Page 62 of Flare

I did, and then again, sneaking a little lower on the last, the tip of my tongue sliding over his plush lips.

“Mmm. That feels good.” He opened his eyes. “Youfeel good.”

And god, I wanted to climb him like a tree. “Are you sure about this, Beck? About me?”

His gaze roamed my face. “Very. Are you?”

I wanted to be.“Nervous, if I’m honest. But yes, although I can’t promise I won’t fuck up.”

“And I can’t promiseIwon’t,” he countered.

“It’s been a long time for me, Beck. I feel like I don’t know who I am with a guy who means something anymore. I buried all that. A quick fuck doesn’t give me the same issues, and that’s all I’ve had for years.”

“I get that, and so you need to talk to me. This isn’t going to work if we aren’t honest and up front. I can’t just guess about this stuff. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” A shiver ran through me. Half excitement, half fear.

“Which brings me to another question. How would you feel about the use of the word boyfriend?” He was clearly trying not to show how much he liked the whole idea and failing dismally.

“Boyfriend?” I pretended to think about it. The guy was too fucking cute. “I think that’s a term worthy of exploring, and we should get right on that.” I lowered my face until my lips hovered just in front of his, our breath mingling. “Boyfriends kiss, if I remember rightly. And so here’s Hellier make-out lesson number one. I’m a bossy fucking kisser.”

Beck brushed our noses together. “In that case, we should get along famously. I happen to enjoy a bit of bossy.”

“Is that so?” I ran my tongue along the seam of his lips. “Although I don’t believe I ever used the wordbit.”

As if he couldn’t help himself, Beck grazed my hips but then his hands quickly fell away again. “In that case, I believe a practical demonstration might be called for, just to clarify.”

“I think you might be right.” I lowered my mouth to his, and just before our lips met, I whispered, “Let me in, baby.”

He groaned as our lips touched and then opened immediately, my tongue sliding alongside his, the taste of him exploding in my mouth as a filthy groan rumbled up my throat. He was everything I remembered from that night and so much more. Better, because he knew. Better, because he was handing me control. And better because I had to believe this time would be different. I had a name on an email and I was going to fucking use it. I wanted a chance at this like I hadn’t wanted anything in a long, long time.

A little coffee, a little something sweet like chocolate flushed over my tongue, but mostly just Beckett.

Beckett Northcott.

The man who dared me to be greedy.

CHAPTERTWELVE

Beck

I squeezedthe BMW into a parking spot right bang on noon and fired Rhys a text to say I was there. The Sunday streets were relatively quiet. The bright blue sky and shock of unseasonal warmth had prompted Aucklanders into a raft of suburban and beach activities rather than traipsing the inner city.

I glanced up to the bay window above the store in time to catch a glimpse of Valentino’s black body stretched out in the sun and Rhys’s hand wave before he pulled the window shut. A smile tugged at my lips as it always did when I was about to set eyes on him, although I had to admit I was hopeful for a little more than just eyes this time. Lips would be an excellent addition, but I’d leave that decision to him.

It was our first official date and I’d drawn the short straw, literally. Before Rhys left my office on Friday, he grabbed two ballpoint pens, wrapped them in a closed fist, and made me choose. Only one had its nib clicked down, and of course, that was the one I’d pulled. But my consolation prize had been another Rhys special: a hot and lingering kiss that blew my mind and forced me to shove my hands under my thighs to keep from mauling the man.

His story broke my fucking heart, but it had also fuelled a vengeful anger so vicious, I barely recognised myself. In that moment, if I’d been given a couple of minutes alone with those bastards, I was pretty sure I’d have put them both in hospital, or worse... A somewhat shocking revelation for my quiet English professor ways. But also...

I had a boyfriend.

Holy shit.

The news had put a smile on Serena’s face during our regular Saturday visit and lightened an otherwise tense hour. I’d hung around as Jack had requested instead of giving them their usual time alone to talk and ignored my sister’s pointed looks, knowing I’d cop an annoyed phone call about it later. Too bad. It was a conversation that needed to happen, and in this instance, I was behind my nephew all the way. Serena jumping into a fight which threatened her visitation rightsandrisked her chances of a possible transfer was the last thing Jack needed.

For the next five years, his well-being was in my hands, and I was damn well going to do the best job I could. And if that meant doing things a little differently from how Serena might want me to, well, too bad. Rafe’s pep talk had done its job. Iwasn’tJack’s mother. I could only be the best version of an adult in his life that I could manage. And if we were going to make this work, Jack needed to know I had his back.

I was still mulling that over when the car door opened and a warm ray of sunshine slid into the passenger seat. Rhys looked great, as usual, and I didn’t need a mirror to see the goofy smile plastered on my face.

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