Page 18 of The Devil's Waltz

“I understand,” he says in a deep voice, and I wholeheartedly believe he does.

Once he finishes cooking a deliciously fragrant penne pasta in vodka sauce, pairing it with a fresh and colorful garden salad, he joins me at the island counter. We eat in silence for a few minutes, and Xander angles his knees slightly toward me.

“What do you think?”

I swallow a mouthful, humming my approval. “There’s a very good chance this is the most phenomenal pasta I’ve ever tasted.”

He laughs, a deep sound that brings heat to my cheeks as my gaze collides with his. “I should have said this the moment I opened the door earlier. You look beautiful.”

My mouth goes dry, and I fight the knee-jerk urge to look away. “Thank you,” I force out in a low voice. I’m way out of my element here, and it’s clear Xander has the upper hand when it comes to experience in this arena. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but I’m equally comforted and intimidated by it.

After dinner, he carries our dishes to the sink before walking back to me. My breath catches in my throat when he holds out his hand, but I’m reaching for it before I can even consider resisting. He turns the stool I’m sitting on until I’m facing him, and his thumb brushes over the back of my hand.

“Camille,” he murmurs, and his voice feels like a warm, gentle caress. The urge to close my eyes and lean into him grips me, and it’s definitely not unwelcome.

Anticipation crackles through me like a sparkler as his gaze drops to my mouth. “Uh-huh,” I say and immediately want to kick myself.

His responding chuckle stirs the hair at my temple, making me realize just how close he’s standing. He lifts his free hand, and his thumb traces the edge of my bottom lip, making my skin tingle and my heart rate pick up. “I want to kiss you,” he says, dipping his face closer.

I can’t make my voice work, so I nod instead.

Xander closes the distance between us, and his lips touch mine, soft and exploratory, as his fingers sink into my hair.

My eyes slip shut and my lips move with his as I lean into him and grip the front of his shirt.

He lets go and slides his hand up my thigh, sending my pulse racing as heat blossoms in my chest and spreads lower. Gripping my hip, he makes a low sound at the back of his throat that nearly makes me melt into apuddle of desire before him. His tongue darts out, light and coaxing, until I part my lips to let him in.

A moan catches in my throat when his tongue grazes mine, flicking against the roof of my mouth as he tips my head back and deepens the kiss. My thoughts scatter and nothing else exists but the feel of his kiss and his touch.

When Xander breaks the kiss, I suck in a breath, my heart pounding and my head spinning as I refill my lungs with air.

His chest rises and falls quickly, and he rests his forehead against mine while we catch our breaths.

An unfamiliar need pulses through me, centering on the apex of my thighs. While my body is practically screaming at me to push things further, my senses are entirely overwhelmed with new sensations. I need a minute.

Xander must realize that, because he leans back enough to meet my gaze, tucking a stray bit of hair away from my face, and asks, “Are you up for a movie?”

My lips curl into a smile, still tingling from our kiss. “A movie sounds good,” I say a little breathlessly.

A few minutes later, we’ve settled on the couch with fresh drinks. Xander pulls a blanket over our laps before pressing play onCruel Intentions.

Halfway through my drink, I’m feeling brave enough to set my glass on the coffee table and lean into him. It’s oddly natural, and my stomach flips when he shifts to wrap his arm around me and guide me closer.

He drops his chin to the top of my head and murmurs, “Is this okay?”

“Yeah.”

He brushes his thumb back and forth over the top of my shoulder, and even as I try to focus on the movie, tingles ripple through me, feeding the subtle throbbing between my legs. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip, inhaling slowly in an attempt to slow my pulse. I manage to get my breathing to a normal pace as the movie gets going, and by the time it’s an hour in, I’ve completely relaxed in Xander’s arms.

Before now, I’ve dated two guys, though only one got to the point of this level of closeness, and it was after several months of seeing each other. Being with Xander now, I feel as if I’ve known him forever. There’s an innate part of me that trusts him—maybe it has to do with the whole life-saving thing last week—and he waltzed right past my defenses, I think, without me even realizing it.

Each time I blink, my eyes stay shut a bit longer, the TV getting harder to focus on. I’m drifting off before I have a chance to feel any sort of way about being at Xander’s apartment, pressed against him, with his arm securely wrapped around me.

Before I open my eyes, there are about five seconds of warm, ignorant bliss before I remember where I am.

Oh no. No, no, no—

I throw the blanket off as I sit up in a flash and get to my feet, wobbling slightly. Whipping around, my stomach drops when I find Xander in the kitchen making coffee in a French press. My cheeks flood with heat when his eyes lift to meet mine and his lips quickly form a smile.

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