Page 43 of Crash
Swirling around in the chair, I waited for him to continue. He stood in the doorway wearing his usual get up—shorts, a tight, black Pulse T-shirt and his big feet stuck into a pair of trainers. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze firmly on mine. After a moment, he stepped into the room and closed the door, shutting us in the tiny office together. The space seemed to shrink, and I swallowed hard.
“Hairspray?” I asked, taking the initiative for once in my life.
“In case of spiders.”
“Smart ass,” I muttered and his lip pulled up slightly at the corner, his dimple beginning to show.
“I think we need to talk about this,” he murmured.
Shit, a guy wanting to talk about it? I knew Lincoln wasn’t like other guys, least of all his twin brother, but this was taking it to a new level.
“What’s there to talk about?” I asked.
“A lot of things.”
“Like what?”
“I said I’d help you,” he murmured. “I didn’t, and I’m sorry.”
I shifted my gaze onto my lap. “You were just trying to be nice. I’m sure Ash asked you to look out for me before he left.”
“He did, but—”
I snorted, shaking my head.Of course he did.
“Vee, he did, but I would’ve done it anyway.”
“Really?” I looked up at him.
“How else do I need to say it?” he murmured, stepping forward.
Rising to my feet, I edged away from him, his nearness doing strange things to my self-control. “I don’t know. I’m pretty fucking clueless.”
“The other night…” He frowned. “Using Andrea like that… Shit, it was wrong. I should never have gone there. Knowing I hurt you like that?Shit.”
I tried to latch onto what Dr. Ormond had told me about writing an ending to a story that hadn’t even begun yet. Maybe she was wrong.
“Violet, I should’ve talked to you from the beginning. I should’ve told you—” He stopped mid-sentence, biting on his bottom lip.
“Should’ve told me what?” I whispered, staring up at him with wide eyes.
“I took the job here because I’d hoped I’d see you again.”
My entire body erupted with chills, and I shook my head. “That’s…”
“I never stopped thinking about you.”
He took a step closer, and I tensed, my inbuilt flight mode trying to switch itself on, but I held firm. I breathed deeply, inhaling his musky cologne. It was the same one he’d worn the other night, and I knew I’d always remember him by it.
“Vee…” Lincoln swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.
I held still, waiting to see what he would do. My heart was beating so loudly, I was sure he could hear it—the whoosh in my ears was almost deafening in the silence.
As he lowered his face toward mine, I drew in a shaky breath. He was going to kiss me.Fuck. I wanted it so badly, but now that he was standing here, I wasn’t sure what to do. He terrified and turned me on all in the same heartbeat.
Finally, his lips brushed against mine, sending a shiver right down my spine. It arced into my breasts and right down to my clit, and I felt myself press forward. I fell into his touch, and before I could even think about what was happening, his mouth was hard against mine. Lincoln was kissing me, the tip of his tongue dancing across my lips, coaxing me to part and let him in.
Raising my hands, I gently touched his face, feeling the stubble on his jaw. Pulling away slightly, our noses brushed as his gaze searched mine. The soft yet passionate look in his eyes giving away how much he was holding back. Would he ever be able to let himself go with me? Would he ever get what he so obviously needed?Hard, passionate, bruising sex.
