Page 19 of The Best of Us

I took her hand and interlaced our fingers.

A few minutes later, we were standing inside her three-bedroom villa, no longer holding hands but quietly staring at one another. She removed her sandals, her chest lifting with soft breaths as she killed me with those green eyes pointed at me. I could easily become obsessed with this woman, and I wasn’t sure how to make sense of that foreign feeling.

“I want to be wild for two more hours, and I want it to be with you.”

The “with you” part stamped hard, hot, and heavy in my mind. She reached for the zipper at the side of her dress, and I was powerless to stop her.

“I’m not very experienced.” Those words hit me even harder.

I reached my hand toward her, that little piece of knowledge raising caution signs in my mind, but she let the dress pool around her ankles anyway.

She was perfection in a nude-colored strapless bra. Cotton panties covered the place I wanted to drop to my knees and worship with my lips and tongue.

I became an immobile block of steel, standing there as if I’d never seen a nearly naked woman before.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m not a virgin.”

AndI was able to breathe again.

Taking her virginity wouldn’t be happening. I had some morals left. Well, I hoped I did.

“One boyfriend last year. He took it from me, and it was kind of horrible. So were the few other times we did it.” She held on to her biceps, covering her chest, as if embarrassed by her admission. “I didn’t want to do it again. Not until now. Until you.”

Until me? Why me?“You were with the wrong person, that’s all.”

Strangers or not, I wouldn’t be going anywhere until I showed this woman whatreallovemaking was like and how it was supposed to feel.

I unhooked my sunglasses from my shirt and set them aside. It was one step, even if a small one, toward removing every barrier between us. “Come here.” I crooked my finger, and she dropped her hands from her arms and approached me.

Drawing a fist beneath her chin, I wasted no time slanting my mouth over hers. When she parted her lips, inviting in my tongue, I groaned and brought my other hand around to her ass and squeezed.

Breathy, maybe even a little dizzy after that kiss, I pulled back and murmured, “That answers that.” I dragged my hand up and over her cheek and into her hair. “Heaven is real, sweetheart. I just tasted it.” And now I really did need to know the name of the angel who seemed capable of showing me the light.

She arched into me, latching on to the sides of my neck. I loved the feel of her short nails biting into my skin. “I know what you’re thinking.”

Little mind reader, are you?

“It’ll make it even harder when we go our separate ways if I know how your name sounds on my tongue. If I hear how mine sounds on yours.”

No one had ever said something so poeticallypainfulto me before. Painful because I was sure she wasn’t wrong. And something told me this wasn’t going to end well forme.

“Name or not,” I rasped, “I’ll never forget you.”

Reaching between our bodies, I slid her panties aside, my fingers gliding against her slick skin. Soaking.Ready.

A rough groan tore from my throat as I palmed her clit, circling slowly, teasing, savoring the way she gasped into my mouth.

I swallowed every moan and trembling sigh as I drove two fingers inside her, curling just right, coaxing her closer to the edge.

She clenched around me, nails digging into my shoulders as I worked her with deliberate strokes.

“More.” The word was a desperate plea against my lips.

That was all it took for me to give hermoreup against the wall. I knelt before her and held on to her thighs.

Her shyness took over. Her nerves about having my face between her legs caught up with her. The woman was beyond innocent.

After some back-and-forth, I learned I’d be the first to go down on her.

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