kissing went, so who knows what I’ve been missing out on? I thought kissing was just a boring means to an unsatisfying end.

I was wrong. So damn wrong.

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