Page 34 of The Science of Attraction

He was so, so gorgeous with those bright green-gold eyes, all that cool creamy skin, sharp cheekbones, and closely trimmed goatee. Looking at him, I could barely catch my breath, and before I knew it, I’d taken that perilous step closer.

“Jules?” Liam’s gaze travelled my face, hot and curious, sending my belly into a fluttering mess.

“Shhh.” I let go of his hand and ran my fingers over the ink on his forearm. Sinew and hard muscle shifted seductively under my touch and my heart thundered in my ears.

“You’re so beautiful.” I studied the fine lines that marked the corners of his full mouth. “So... perfect.”

His eyes widened, the pink tip of his tongue darting along the crease. “Jules, I?—”

Soft hair brushed my finger as I pressed it against his lips. “Is this okay?” I croaked, barely above a whisper, because he felt so fucking good.

He swallowed and nodded, his gaze flicking on and off my face like it couldn’t find a place to rest.

I traced the line of his jaw at the point where his barely there stubble blended into his beard—the sensation so very... male, so... sexy, so... fucking right. God, I’d never dreamed this could feel so good with another man.

Then again, this was Liam.

Was it really that simple?

I drank in his scent and knew that it was. This close, Liam smelled of citrus and pine, the mineral tang of glacial melt, the earthy base notes of trout and smoke, and something uniquely him. Distinctive and intoxicating.

A stream of images bolted in my head as I ran my thumb over his mouth—first the top lip, then the bottom, both softer than I’d expected, lush and inviting. They parted and I felt the tip of his hot wet tongue, heat pooling low in my belly, my heart kicking up another notch.

Liam drew a ragged breath, the raw, hungry sound jerking my eyes back up to his. But they were closed, his chest rising and falling in shallow stuttering breaths, his face flushed with arousal, and God,God, how I wanted him.

I cupped his jaw and gently scratched my fingernails along its length, the rough feel of it sending a shiver of delight up my spine.

He gave a soft groan of approval, his face sinking into my touch, and so I did it again.

“Christ, Jules.” His eyes sprang wide to meet mine, black at their heart with just a thin band of hazel to mark the edges, and the thought occurred to me,Idid that. I fucking did that.

Liam wanted me, and just the knowing of it sparked a raw lust, the likes of which I’d never felt before.

And yet still he didn’t move, just watched me, wary, needy, hopeful.

Emboldened, I pushed the curtain of silky blond locks off his forehead and traced a finger over the shallow frown lines that cut his brow from side to side. His hair fell like a waterfall over my hand and I imagined the soft brush of it on my chest and thighs.

I caressed the sharp angle of his cheek, mapped the spangle of caramel freckles that painted the side of his nose, and Liam leaned into my touch like a cat, his lashes catching my knuckles, soft and fluttering and I wanted to feel them against my face.

“You fucking undo me,” I whispered, tracing a final line down between his eyes, his face flushed, hot, all but the cool tip of his nose. Over his mouth, dragging that plump bottom lip open, my gaze fixed on all that moist pink flesh within. Then my hand slid around the swirling ink on his neck and a tremble lit over his skin.

His tongue swept his lower lip, and I was done for. I breached the distance between us and then I kissed him, no more than a soft whisper against the corner of his mouth.

On and off.

But not too far—my nose resting against his, hot breath on my lips, the heat of his body just a heartbeat away, his mouth even closer, his hands finding their way around my waist, my skin lighting up like a firestorm.

So good.

So fucking good.

I walked him back against the ute, placed my hands either side of his head, and leaned in to whisper, “I want to kiss you.”

He turned and put his lips to my cheek. “Then kiss me.”

Relief almost took my knees from under me. I pulled back and cradled his face, running my nose into his hair, inhaling the fresh scent of him until I was drowning in it.

He shivered as I kissed back down to his mouth, exploring every inch of his face until finally my lips slid over his and I sank into their pillowy softness, marvelling at the brush of his moustache, the small whimper of pleasure that made its way up his throat, and the way my dick ached for more, ached for everything with this man. For things I’d never done, never imagined wanting, never dared hope for.

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