Page 22 of Falling for the Bad Boy
“A pre-dinner kiss?” I reached out to brush the escaped strand of hair from her face.
“That could be a problem.” She clucked her tongue.
How did she keep a straight face while I couldn’t help but grin? “Maybe next time?” I asked.
“We could be a minute or two late for dinner. That’s what they all expect. I’d hate to disappoint them.” She stepped closer, placing one of her feet between mine.
“Do you always do what they expect?” I already knew the answer. With the way her brother alluded to the warehouse purchase, there was no way she towed the line.
“Are you going to kiss me or stand there and yap at me?” she teased, capturing that full bottom lip between her teeth.
I lined up against her as I bent my head to leave a warm trail of breath on her neck. “Is that what I’m doing, yapping?”
“Yeah.” Her hands settled on my hips. “Like a yippy, yappy little dog.”
Laughing, I ran a fingertip down her neck. “You’re not trying to imply that I’m all bark and no bite, are you?”
“You’re the one who offered and yet you’re still standing there.” The challenge in her eyes sparked. She took in a shaky breath as I traced her collarbone with my finger.
“Someone might come looking for us soon.”
“Then we’d better hurry.”
I slid my hand from her neck to cup the back of her head. The tension melted away as she nestled her head into my hand. Her eyelids lowered until only a slit of green remained. Then her breath hitched as my fingers massaged the base of her neck. She tilted her head to a more receptive angle. Anticipation rose as I closed the distance between her mouth and mine. When a fraction of an inch remained, I stilled, waiting.
She leaned into my touch, her eyelids fluttering as my fingers massaged the base of her neck. Her breath caught. Her head tilted. The distance between us evaporated.
“Oliver?” she whispered.
“Yes?”
Then she pressed her mouth to mine, seizing control. Her hands snapped my hips to hers. Heat rose from where our torsos connected, slamming into me, coursing through my limbs. She ran a hand under my shirt, clamping onto my waist. My skin burned under her touch, her fingertips like sparks dancing along my ribcage.
“Trinity.” A voice rife with disappointment broke us apart.
I pulled back, dazed and disoriented, not sure where I was, who I was or even what continent I was on anymore.
One of her sisters stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, lips pursed in a perfect circle of disapproval. “You’re in the house less than twenty minutes and you’ve already invited a strange man into your bedroom?”
Trinity wiped her lip and glared. “Seriously, Jules?”
I stepped back, not wanting to get in the middle of what obviously was some long-standing sisterly kind of history.
Then she turned to me. “Come on, Oliver. We don’t want to keep anyone waiting.”
“You okay?” I asked, my hand resting on the small of her back. If she’d felt it too, how the world shifted on its axis when her lips met mine, she didn’t show any outward sign. Maybe it was an earthquake. That had been my mom’s biggest worry when I’d left for the States—that I’d be swallowed up in a huge earthquake. I’d tried to tell her that Indiana was far, far away from a fault line and that I’d be much more likely to experience earthquakes at home, but how else could I explain the sensations I’d just felt? Like the entire world was slipping away, rumbling under my feet until just Trinity and I were left.
She waited for her sister to turn down the hall, then all but slumped against me. “I’m fine. Look, I’m so sorry I dragged you into this. If you want to go, I’ll understand.”
“Go?” I spun to face her. “You can’t throw me out after a kiss like that.”
She stared down at her feet, avoiding my eyes. I cupped her chin and lifted her gaze to meet mine.
Eyes glistening, she finally looked at me. “It’s going to be a shit show tonight. My siblings are out for blood. I can feel it.”
“Well then, you’re in luck.” I slipped my arm around her and guided us toward the hallway.
“Why’s that?”
