“Great. See you in a few.”
I rehearse what I plan to say the entire way. But no matter how many versions I run through, none of them sound right. I’ve written and rewritten this confession a dozen times in my head, but the second I pull into David’s driveway, my heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, and it all dies.
His house could pass as a mansion. Holy shit. It’s big and spectacular… and big.
Shane opens the door. Not David. And I don’t know what it is, maybe the dream or the reality of seeing him like this, but the second he smiles at me, all my nerves combust into something else entirely.
I walk straight into his arms.
“Well, hi there,” Shane drawls, voice like honeyed whiskey. He backs us into the foyer, kicking the door shut behind us.
I pull back just a little, his arms still wrapped around me, and take in the beautiful space in flashes: dark crown molding framing pale walls, the gleam of polished tile underfoot, the silhouette of a baby grand at the far end of the living room. A mouthwatering scent lingers in the air. Barbeque, maybe?
They’re ready to wine and dine me. But I’m done with pretending. With waiting. So, I take the less conventional route.
I lock eyes with him and then kiss him.Hard.
Chapter 13
Shane
To say I’m surprised as fuck when Leighton grabs me and kisses me like I’m the only man left on Earth? Massive understatement. But I don’t hesitate.
I grip her ass with one hand, fist the back of her hair with the other, and kiss her back like I’ve been waiting years for this.Because I have. She tastes like mint and possibility. Fresh, sweet floral scents cling to her skin. I’ve been a wreck since finding out that Leighton is Phoenix. And now she’s here, in my arms again. A fantasy that just punched me in the chest and dragged me under.
But I need more than her lips. I break the kiss, breathing hard, cupping her jaw as I tilt her chin up.
“What I’m about to do to you…” I stop mid-sentence. I need toshowher what I’m capable of before I can ask her.
I press her to the wall, hard. But she doesn’t flinch. My hand slides up from her arms to her throat, tightening my grip beneath her jaw, fingers squeezing just enough to make her breathhitch. I feel her pulse fluttering under my thumb. Fast. Desperate.
But her eyes? They don’t show fear. Just hunger.
“You think you can handle me?” I growl, low and rough. “Because I don’t want a taste, baby. I need all of you. Your body. Your loyalty. Your fucking soul.”
She nods, silent, breathless.Mine.
My other hand tears her blouse open, buttons popping and skittering across the tile. Her lace bra pushes her tits up like an offering, begging for my mouth. I reach behind her, yank the clasp open, then strip the straps down hard and fast. Her tits spill out, nipples hard and ready.
“You still with me?” I murmur, my breath brushing the corner of her mouth.
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Good. Because if you don’t say stop, I’m not stopping. You understand what that means?”
“Yes.” Her voice is thinner now, but steady. She’s with me. Fully.
I dip my hand between her thighs, sliding my fingers through her slick folds, and lift them to my mouth. “Fuck, you taste so sweet,” I groan. “You’re already making that perfect mess for me.”
I yank her flush against me, then spin her, fast and rough, until she’s facing the wall. My hand stays right where it is, firm around her neck, keeping her grounded, held, owned. Shedoesn’t resist. She braces against the drywall, palms flat, back arching, her ass pressed tight against my hips. My cock grinds against her backside through my jeans, thick and heavy, and I lean in.
“You feel that?” I growl in her ear. “That’s what you do to me, baby. That’s how bad I want you.”
She turns her head back over her shoulder, lips parted, and I claim them, messy and hungry, my tongue diving into her mouth as my fingers trace down her spine. I unzip her skirt and let it drop, then hook my thumbs into her thong and peel it down inch by inch. The sight of her bare ass makes my cock twitch with painful need.
I smack her hard, once. Her gasp ricochets off the wall, her body jolting.
“I need every fucking inch of you,” I rasp, biting her bottom lip, dragging it between my teeth. “And I’m going to take it.”