Page 71 of Wild Love
“Admit you were jealous.” He fingers a strand of my hair with the hand on the wall, and the other comes up to caress my cheek. “Admit it, and then I can finally kiss you.”
“I’m not kissing you. Hockey players are off-limits, remember?” I bring my palms to his chest to push him away, but in a swift movement I don’t see coming, he picks me up and carries me into the bathroom. After he shuts us in and locks the door, he deposits me on the ground and backs me against the wall.
“What are you doing?” I ask, pressing my shoulder blades into the cool wall. I need to hold on to any anger I can because my body feels anything but angry.
“The door is locked, and no one can see or hear us,” he whispers, resting a palm on the wall above me and leaning down, so his mouth hovers near my neck. “I know your internship is important to you, and I don’t want to fuck that up, so I need to hear you say the words.”
“Your ego will be fine.” I roll my eyes.
“This has nothing to do with my ego. I know you want me. The same way I want you. So are you only holding back because of the internship, or is it something else?”
“Johnny.” My voice breaks. I can’t give him what he wants. Internship rules aside, we’re not a good match. He lives for the moment and doesn’t take anything seriously. I want more than that. Plus, we’re friends and roommates. It’s a lot to risk.
“Dakota.” The hand not on the wall skims across my cheek, and he drags a thumb across my bottom lip.
They part, and the tip of my tongue touches his skin. He brings his thumb farther into my mouth like he wants me to suck on it. I do, heat pooling in my stomach, and then bite it. He pulls back, chuckling, and smears his wet thumb down my neck to my collarbone and dipping into the valley of my breasts.
“You’re stubborn and very sexy.” He slides that hand back up and cups my neck, holding my face in place as he brings his lips so close to mine, I can almost feel them. “Admit it, Kota. I wanna taste you.”
I shake my head and issue my own challenge. One I’m most definitely going to regret. “Make me.”
Maverick doesn’t respond right away, and the faint sound of the music outside is the only noise interrupting the quiet pulsing between us. He takes the hat off my head and places it on his backward. Then he resumes his position crowding into me. One of his legs goes between mine and forces my feet farther apart. He tucks my hair behind my ear and toys with a strand near the nape of my neck.
I keep my hands at my sides, refusing to break. This feels so much bigger than a kiss. Giving in now and admitting I want him, it’ll be disastrous.
He lifts my left arm over my head and pins it against the wall while his nose grazes along the side of my neck. Then he brings my other hand to meet it and works the elastic hairband on the left over the right, effectively tying them together. My breaths come in quick, shallow gulps. The barest hint of a smile tugs at his lips. One of his large palms continues to hold mine against the wall while the other caresses my face and then my neck. Somehow that hand seems to be everywhere and not in the right place either.
I lift my chin to show him I’m not backing down. I will not be the first to break. He tilts his head like he’s going in for a kiss and then pulls back. His lips move, and I realize he’s mouthing the words of the music outside. Something about not wanting to be my friend.
My heart is pounding in my chest.
I wanna kiss you until I lose my breath.
He’s full on smiling now as he whispers the words against my lips. And despite how much I want to resist him, I smile too. I still don’t give in, though. I push against his hand and bring my hands around his neck, caging him in now and bringing my face closer. Just like he did, I zone in on his mouth and tilt my head, only redirecting when my lips are millimeters from his.
My hands still tied together with the elastic are around his neck, and I finger the thick locks, pulling a groan from him. I don’t think I’ve ever been so turned on in my life, but I’ll die before admitting how much I’m enjoying this.
He growls and uses his chest to push me back until my shoulders bite into the wall. If he gets any closer, he’ll be flattening me into the drywall.
“Admit it.” He holds his mouth over mine. “Please.”
My heart hammers in my chest. “I was jealous.”
He rubs his nose against mine and hums lightly. He drops the quickest, softest kiss onto my lips and pulls back. I melt into it, but it isn’t enough. I need the ravenous, desperate kiss that was leading up to.
He’s going to make me beg. And I will. He was right. Damn him.
23
Johnny
A noiseoutside of the bathroom catches my attention.
“Fuck,” I mutter. “I didn’t lock the outside door.”
She stills in front of me. Motherfucker. She was seconds from begging me. I know it.
“I’ll go out first,” I tell her and nip at her bottom lip. “Meet me at the truck.”
