Page 48 of Prince Charming

“Come here to me, Marianna.” He said, watching as her hesitation only lasted as long as a blink before she all but floated over.

He growled his pleasure.Good girl.

She was around 5’7, but appeared tinier, looking up at him beneath her dark lashes. Pinching her chin between his finger and thumb, he tipped back her head. “Your kiss was more than I could have hoped for, Anna,” she inhaled to speak, and Tag put a thumb over her trembling lips. He was a sick fucker to want to taste her nervous energy. “But you’re not ready for more.Yet.”

“I thought… I thought we were friends.”

“We are. Best fucking friends.”

The smile did him in. Shy and happy at the same time.

Bet she thought he was talking out his ass, or with his raging cock.

He meant it. He was her friend. He wanted more, though.

And now he’d tasted her, felt her tongue meet his. He had to call on all his control to not go full steam ahead.

“I shouldn’t have kissed you.”

Hells to the fuck no. She wasn’t getting away with this bullshit, not when she sucked hell out of his tongue. His thumb pinched her chin, holding her steady. “You think so?”

“Da. I can’t have sex with you, Tag.”

A crushing blow, but not unexpected. Tag grinned and watched her pupils blow up. Fucking hell, she was phenomenal.

He wasn’t such a smart man, but he could figure it out right away.

He knew he wanted her, knew he’d do anything for her, and it wasn’t about sex.

“Not right now,” he agreed, “but here’s the thing. You like when I take charge, I see it in your eyes. You wanna deny it?” She rolled her lips inward like she was keeping the confirmation to herself. Stubborn little thing. What she didn’t realize, she was standing in his arms, letting him hold her. She liked it whether she would admit it.

He was betting the house on it.

“I get why you’re reserved, darlin’.”

“It’s the wrong time for an affair, Tag. I don’t want to, how do you say? Lead you on.” Letting his head hang down, watching every fleck of her gray eyes flare to life at his nearness.

“You liked our kiss?”

She flushed, nodding.Good girl.

“My children, Tag. They’re my focus, my priority. I don’t have any spare energy for a relationship, and you deserve 100% of a woman, not the scraps she has left.”

“Not asking you to switch focus, darlin’. Here’s where I’m at. You want this, so I’m gonna make it happen. I’ll be as slow as you need. But you’re not alone. Your problems are my problems, your worries, and fears. They belong to me. You’re gonna let me do things for you, whatever needs doing.”

She released a heavy sigh. Her shoulders lost some of their tension. He bridged the distance, taking his cues. He wouldn’t push her too much, but she needed some pushing to get her out of her fearful head. Cupping her face, she turned stunning eyes up while Tag stroked the apple of her cheeks. So beautiful, this woman tying his guts into knots. He would jump through hoops to earn one smile from her.

“Gonna do what I can to help you, darlin’, you getting that yet?”

“But… but all we did was kiss.”

Exactly.

One kiss set his blood boiling and carved out a new fucking life for him. It made an overbearing, protective part of Tag yawn awake.

“I wanna kiss you until you’re panting.” He shared with a veiled growl.

Her eyes widened as she listed into him, bracing a hand on his chest. He was on this train track now and he was never one for keeping his trap shut.

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