Page 35 of Forecheck
“Right, sorry,” she said. “I’m in law school. I’ve turned being nosy into an art form. Forget I asked.”
“No, it’s not that I don’t want to tell you,” I assured her. “It’s just…I don’t want to talk about this here. Just trust me when Itell you you’re the first girl I’ve ever wanted to bring to one of these things.”
Her eyebrows shot up briefly before her expression settled into the sweetest, shyest smile she’d ever given me. With me, Berkley had been a great number of things—she was the type of girl who wore her emotions plainly; I’d learned that quickly. She’d been sassy, tipsy and flirty, mildly irritated, awed, and even a little worried and stressed. Butnevershy.
I decided I loved it. That pretty blush that spread to her cheeks had me wanting to press my mouth to her warmth, to move my lips elsewhere and make her blush for entirely different reasons.
“Are you ready to go?” she whispered to me sometime later, giving my hand an imploring squeeze.
“God, yes.” The response was abrupt—probably because I’d wanted to leave since the second we’d arrived; in fact, since the moment she’d opened her door and I’d looked my fill of her in that dress, I hadn’t wanted to come at all. Berkley barked out a laugh, attracting curious looks from nearby partygoers.
After brief goodbyes and a pitstop to collect our coats, we were stepping out onto the street. I inhaled deeply, the chilled air a much needed shock to my senses. Nights like tonight made a man do crazy things, and I knew I had a habit of coming on a little strong sometimes. The Gala had been enjoyable, if only because I had Berkley by my side, and she’d handled herself perfectly. It had my mind whirring with all kinds of wild thoughts.
But the last thing I wanted to do was push Berkley away by moving too quickly. I wanted her to take the lead, to decide how fast or slow we took this thing.
“So…your place or mine?” she asked.
I raised a brow. “You want to go home together?”
She shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
“What did I tell you about being one hundred percent certain about these kinds of things?”
“I believe you told me you’d have me begging for you,” she said as she stepped closer, the warmth of her soft body instantly undoing all the head clearing the fresh air had provided. “Do I need to get on my knees on this sidewalk?”
I nearly choked. This girl continued to surprise me.
“A simple ‘please’ would suffice.”
“Please,” she said. “Take me back to your place.”
And who was I to tell her no?
We were all roaming hands, sloppy kisses, and impatient noises as we fell through the door of my apartment ten minutes later. Before we’d even made it out of the hall and into the open kitchen and living room. Berkley’s coat was on the floor, pushed off her shoulders by my greedy hands.
Sense returned for a moment as I stepped away to study her, all heaving chest, blown pupils, and hands reaching for me.
“God, you’re beautiful,” I said, smiling when that blush I loved spread across her cheeks. “Where should I start, Blondie?” I stepped closer and reached out, trailing a single finger along the smooth line of a collarbone. “How about here?” My mouth replaced my finger as my hand trailed lower, over her chest, coming to rest on the swell of her left breast, brushing a thumb over her nipple, which had pebbled under my touch. “Or here?” Again, my mouth followed the path of my hand, flicking the tip of her tightened peak with my tongue through the fabric of her dress. Lower still I moved, until she gasped when my fingersbrushed her exposed thigh. “Or how about all the way down here?”
She was practically vibrating now, panting, needy little noises escaping her mouth, and I could no longer deny her—or myself. Settling my hands low on her hips, her tiny enough and my hands large enough that my fingers splayed across her lower back and ass, I tugged her against my body and slanted my mouth over hers.
Tongues tangling, hands fisted in hair, breaths mingling—we were nothing but sensation.
“What do you want, Berk?” I asked against her lips. “Do you want where this is going?”
“I…” She drew in a sharp breath when I settled my mouth over the smooth skin where her shoulder curved up to her neck and sucked, scraping my teeth and tongue over the sting. “I want this—eventually.”
Like I’d been doused in a bucket of ice water, I pulled away. “You…don’t want me?”
Fuck, I hated how needy I sounded.
Berkley huffed out a disbelieving laugh. “Wanting you isn’t the problem, Brent. Have you seen yourself? I’d be fucking crazy not to take whatever you’re willing to give me.”
“Everything,” I said without thinking. “I’ll give you everything.”
Her lips twitched with a small smile. “I just don’t want us to move too fast. We’ve only been hanging out for like a month. We’re still getting to know each other, and I know from personal experience that adding sex to the equation too soon is a recipe for disaster.”
Hurt flashed across her crystal blue eyes, and I was once again gripped by the desire to kill whoever gave her the memory associated with it. One way or another, I’d get the whole story, but tonight wasn’t the time to push her.
