Page 51 of It Happened on a Sunday
“Sloane’s not known for keeping her guys around long, Sly. How do you feel about that?” someone yells.
He starts to say something back—something I’m afraid will only make the situation a million times worse—so I squeeze his hand to get his attention and to let him know it doesn’t matter.
Even though it does.
He shifts his gaze back to mine, and his brown irises are now storm-dark. His whole face is turning into a thundercloud before my very eyes, and I know him getting worked up is the worst thing that can happen. The pics will speak volumes to people around the globe, especially with the lurid headlines I know will accompany them. Headlines that are practically writing themselves the longer he stands here looking upset.
“Let’s go insi—” I start to say softly.
But before I can even finish, another reporter yells, “Aren’t you afraid she’s going to kill you, too, Sly?”
I squeeze his hand even more tightly, desperate to stop what I have no doubt is about to become yet another PR nightmare. But this time, Sly doesn’t say anything. He just steps forward, like a predator zeroing in on a threat. He’s still holding my hand, but everything else in him is focused on the target.
Because the last thing he needs is for the entire world—including the NFL and the LAPD—to watch him take down some lowlife paparazzi. I do the only thing I can think of to distract him, the thing that’s been on my mind since the moment he opened that door.
I step forward, putting myself between the photographers andSly before rising up on my tiptoes and leaning into him. I stop, lips hovering a fraction of an inch from his, and wait for him to decide whether to close the distance between us.
Does he ever.
Chapter 22
Sloane
From the moment my mouth meets Sly’s, I know I’m fucked. Not only does he have the power to destroy me, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to let him.
It makes no sense to be here again after everything I’ve done to survive over the last five years.
But the truth is, this moment isn’t “again.” I’ve never been here before, not like this. Not even with Jarrod, who I deeply, truly loved.
Because when Sly leans into me, there is no before. And there is no after. There is only this single, wild moment and the tornado it unleashes between us.
For half a breath, his body is stiff against my own, his lips as rigid and unyielding as the rest of him. Mine, too, for that matter.Did I really just do this?But as soon as his mouth starts to move against mine, everything changes.
And by everything, I do meaneverything.
The rigidness drains out of him like it never was as he wraps an arm around me, plasters one big hand to the small of my back, and pulls me straight into the long, lean, muscled heat of his body.
I gasp at the contact, every nerve ending lighting up at the exact same time.
Sly takes instant advantage, his free hand moving to cup my jaw even as his tongue slides gently along the seam between my parted lips.
A tiny voice in my head begs me to stop, to remember the cameras, the consequences. But the rest of me? The rest of meonly knows how to feel.
All it cares about is the roughness of his calloused fingers against my jaw.
The security of his powerful body against my own. The possessiveness of that firm hand on my back.
And the pleasure… Oh my God, the pleasure. It all feels so good, so right.
As does the delicious, overwhelming, all-encompassing taste of his mouth. Like lime and coconut and the darkest, most exotic cinnamon.
Without me making a conscious decision to do it, my hands slide up his chest to tangle in his T-shirt and pull him closer. My body melds to his, my curves cushioning his hard, muscular planes.
I open my mouth just a little bit wider for him. Only him.
As I do, I can feel Sly’s quick smile against my own. And then he’s nipping at my lower lip, not hard enough to hurt but definitely hard enough to send shivers running down my spine.
It takes every ounce of self-control I have not to moan. Or whimper. But I have just enough awareness left not to totally humiliate myself in front of all these people. In front of all these cameras.
