Page 64 of Zimyra

“Lies,” I say. “Listen—when God made Adam, what happened? He told him to name the animals, and Adam saw the animals were in pairs, but he didn’t have a mate. He got lonely. He wasperfect, and he was lonely.”

“Then Eve bit the freakin’ apple—”

“Nope!” I say laughing. “We’re not having that debate tonight. I need to make my point. You moved here from Connecticut alone, but you’re not alone right now, are you? I showed you where to hang out, and we’ve had dinner together—you’re at my apartment right now. It’s better being with someone than being alone.”

“Only if it’s therightsomeone.”

“I agree.” I stretch and yawn at the same time. I stand up and say, “Anywho, I think I’m going to shower and call it a night. Now that I’m good and relaxed, I have no more studying in me.”

Still sitting on the floor, he stretches out his hands towards me and says, “Help me up.”

Amused, I say, “I can’t help you get up. You’re six-five, two hundred and twenty pounds of muscle. You could toss me like a loose-leaf piece of paper.”

“Help me up, Zimyra.”

All-out laughing now, I ask, “What exactly do you want me to do? I’m not about to throw my back out.”

“Take my hand.”

“Ugh…” I grunt, rolling my eyes in the process. I reach for his hand. I don’t know why I attempted to pull like I wasreallygoing to do anything to help him up. He doesn’t even help himself. In fact, he doesn’t budge.

But I do.

He pulls me down to the floor, right onto his lap. I imagine that was the plan all along, judging by the darkening of his eyes and the firm intensity of his gaze. His arms close around me. My entire body trembles in his embrace. It’s been a long time since I felt a man’s arms wrapped around me like this. It’s overwhelming. Formidable. Intense. Unbearable. The sensation makes my heart swell. I welcome the feeling, yet I’m afraid of it. It’s agonizingly good – too good. I suppose that’s what happens when you deprive yourself of this kind of affection the way that I have. Now that I’m finally getting it, it’s making me lose my mind. Or maybe it’s just the power he possesses. He’s a player – a bad boy. I knew that when I first saw him. He doesn’t haveawoman because he hasmanywomen.

His eyes glisten as they focus on my lips. Then they travel to my gaze and back to my lips again. He’s testing me – waiting for me to make the first move because he’s so freakin’ cocky like that. He knows the danger of his appeal and he knows thatIknow it, too. I can’t remember the last time I kissed anyone, but however long the streak was, it’s about to end tonight.

I lean forward and press my lips to his, feeling every cell in my body come alive the moment our lips touch. A spark of static electricity stings my lips, alerting me to how close I am to his face. I smell cedarwood, spice, and testosterone on his skin. I feel the warm exhales as he breathes heavily. I pull back, lick my lips, and look at him. That arrogant smirk falls from his face and is replaced by a serious, covetous gaze that speaks volumes. It says he knows he has me where he wants me, and he knows I want to be right here –where he wants me. His hungry orbs linger on my face, tracing every part of it, committing it to memory. When I feel his large hand cup the back of my head, I know I’m in trouble.

Axel recklessly drives his lips directly into mine. Our mouths crash together in the most devastating way, making my entire body tremble. He sucks my lips. Savors them. Toys with them. Claims them. He flicks his tongue across them.

And I let him.

He lets me bite his lip – not hard – just enough to tease. I drag my tongue across his lips, interchange our lips, and roll his bottom lip around in my mouth like candy. I pull my mouth from his and with my eyes closed, I hear myself moan as I rub my face against the wooly hair of his beard. It feels so good – gosh, it’s good. The little prickles against my skin awaken an intimate yearning that lies deep within me. I don’t stop until I feel his beard against every part of my face. I’ve been wanting to feel his face against mine like this since I realized how much I really liked him.

“Mmm…” I moan.

I’m out of my mind, reeling with need. This is what unchecked desire looks like. The flutters in my stomach are what the makings of a new relationship feels like. It’s the excitement of the possibility of something new. The butterflies. The anticipation. I’m supposed to be getting ready for bed, yet, I find myself moaning while Axel slips his tongue into my mouth. And how the heck did my arms wrap around his neck so effortlessly? When did my legs circle around his waist? This man done made me lose all of my common sense as he kissed me into submission.

He groans as he sucks my tongue into his mouth. My lips go next. All the while, his grip behind my head tightens, holding my mouth steady to his so he can do whatever he wants with it.

I pant my way through it. Moan my way through it. The meditation he taught me won’t work to keep me calm in this case. Deep breathing is out of the question, especially with his tongue inside my mouth.

I’ve never been kissed this way. It’s so thorough, so intimate – like he’s mine and I’m his, and we ain’t sharing no parts of ourselves with anyone else. But then my common sense kicks in just as this kiss is getting good. Just as I wrap my legs tighter around his waist, and hear more groans rumble from his throat. And then there’s that part of him that alerts me to his desire. He wants me.

Though obscured by temptation, my brain still works. The questions running through my mind are plentiful. Why am I kissing a man who has sworn off relationships? Who told me straight up he wasn’t the relationship type? And besides all that, he’s a man I work with. This is wrong on so many levels. I can’t be with him like this. I have my career to think about. I can’t have something like this derailing the path I carved for myself.

Yeah, I can’t do this. And, yes, I’m still convincing myself to release his lips as difficult as that is.

I pull back from him, watching him lick his lips. I say, “Ugh…yeah, you’re bad.”

He smiles. “I’mbad? You kissed me.”

“Yeah, I shouldn’t have.” I stand up and say, “Alright, it’s time for you to go.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“I do mean that.”

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