Page 47 of The Front Runner
My eyes are fixed on her puffy lips. The way they moved as she saidit’s real.I know in my heart, in my soul, that it is, too. And I’m about done with pretending it’s not.
I cup her neck and press my thumb against her jaw as my mouth crashes down on to hers. Her lips open for me instantly, and she goes soft in my arms. She discards all the resistance in her body like a piece of dirty laundry, dropped and forgotten on the floor.
We melt into each other. In a lush green field, covered in fresh spring rain, we give in to the pull between us.
I stroke my tongue against hers, and she matches my fervor as her hands roam my body. One shoots straight under my shirt, and her long fingers splay across the lines of my abs while she moans into my mouth. The other hand grasps at the fabric on my chest frantically, like she can’t get a grip. Like she can’t get close enough.
The world swirls around us, but we stand still, lost in each other. And damn, it feels good. I knew we’d be explosive, but this is mind-altering. This is like a drug.
This is the best kiss of my life.
Frantic kisses turn languid and exploratory. I run my hands over her, luxuriating in the way they glide across her wet skin, and she wraps her hands around my neck like she never wants to let go.
I hope she never does.
I move my mouth over her cheek as I grip her head in my hands. The full length of her body presses against mine as she tries to move in closer. I pepper soft kisses up to her hairline and feel not an ounce of guilt over the scene I made at the dinner table.
This woman is about to be my undoing.
And I’ll do almost anything to prove to her I’m deserving.
I’ll burn it all down to make it happen.
“We shouldn’t be doing this.” She leans her cheek into my lips with need. “Someone might catch us.”
I kiss her forehead and slide my lips down the bridge of her nose, cupping her jaw with both my hands as I tip her head up. “Good. Let them catch us.” And then I take her lips again, swallowing the tiny whimpering sound she makes and committing it to memory.
I never want to forget this kiss. The feel, the smell, the sound of rain pattering while Mira whimpers into my mouth. It’s one for the record books.
But then her hand slides down my back and disappears under my shirt. The tips of her fingertips trace the top of my boxers, sneaking just beneath the elastic.
This isn’t one for the record books.
Thisisthe record book.
16
Mira
I wantto grab his ass so bad.
How I went from wanting to get as far away from him as possible to now standing here, soaked, in a field, weighing the merits of grabbing the town bad guy’s ass, I’ll never know. It’s agreatass, and I’m already drowning in a dunk tank of poor decision making, so why the hell not?
I slide a couple fingers in between the buttons of his shirt to draw him closer. My other hand has been tracing the line of his boxers, but now I let my lizard-brain take over and push it down between the back of his pants and the smooth fabric of his boxers. When I splay my fingers out and squeeze, he follows suit, fisting my loose hair and giving it a gentle tug. His ensuing chuckle is dark and velvety—thoroughly amused—like he knows I just bit off more than I can chew. I feel it rumble across my lips, and the corresponding shot zings through my core.
Our foreheads rest together as we breathe the same air. Suspended in the moment.
A shiver races down my spine, and he pulls me into a hug, muscular arms wrapping around me like a shield. “You’re cold. Let’s grab your jacket and get out of here.”
“God. I really don’t want to go back in there.” The thought of facing everyone after pitching a fit and running out of the house feels like too much right now. Plus, I’m awfully comfortable where I am, and as soon as the cold seeps in from where we’ve spent the last several minutes plastered against each other, so will reality.
And I don’t want to face the reality of making out with Stefan Dalca right now.
His hand stokes my back in soothing circles, and I almost want to purr under his ministrations. Because I am now basically a cat in heat.
“I’ll go in and get it for you. Let’s get you in the car.”
When he steps back, I’m cold, just like I knew I would be. The damp air and cool water chill me to my core, and I wrap my arms around myself to conserve the warmth that Stefan’s firm body left behind.
