Page 26 of Wretched Soul
I swear his lips move a fraction closer to mine. “Then what do you suggest?”
More. I want more. “If I win, we go on a date. A normal date – the kind where we know each other’s name, swap phone numbers and message each other to set up the next time we’re going to meet.”
He quirks an eyebrow. “You think I’m second date material?”
“No. I think I am,” I say with way more confidence than I feel. I suspect I’m way out of his league, and I don’t want Shade to simply throw me away once he’s bored of our game. Is that too much to ask?
“Anything else, Slayer?”
My heart pitter-patters in my chest. Did he just agree to my terms? What else? “You can’t catch me here. That’s too easy. And I’mnoteasy,” I warn. Not anymore.
He thinks on it for a second. His brow furrows. “Is that rule to be applied retrospectively?”
He’s talking about now. The chase was on from the moment I left the store, and he caught me within minutes. The sense of power I have is intoxicating. “Yes.”
A groan rises from deep in his throat. “You’re killing me, Lily.”
I try to laugh, but my throat is too tight, and it comes out as a whimper. I swallow back my nerves. Am I really prepared to let him walk away when my core is in flames? “I could offer you a commiseration prize.”
“And what would that be?”
I take a deep breath. “One kiss.”
“Fuck, Slayer,” he whispers. “I don’t think that’s going to be enough.”
I shrug. “Take it, or leave it.”
His lips gently brush against mine, sending a jolt of electricity down my spine. “OK. One kiss,” he whispers. “But it lasts as long as it lasts. And while we’re kissing, there are no holds barred.”
My insides twist and my thighs clench. “Fine,” I say, desperately hoping my mouth doesn’t dry up. “But when our lips part, it’s over. Break that rule and it’s an instant disqualification from the entire game.”
“Understood. When the kiss ends, I leave,” he agrees. He arches an eyebrow. “And then the real fun begins.”
“You do like your games, don’t you, Shade?”
“You’re about to find out how much,” he warns, just before his mouth crashes into mine.
As I stumble back against my front door, Shade follows. His lips are pressed firmly against mine and his tongue breaches the seal of my mouth. I welcome him in, and as he devours me, I drop my candy bar to the floor and grip the collar of his jacket.
Shade slips a hand inside my open coat. His fingers glide over my shift dress, exploring the contours of my breasts beneath the fabric before he wraps his arm around my waist so he can pull me against his body. I feel his hard length pressing against my hip, and I’m already regretting the rules I’ve just set. He’s right. How can one kiss be enough? I should have dragged him into my apartment when I had the chance.
I don’t know what he’s doing with his other hand until I hear a click above the pounding of my heart. He’s opened my front door, and it’s only his arm around me that stops me falling back. I like his thinking and want to smile, but I have to concentrate on keeping our lips connected as he steps me back into my apartment.
Once we’re through the door, he kicks it shut behind him. We pause our kiss without breaking contact. I’m struggling to get enough air into my lungs through my nose. My chest heaves. We can’t talk through what might, or might not happen next. We can only respond to each other’s actions. I take off my coat. He throws my keys onto the shelves in my narrow entrance hall.
Our faces are too close to read each other’s expressions, or even look each other in the eye, but he’s looking at me when his fingers find the seam at the back of my dress. Our kiss resumes at a more leisurely pace as he pulls down the zipper. He’s checking for my refusal, but the only move I make is to shrug my dress over my hips and let it pool at my feet. I slip off my shoes and kick my dress away.
I do a mental inventory. My white lace bra isn’t the sexiest I own, but it does match my panties. Not that he’ll get the chance to notice as he unhooks my bra. I let it slip down my arms so it can join my dress on the floor.
Shade threads his fingers through my hair, holding the back of my head to keep my lips pressed to his, while he palms oneof my breasts with his free hand. My back arches as my nipples harden at his touch.
I make quick work of undoing the buttons on his shirt. I wish I could see the broad expanse of skin I’ve exposed, but there’s something sensual about building a picture of his body from touch alone. As my fingers caress the ripples of his abdomen, desire coils inside me, creating tension I’m hoping I’ll get to release. A hum escapes my mouth and is immediately captured in his.
Tingles run up my spine as my tongue finds his again. I need to invade him. I need him to invade me. I snatch the edges of his suit jacket to peel it off, but he grabs my hands to stop me. I groan my complaint. I’m almost naked. Why can’t he be too?
Shade pulls his body away from mine ever so slightly so he can take something out of the inner pocket in his jacket. He takes hold of my hand and places something into my palm. It’s a small square wrapper. A condom.
Oh. So, this is happening.
