Page 59 of Out of the Shadow

His expansive chest rises and falls in rapid succession, but he remains quiet. I take this as a signal to continue my exploration, so I let my nails trail further up his impressive bicep. When I reach his tribal tattoo, I open my fingers to span around as far as they’ll go, and squeeze.

“Angie?” This time his voice is much deeper.

Tipping my head upward, I repeat, “Yes?”

Our eyes meet. And lock. “What are you doing?”

I’m trying to seduce you, stupid! What’s it look like?“What you were just doing. I’m admiring the view.”

He swallows, then brings his head down next to mine. In my ear, he whispers, “I’d like to do more than admire.”

It’s now or never, Angie. No strings. No relationship. No emotions.

“Me, too.”

With my words, he groans. A split second later, his arms reach out and encircle my waist, pulling me into his ripped, hard frame. I inhale his unique scent and melt into his body. We embrace for a long moment.

The contact warms my body from head to toes, but it also makes me restless. I’m not looking for anything more than sex, and neither is he. Hugs entail emotion, so I force my head back. “Kiss me.”

Don’t have to tell King twice. His mouth descends on mine with a ferocity that I return. Maybe it’s because we’re standing rather than sitting like our previous two times, but this kiss is off the charts. I let my hands wander—oh so slowly—up his chest and encircle his neck, brushing the soft hair at the nape of his neck. A shudder of pleasure runs through him and he pulls me closer to his body.

His tongue prods at the seam of my lips, and I open for his expert touch. Mouths locked together, our tongues duel in a delicious dance. When I have to break apart to gasp for air, his head drops to my neck and his lips blaze a trail behind my ear. A shudder, starting in my core, zips upward and seems to blast out of the top of my head.

“King,” I half-moan, half-encourage.

He bites my earlobe, causing another explosion to detonate within my body, and our lips fuse together once again. Without thought, my right hand tunnels into his hair. I tug.

“Don’t stop,” he says, his voice low and husky.

Not a chance in hell. I pull again and drop my hands to his waist, where I start to unbutton his shirt. Leaving it on his shoulders, I touch his bare chest and hiss at how hot and smooth it feels under my fingertips.

King takes a step backward and removes his shirt, tossing it on the stool. I can’t get enough of his sculpted body. He looks like a model in a magazine, all ripped and manscaped to perfection. I’ve never touched so many cut muscles in all my life. And this feast of a man is here for me to devour as I wish. And oh boy, do I wish.

My hands trace the ridges and bumps of his muscles, which causes his stomach to contract. I step forward and place kisses on his torso. He wraps his hands in my hair, and when I nip at his flat nipple, he pulls, angling my head for a kiss. His lips consume me like I’m the last cannoli at the bakery. I like it.

His hands roam all over my back before landing at the hem of my shirt and raising it an inch. My eyes meet his and I see a question. “Yes.”

He smiles and I suck in my breath as my tank top is whisked off my body. Wanting to end this separation from his perfect body, I reach behind my back and unclasp my bra, skimming it over my arms and tossing it to the floor.

“God, you’re breathtaking.”

He doesn’t have to overdo it—I know I’m not like any of the models he’s dated. “I think your eyesight may be the only thing that’s not perfect on you.”

He chuckles. “It’s 20/20, and believe me, you take my breath away.”

Whatever. My goal is for him to takemybreath from me. I step forward again and nip his other flat nipple as his hands land on my ass. Much better. He squeezes my cheeks down there and I roll my hips forward, into his thighs. Damn. I need to be taller. Or he needs to be shorter.

I turn my head toward the loveseat. “How about we get horizontal?”

“I like the sound of that.” He bends down and lifts me off the floor. “Kick off your shoes and wrap your legs around my waist.”

Now he’s talking. I do as he says and our groins touch. My heartrate accelerates as if I were running a one-hundred-yard dash against Usain Bolt. “King!”

He sets me down on the loveseat and climbs on top of me. His lips trail down from my neck to my breasts, and when he takes my left nipple into his mouth and sucks, I buck up into his frame.

“Like that, huh?”

Because my breath is coming in rapid pants, I simply nod.

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