Page 9 of The Holiday Hookup List
But I can’t dismiss the feeling of his erection pressed into my abdomen. Or the blatant way I ground against him while staring into his turbulent green eyes.
When a black SUV pulls up to the curb, I give myself a shake and climb into the cramped back row. Noble follows and settles in on my right. His body is big and warm, and the scent of his cologne surrounds me. It’s such a tight fit, we have to fasten each other’s seat belts. The others cram into the seats in front of us. The overhead light flicks off, casting Noble and me in relative darkness, relieved only by brief yellow flashes from streetlamps as the car rolls through Brooklyn.
He leans down to speak in my ear, pitching his voice low under the sounds of classic R & B and his friends’ laughter.
“Are you comfortable?”
The ghost of his breath on my neck makes me shiver. I wish I’d put my coat on, even though I would’ve been roasting.
“Mm-hmm. I’m fine.”
I’m so far from fine it’s not even funny.
Noble shifts next to me, repositioning his long legs, and I feel bad.
“You didn’t have to squash yourself back here, you know. Bailey could’ve sat next to me.”
Noble gives me a look I can’t decipher. Sort of stern, a bit glaring, and very hot.
“Torres, I’m not letting anyone else squash in next to you. Not even Bailey.”
“Okay.” I’m finding it hard to breathe normally, a condition which is not improved when his gaze drops to my lips.
“I liked dancing with you.” He says it so quietly I almost don’t hear him, but I’m watching his mouth, too, and I see his lips and tongue form the words.
“So did I.”
I utter the admission before I’m even aware I thought it. My mind is clouded, not from alcohol but fromhim.
Then his hand lands on my bare knee, big and strong andscorching. I want to feel his hands on every inch of my skin.
Before I can think better of it, I part my legs.
Not much. I’m not sitting in the back of this SUV with my legs wide open and a neon sign proclaimingTake me now, Gideon Noble!Just a few inches, but that, and maybe whatever is showing on my face, gives him the go-ahead toglide his hand a little higher. His fingers caress my inner thigh, and my breath catches.
“Valencia.” He utters my first name like it’s a prayer or an oath, and I respond in the only way that makes sense.
I grab his tie and yank him down to kiss me.
And then,finally, that captivating lower lip is mine. I catch it between my teeth—gently, though, testing and tugging, learning its shape and suppleness with my tongue. Noble makes a tortured sound in the back of his throat that I swallow. I could spend hours exploring this lip, and it wouldn’t be enough to fully map its mysteries. But I’m too impatient for that, and I stroke my greedy tongue deeper into his mouth.
Then it’s my turn to groan, because holy fuck, he tastesamazing. Like whiskey and spearmint. And hefeelsamazing. Like a sex dream come to life.
Noble cups my jaw and proceeds to make good on the promises his body made on the dance floor, which I’m only now beginning to comprehend.I am going to turn you inside out,his kiss says.I’m going to completely upend your world.I surrender to the unspoken demand, and our kiss devolves into a frenzied tug-of-war of probing tongues and nipping teeth.
It’s still not enough.
When his hand slips just under the hem of my dress, I whimper. “Touch me.”
I can’t believe I’m saying this,doingthis. In the back seat of a car full of strangers! But I’m so enflamed, I wouldn’t care if all the patrons from Dazzler were watching.
His other hand lands on my breast, and while I meant for him to touch me somewhere else, that works, too. I arch into the warm pressure of his palm.
“What the fuck is this?”
I laugh at his confused growl. “Battery pack. Ignore it.”
He does. And since I’m not wearing a bra, there’s only the thin material of my dress between his stroking thumb and my nipple. I gasp, and he uses that to take the kiss deeper. God, his mouth is so fuckingdreamy. I’m frantic for more.
