Page 11 of Spellbound
I was so fucked.
She stilled.
Her face was still tight, her expression wary. Her arms were plastered to her sides, her purse trapped beneath her elbow. But she was listening.
“Until less than a week ago, I’d been with someone—a woman—for months. But I’ve never felt this way before. Not about anyone I’ve dated. Or anything. I mean, we’re not really dating even, but it’s like we’re meant to be. Like fate.” I shrugged. It was bewildering.
She’d definitely been thawing as I stumbled my way through that ridiculous explanation and she turned to face me, her features softer, her lips slightly parted. “I haven’t been with anyone for a while now. Then without really paying attention, I sketch out what looks like my perfect guy. Mytype, right? The very same day I meet this guy—the guy from my drawing—in a coffee shop hundreds of miles from home. What is that? Fate? Karma?” She took a breath and held it in her cheeks, then let it out slowly, like a leaking balloon. “I think it’s serendipity.” Her voice held a hint of wonder.
With her free hand, she pulled her hair over one shoulder. Her movement uncovered a long line of smooth skin, and a faint pulsing I ached to put my lips to. She understood what I was talking about, right? Did I hear her wrong?
You want to be the Master?Take the fucking leap.
“But it was so fast, right? It came at me like a freight train, this feeling—I don’t even know what to call it—it came so hard and so—” I threw up my hands, spun to pace the length of the porch and then back again. “I don’t know what to call it.” But it flummoxed me.
She smiled, and about melted into the door jamb. “You like me, Eli. It’s okay. I don’t bite.”
“Like you.” I let the words roll around on my tongue for a moment as if tasting them for accuracy. “Yes, I do like you. It’s more than that, though. And more than lust. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I want my lips on you. All of you.” And let my eyes roam every bit of her.
She quirked a smile. “Do you? It’s only fair to tell you that I’ve been wondering all day how tonight would end.” She pursed her lips and tapped her chin in mock contemplation. “What’s it going to be Emma Grayce, I said to myself. We going to tell the stud to take us home or take a hike?” She craned her head this way and that as if surveying her surroundings. “Well, well, look where we are. What do you think of that?”
I coughed out a breath of laughter and ruefully shook my head. Then shook my head again to rein in this attraction that seemed to be taking on a life of its own. She had a witty sense of humor, was bright and thoughtful, and damn, that had been absent from my life lately. I was tired of missing it.
I felt like an idiot though. Probably sounded like one too. Even so, I absently dropped my hand to Emma Grayce’s wrist, gathering courage to reach for her hand without scaring her off, and became aware of her delicate bone structure.
It was a good sign that she let me, right? That she didn’t pull away?
“I want to kiss you, Emma Grayce.”
Her laughter bubbled up and then erupted. “It’s about time you decided that.” The porch light reflected the warm humor in her eyes. She laid her hand against my chest, directly over my thundering heart. “I want to kiss you back, Eli.”
It was my turn to pause. Take in her now fully-relaxed expression, the glow in her eyes that was free of temper. A Mona Lisa smile. I cupped her face in my hands, let my thumbs roam over the tender skin covering her cheekbones. Her lids drifted closed in pleasure—God, let it be pleasure—and I lowered my lips to meet hers.
Her smile widened under the pressure of my kiss, and she stepped into me. Her fresh scent came with her and enveloped me; her arms slid up and draped over my shoulders. The soft cushion of her breasts brushed against my chest and then rested there, and all the while my brain was exploding in my head. My heartbeat stumbled and then raced.
The little sounds she emitted drove me crazy with need and hard with lust, yet I kept my hands on her face. If I lowered them to her shoulders, to her waist, I’d be tempted to lift her into my arms and play out every known fantasy. That would come in a minute.
My dick strained against my zipper, and Emma Grayce had to feel it. Holy hell, how could she not? The thing had taken on a life of its own, throbbing and pulsing. Robbing the rest of my body of blood and making me weak and lightheaded.
Against every instinct, I gentled my kiss. Lifted my head and cradled her to me.
7
Emma Grayce
It tookme a befuddled moment to realize Eli was no longer kissing me. He held me to him, the entire length of my body warmed by him. My heart was still sprinting, my limbs a little like jelly. The butterflies in my belly still fluttered.
“Wow.” I murmured the word into his shirtfront because that was all the energy I could muster. The rest was engaged in convincing my legs to hold me upright. “You do that well. I’m a fan. Like, truly. You must leave a trail of prostrate women wherever you go.”
His chuckle was a little choked, and with his brow drawn he drew back as if to ferret out any hidden meaning. “Hmm, maybe here and there. But only on Tuesdays. Today’s Thursday so you’re safe.” He gave me a squeeze and I felt it when he smiled into my hair. “I’m glad I could impress you. I want to do that again.”
His voice had deepened, and his chest vibrated against mine. I wanted to do it again, too. I’d never hooked up with a guy on the first date before, but now I wanted him to yank me to him, grind his lips to mine and shove his tongue in my mouth. I wanted him to back me into me cottage and toss me on the bed. I wanted it hard and fast, and then I wanted to do it all again.
“I think that could be arranged with very little inconvenience.” With effort, I peeled myself away, catching his hand and entwining our fingers. The door was still ajar and swung open with a short tap. I turned away, gave his hand a tug. “Why don’t you come inside? I’ll make coffee and we can—”
“Emma Grayce.”
His somber tone stopped me. I couldn’t turn to face him.If he was going to blow me off, he could do it just fine without witnessing my destruction when he wrecked me. How many people fell in love on the first date after all? How did I even expect this was real?
