Page 34 of Someone to Tempt
“She’s not my friend. She’s my…frenemy.”
My turn for an eye roll. “Call her whatever you want. But I have a condition.”
“You didn’t say anything about conditions.” She’s always ready for a fight, and it makes me want to be the one who breaks through her walls—just enough to let her behind mine. Everything she does makes me want her more. But it’s more than physical need. It’s the way she somehow makes me feel steady and unmoored at the same time.
“I want you to kiss me.”
She finally takes a step away, but it’s too late. I’ve spent too long hiding, letting what I feel sit heavy in my chest. I’m not letting her go this time. Not without a fight.
“That’s ridiculous. I’m trying to set you up with my coworker. Why would I kiss you?”
“Because you mightwantme to take out this Jodi person, but youneedto kiss me. Just like I need my mouth on yours. All over your body, if I’m being honest.”
Her eyes flame—disbelief and vulnerability swirling—and I realize she’s scared too. Scared of what this might mean. Of what it already does.
“Are we being honest?”
“Yes.” No need for witty banter right now. The air between us is practically shimmering with desire. Beneath it is something quieter. A truth I’ve been circling without saying–this woman might undo me—in all the best ways.
“Honestly, you’re the most irritating person I’ve ever known.” Her voice is low, husky. “One kiss and you’ll take her out.” She holds out a hand to shake on it, her fingers trembling. “That’s the deal.”
“When did you become such a master negotiator?”
“When I learned it was the quickest path to getting what I want.”
I envelop her small hand in mine and nod. “One kiss. Deal.”
She tugs that lower lip between her teeth again and then says what I need to hear. “Kiss me, Jake.”
The words might be spoken gently, but there’s no denying the command in them. I release her hand, and she lifts her palms to my chest.
I know she can feel my heart beating a mile a minute. I reach down and grasp her hips, digging my thumbs into the fleshy space in front of her pelvic bone. Not hard enough to hurt, but she lets out a little moan.
“Oh, god,” she whispers.
I press forward so she can feel that it’s not just my heart reacting to her. Like I said, I’m not trying to hide anything, at least not now. I watch her, savoring the yearning in her eyes and the way I can feel her body responding before our mouths even meet.
Although we’re both fully clothed, and there’s no way I can smell her desire, I know it’s there. I know if I were to place my hand between her legs, I’d find her wet for me. And we’re barely scratching the surface. I want to make her want me so badly she trembles with it.
Then I lose all semblance of thought because her lips touch mine, and they’re as soft as I remember from our one kiss, which has remained seared into my soul all these years.
Despite the fact that the restraint nearly kills me, I don’t push her for more than she can give, not yet.
As she has since the moment I met her, Iris surprises me. She traces her tongue over the seam of my lips, and when I open, she takes full advantage, just like I would. Is it any wonder I’ve never been able to get this woman out of my mind or heart?
Shit.
I pull back, because I refuse to let my heart lead. My dad used to tell me I’m soft like my mother, and I saw what loving him did to her. If I’m anything like that, I won’t risk giving anyone the power to hurt me. Even Iris.
She looks a little dazed, which is precisely how I feel. Then she blinks and offers me a bland smile. “I guess we have a deal.”
“You seriously want me to ask some woman you don’t even like out on a date after that?”
“What did you think I was going to do after we kissed—start practicing my Mrs. Iris Byrne signature? I’m not twelve or even seventeen anymore, Jake. I know that attraction doesn’t have to mean anything more than the physical.”
“Then point me in the direction of your bedroom, sweetheart, because if we’re just dealing with sex, I’m an expert.”
“Not with me,” she corrects, and oh, how I want to prove her wrong all night long. Up against the wall, in her bed, in the shower. So loud her neighbors hear us.
