Page 110 of A Ballad of Betrayal and Beauty

He grins and nods.

“Wow. Well, I hope to meet them someday.”

He pulls me closer and presses a firm palm into my backside. “You will. Soon. I already told them about you.”

“You did?”

“Mhm.”

“So, this—us, I mean. You’re serious.”

He frowns. “Did you think I wasn’t?”

I gnaw at my bottom lip. “Yes, but I—sorry, I just have a hard time trusting people, that’s all. But you keep surprising me, Joel Thanger.”

“It bodes well for me that you like surprises.”

I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his jaw. “You’ve been my favorite surprise.”

His hands slowly wind up my waist, over the curve of my hips, up and over my shoulder blades to grasp my face. Eyes locking on mine he leans forward and kisses me. Deep and slow and passionate, my knees already buckling beneath me at their intensity. My body is pliant, ready to give him whatever he wants. He pulls me this way, pushes me that way, angles my head or tugs it back to expose my throat. I allow my brain to turn off and simplybefor him.

“I haven’t stopped thinking about you,” he whispers breathlessly. “It’s like I’m addicted to you.”

“You make me feel,” I say, my body growing hot as I try to find his eyes again and when I do, I say it again. “You make mefeel.”

His smile is soft this time. “Do you want a tour of the rest of the house?”

Slowly, I shake my head, then grab the neck of his shirt. “Only if you show me your bedroom first.”

His lips tease mine again as he picks me up and carries me down one hallway. The door opens, and I break away to take in my surroundings. His room is dark but cozy. Thick, lush curtains keep out most of the early morning daylight. A large bed with black sheets and walls covered in music posters. There are a few bass guitars on stands in one corner, as well as an amp and pair of headphones.

“Will you play me some of your music?” I ask as he sets me back down on my feet and kisses my neck.

He blinks. “Right now?”

I smirk. I can’t wait either. “Later.”

He nods. “Later. Definitely. But right now, I need you naked.”

“That can be arranged,” I tease, swaying my hips toward his bed. Keeping my back to him, I pull off my shirt, the fabric inching up my stomach until it slides over my arms and head. My hair cascades down, tickling my back, and goose bumps prickle up my spine.

A glance over my shoulder exposes his hungry stare. My pulse throbs between my legs at that look. It’s like he wants to devour me and I’m getting his meal ready. I reach behind and unclasp my bra, letting it spring apart, then in a way I learned at the strip club all those years ago, make a show of sliding the straps down both arms before holding the garment out to the side and allowing it to fall.

I can practically hear him swallow as he takes a few steps toward me, brushing aside my hair before trailing his fingers down my spine. His lips press gently to my shoulder blade, and I close my eyes against the cacophony of sensations shooting through me.

“I could kiss every freckle on your skin,” he whispers, winding his hands around to splay across my stomach.

With a smile, I reach back and tangle my fingers in his silky hair. “That might take a long time.”

He nips the skin of my neck, the sting eliciting a small gasp from my throat before he licks gently over the same spot, and I think I might melt into a puddle on the shag carpet. “I’ve got nowhere else to be.”

I turn in his arms, my breasts brushing against his chest. “I thought about what you said. Last time, I mean,” I say, forcing my chin up and my shoulders back.

“You have?” he asks. “About?—”

I nod and swallow. “If it’s what you like, then I want to give it a shot.”

Eyes tracking mine, he holds my face. “Are you sure?”

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