Текст книги "Kissing Her Crazy"

Автор книги: Kira Archer

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Childish laughter peeled out, and he looked over to see Tyler, his little hands holding Abby in an imitation of the grown-ups, leading her through the dance. They kept tripping over each other’s toes and spinning around far too quickly. But they seemed to be having a great time.

Elliot laughed. “They’re actually doing a pretty good job.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of impressed.”

He pulled her in a little closer. Her expression was wary, but she didn’t protest.

“I’ve been thinking about you,” he said.

“You have?”

He let his lips slowly stretch into a smile while he stared into her eyes. Then his face softened, changing his demeanor from sex stud to casual conversationalist.

“You know, that bug bite stuff worked great. I’ve been thinking about some marketing ideas. I bet you could make a fortune selling that stuff.”

She blinked up at him, confused at the sudden change in conversation. “You’ve been thinking about the bite balm?”

“Yes. Why haven’t you ever tried selling that? It works amazing.”

She tried to pull out of his grip so she wasn’t pressed so close to him, but he didn’t let her.

“I’m enjoying dancing with you. Very much,” he said, pushing his hips against hers so she could feel exactly how happy he was to be there. “And we are going to finish this conversation later on, I promise you that. But since I can’t do what I really want to do to you right here on the dance floor, it might be better to stick to a safer subject.”

Her breath audibly hitched in her throat, her eyes full of the same smoldering desire as his. Fuck. What he wouldn’t give to be alone with her in his suite. But that was going to have to wait, so he needed to get them back onto safer ground.

He let his hand slide a little lower so it grazed her hip, loving the catch in her breath at his touch. But he did need to get them back into safer territory. For the moment.

“So, bug balm?”

She broke their gaze and nodded. “Right. Yeah. I have thought about selling it. Even looked into what that would entail. But I just couldn’t see a way to produce enough of it that I’d actually turn a good profit.”

“Well, that’s what I’ve been thinking about. You could start off small, like selling at local fairs. And you could set up a website. It wouldn’t have to be anything fancy, and there are lots of places where you can get cheap domain names and web design templates or software.”

She nodded hesitantly. “I appreciate the ideas. It’s definitely something I’d like to do. Eventually. I’ve already done some of the base work to get things started. I purchased a domain name for it a couple years ago. I just haven’t had time to really work on it,” she said, her tone civil but defensive.

“That’s great.” He’d known it might be a bit of a tough sale since she seemed so unwavering in her desire to do everything on her own. But he was just as determined to do what he could to help. He’d just have to persuade her to accept his help. A pleasant prospect, since his favorite means of persuasion involved their lips and hopefully a few other body parts.

Elliot pushed on. “So you’ve already got a start on it. I was thinking, some of the ideas you came up with for getting the word out about the children’s charity might also work as marketing ideas for your business. We have the same goal. Getting the word out to as many potential donors, or customers, as possible. We could revamp some of the foundation marketing to work for selling a product.”

She thought for a minute, her brow crinkling. But Elliot hadn’t missed the excitement that had shone from her eyes before the frown had taken over. She liked his ideas. A lot.

“That’s not a bad idea, actually,” she said, her voice softening a bit. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” He drew her closer for the final bars of the waltz.

He was mildly surprised that he was enjoying offering up ideas to help her out, even though he’d only brought up the conversation to avoid thinking about sex. Her response might not have been the rousing excitement-filled celebration that he’d hoped for, but she hadn’t totally been able to hide her interest or her enthusiasm. That little spark in her eyes gave him a serious case of the warm fuzzies. And he liked it. And her reaction to his other more recreational ideas was everything he could have hoped for, so all in all, it was a pretty good dance lesson.

The song switched to one with a slightly faster tempo, and Elliot grasped her hand. “Let’s kick this up a notch.”

Before she could respond, he spun her out, then pulled her back in. She twirled around with a little “eep!” and ended up back against his chest, surprised and laughing.

“What are you doing?”

“Having some fun. Let’s dance.”

Lena laughed again, holding on tight while he spun her, twirled her, and wrapped his arms about her. By the time the song had ended, Lena was breathless in his arms.

“You’re crazy, you know that?” she said.

He laughed. “Yeah, but it makes life a lot more fun.”

“I’ll bet.”

The instructor, apparently deciding they knew what they were doing, left them alone to dance through the next few songs while she focused most of her attention on the bride and groom. Elliot had never had so much fun in his life. He’d been to every hot club in major cities across the world. Yet, somehow, swaying to cheesy music in a hotel ballroom was easily topping his best nights on the dance floor. Because of the woman he held in his arms. Because of the happiness shining from her face as they twirled across the floor. Happiness that hadn’t been there a few moments before. Happiness she’d sorely needed and that he’d help create for her. Not that she hadn’t been happy before.

She was delightful. Always. But this was different. This wasn’t tied up with Tyler or with their business ideas or family. It was just the two of them, enjoying each other. Hearing her laugh and seeing her eyes twinkling with happiness because of him sent a streak of joy through him so intense it was completely alien. For the first time, he felt really needed. Not for his wallet or his connections. But just for him, for who he was. He’d made her happy. And that made him…elated. He liked the feeling. Very much.

If any one of his buddies had said something even remotely resembling the cheese-fest tumbling around in his head, Elliot would have given him a good swift kick in the balls to bring him back to earth. But he couldn’t help himself. The disappointment that filled him when their hour was over was almost laughable. He didn’t want to let Lena go. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss those smiling lips. Taste every inch of her until she was gasping his name.

He looked down at her. The music was over, the instructor giving last minute instructions. But Lena’s gaze was firmly fixed on him, her arm still around his waist. And unless he was very much mistaken, a perfect echo of what he was feeling was reflected in her eyes. She wanted him, too.

Her hand tightened on his waist, and for just a moment she snuggled into him. Then she stepped away, letting her arm slide along his back until she couldn’t touch him anymore. He grabbed her hand before it dropped and pulled her back to him.

“Meet me in my room tonight,” he said.

Her eyes flared wide, panic flashing through them. “What? No. Why? No. I can’t.”

She tried to pull away from him, but he wasn’t letting her go that easily. Smooth. He’d been way too blunt. And after their little dance-a-thon, she probably thought he was only thinking one thing. Which, honestly, he was. But that wasn’t really why he wanted her to come over. Well, not entirely.

He wouldn’t push her to do anything she didn’t want to do, but he really did want to spend more time with her. Hell, he’d be thrilled to sit on opposite sides of the room, as long as they could talk. Anything else they might do together, well, he was more than willing to take that as slow as she needed to.

“Just to talk,” he assured her. “My parents are going on their yearly European vacation as soon as the wedding is over, so I want to pitch them my ideas for the foundation this week. I really could use your help getting everything organized.”

She frowned but didn’t say no, so he pressed on.

“I spoke with the concierge, and he said the hotel has a great media center. I can even get charts and stuff printed out so I can do a full-blown professional presentation. But I need to get it all worked out first. If I don’t do it now, I’ll have to wait until after Christmas, and I’d love to get this moving before that. Our annual fundraiser is in January, so I need everything in place by then. Come on. I promise I’ll behave, if you want me to,” he said playfully.

Lena gazed up at him, a myriad of emotions flashing across her face so fast he had no clue where she’d end up. Her forehead creased, and he was sure she was going to turn him down.

“I’ll need to see if my cousin can watch Tyler for the night so I won’t have to worry about him if we work late.”

Elliot pulled her into him for a quick hug, afraid to let her see the sheer exhilaration that he knew must be shining from his face.

She pulled away and smiled at him. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Can’t wait.”

His body nearly vibrated with the excitement pulsing through him. He was happy about getting the foundation stuff in order. He’d never been so excited about a project in his life. Thanks to Lena. He’d paid lip service to the charity for years. And despite his desire to do more, he hadn’t done much about it. Until now. Until he’d met her. She was the one who’d lit the fire under him. Finally, he had a chance to really do something amazing to help others and do something meaningful with his life.

But more importantly, he’d gotten Lena to agree to spend several hours alone with him.

Life was fucking awesome.

Chapter Six

Lena collapsed onto the couch and pulled out her phone. Tyler had had his lunch and was tucked up in bed fast asleep. He’d outgrown naps a few years ago, but it had been a long couple days already and when he’d curled up on the bed and passed out, Lena wasn’t about to wake him up. A few quiet minutes to collect her thoughts was exactly what she needed.

She had a missed call from Iris, so she dialed her back. A little advice from her BFF would be good. She had no idea what the hell to do about Elliot.

Iris picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, Len, how are things in paradise?”

Lena sighed and Iris laughed. “That good, huh?”

“You know, I honestly don’t know how to answer that.”

“Hmm. Does this have anything to do with a certain handsome brother of the bride?”

“Maybe.”

“Ha! Maybe, my ass. What’s going on?”

“We kissed.”

“What? Oh my God, girl, give me the details.”

Lena covered her eyes with her hand and groaned. Iris laughed.

“Oh, come on. If it’s good enough it’s got you freaking out this bad, you’ve got to tell me.”

“You first. How did things go with your cowboy?”

“Nash? Oh, that’s going to be a long story. A really, really good story. But long. So quit stalling and spill it already, Len.”

“We started out just talking. He was asking me questions about some of my business ideas, and he actually seemed interested. I mean, some of my ideas have been kind of out there…”

Iris laughed. “Yeah, I know.”

Lena grimaced but realized Iris couldn’t see her. “Yeah, yeah. Well, he didn’t laugh at me. In fact, he even had ideas on how to get a few of them to possibly work. And he wanted my input on expanding the charity his family runs into a foundation. He really loved the idea I had, and we were walking around this gorgeous botanical garden, and he was so excited about these ideas, and he’s just…”

“Hot?”

“Oh my God, you have no idea. And then he leaned in and kissed me, and it started out this sweet, slow kiss, but then…”

“Then? You can’t stop there! Then what?”

Lena was glad her friend couldn’t see her because she was pretty sure there was a goofy, blissed-out smile on her face. “I have never been kissed like that in my life. My knees went weak. I mean, honest-to-God weak. I even got light headed.”

“Oh, that’s the best. You’ve never had that happen before?”

“No.”

“And?”

“I had to go pick up Tyler, but we ended up kissing again and oh my God. I’m not kidding. I was ready to rip his clothes off right there in the hallway. I totally forgot we were in public, Iris. I was sucking his face off right in front of the day care doors! What if Tyler had seen me?”

“Did he?”

“No, but what if he had?”

“He’s getting older, Lena. Someday he’s going to see you kissing someone. Unless you plan on staying single for the rest of your life.”

Lena closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto the couch. “No. I’d like to meet someone someday. But meeting someone someday in the future is a lot different than seeing your mom making out with some guy in front of everyone else.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it. Does he like Elliot?”

“Yeah. He loves him.”

“See, no problem then. Maybe your someday is now.”

That thought sent a quiver through Lena that made her breath catch. There were a great many things about Elliot that Lena would love to explore further. But she had one very important reason to steer clear.

“He only loves him because Elliot is like a big kid himself,” Lena said.

“Ah. Well, that could be a problem. But only if you want to make it one. Just because you made out with him once doesn’t mean you have to start picking out china patterns. You’re on vacation. With a gorgeous guy who is apparently the best kisser you’ve ever been with. Which probably means he’ll be the best everything else you’ve ever been with, too. You think of that?”

Lena snorted. “Are you kidding? That’s all I’ve been thinking about.”

“Good. So, go do something about it.”

“Like it’s that easy.”

“It is that easy, Len. You’re both adults. Just be up front that you’re not looking for anything serious and have yourself a little fun. You are beyond overdue.”

Lena flung her arm over her eyes. Overdue was a huge understatement. At this point, all Elliot had to do was wink at her and she’d probably come on the spot. “Yeah, well that’s my problem. He wants me to meet him in his room tonight.”

“Yeah, girl! Just make sure you bring protection. You’d be amazed how many guys assume the girl is on the pill or something.”

“Iris! Just because I’m going to his room does not mean we’re going to have sex.”

“Why the hell not?

“Because…” She sat up and curled her legs under her, rubbing her hand over her eyes.

“Great answer. Why else would he invite you to his room at night?”

“He wants to talk more about the ideas I had for his foundation.”

“Uh-huh, sure.”

“No, really. I believe him. He wants to pitch the idea to his parents, and they’re leaving right after the wedding so he needs to do it before then. He asked me to help him get things pulled together.”

“Yeah, sounds like a great excuse to get you alone in his hotel room, if you ask me. Even if it’s legit, you’re still alone in his hotel room. At night. In a room with a bed. Be prepared. Just in case.”

Lena’s mouth went dry. She could picture what might happen all too clearly, and her body was damn near screaming at her to let it. But wouldn’t that be irresponsible?

Finally, she sighed. “Nothing’s going to happen.”

“Sure. Just like nothing was going to happen in that hallway, right?”

Lena’s stomach performed a few acrobatics at the reminder. “I don’t want to go in there with a purse full of condoms. That feels like I’m planning to…you know…”

“Have sex?”

Was she a total chicken if she flinched? “Yeah.”

Iris laughed. “You can’t even say the words, Lena. You’re probably safe. But I’m firmly in the better-safe-than-sorry camp. It doesn’t take much to go from sucking face in front of a room full of preschoolers to doing a whole lot more in private. Especially, if the guy affects you as much as he apparently does, and most especially, if you are tucked away in a room at night with him. Trust me on this one. Just…be prepared.”

Lena laid her head back on the couch. “Okay, okay, point taken.”

“Good. Like I said, you are well overdue for a hell of a lot more to happen. You just need to get out of your own way and seize the moment. For once in your life, go enjoy yourself.”

The thought of Elliot touching her again sent a fine tremor down her body that was only partially about nerves. The man knew how to hit all her buttons. And she wanted nothing more than to have him hit them again. Repeatedly. Until she came, screaming his name.

She trembled as though his hands were already moving over her skin. “I’ll try.”

“My God, woman! Go get your vacay lay before you explode. Call me later. Gotta run!”

She laughed but Iris had already hung up. Lena shook her head and tossed her phone onto the couch beside her.

What the hell was she going to do about her little meeting with Elliot? And where could she get a hold of some condoms? Not that she’d need them.

But…just in case.

Chapter Seven

Elliot paced back and forth in front of the sofa, glancing up at the clock every few seconds. Lena said she’d be here at eight, and it was already fourteen minutes after. She might have changed her mind. Frankly, he was amazed she’d said yes in the first place. Not that he was planning anything other than business talk. Not really. Yes, they were going to be alone, in his room. But he had no intention of doing anything that she didn’t want to do. And he really did need her help.

But if she thought he was just trying to get into her pants, he couldn’t really blame her. He knew his reputation. And really, when a guy asked a girl to come to his hotel room after the sun went down, it usually meant only one thing. What if she’d thought that was all he was up to and she decided she didn’t want him? Or what if something had happened? Maybe Tyler got sick or something? Should he call her and make sure everything was okay?

But if everything was okay, then it would look like he was calling to check up on her. She was only—he glanced at the clock—fifteen minutes late now. She might have forgotten his room number and left her phone in her room, so she had to go back to get it and didn’t want to call the front desk because they might think something else was going on when really it was supposed to be a business meeting that, yeah, okay, would be awesome if it turned into something else. But he so wasn’t going to push that on her at all. In fact, he was going to be the perfect gentleman, no matter what, so he could prove to her that he was interested in more than that amazing body of hers. That thick, blonde hair that fell to her shoulders in soft waves. Or the gorgeous, sparkling blue of her eyes that reminded him of a really frosty Gatorade, the dark blue ones. His favorite flavor. That slender neck that was so sensitive she broke out in goose bumps whenever he touched her there. Or the gentle curve of her waist that he wanted to stroke his hand down until he met the curve of her firm—

Knock, knock, knock.

The sound startled him out of his mental inventory, and he jumped for the door, pausing right before he opened it so he could catch his breath and put his cool back in place.

He opened the door, and Lena stood there. She seemed nervous, her eyes looking everywhere but directly into his. She bit her lip, one hand gripping a binder so tightly it was turning white. The other had a death hold on the strap of her fanny pack, which was slung over her shoulder like a purse.

He knew how she felt. Somehow she made him feel like he had when he’d been a fifteen-year-old kid, in love for the first time. With a girl whose name completely escaped him because the only one he could think about at that moment belonged to the woman in front of him.

“Lena,” he said, happy that his voice sounded mostly normal, if somewhat deeper than usual. “I thought you’d changed your mind. Come in.” He backed up so she could enter.

She hesitated for a second, and he thought she might actually turn around and run. But instead she took a deep breath like she was diving into the deep end of the pool, stuck her cute little chin in the air, and marched past him. Once she’d cleared the threshold and made it as far as the couch, she seemed to deflate a little, relaxing as she looked around the room.

“Sorry I’m late. I wanted to tuck Tyler in, and he insisted on more songs than usual. I think he was a little anxious about sleeping away from me tonight.”

Elliot had been on his way over to her, but he froze at her words. “He’s not sleeping in your room tonight? I knew your cousin was watching him, but I thought maybe she’d go to your room. I didn’t mean for him to have to sleep somewhere else.”

She put the large binder onto the coffee table and took a seat on the edge of the couch. “No. I wasn’t sure how late we’d be at this, and I didn’t want to wake everyone to pick him up.”

“Will he be okay? I mean, if he’s anxious… Will he do all right?” The last thing in the world Elliot wanted was for Tyler to be unhappy in any way. But he was a little surprised that he was worried enough that he was completely ready to send Lena on her way in order to keep Tyler happy. They could meet up another night if the kid needed his mother.

“Oh sure, he’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “It’s sweet of you to worry about him.”

Elliot shrugged. “He’s a great kid. I have fun hanging with him. It’s nice to be myself around someone,” he said with a laugh. “He’s not nearly as scary as I thought he’d be.”

Lena laughed. “No, he’s not. Don’t worry. He loves my cousin, and she’s got a little boy about his age. They played right up until it was bedtime, and they’ll be at it again at the crack of dawn. There’s always that moment, right when it’s time to sleep, that you really want to be at home surrounded by all the things and people you love. You know?”

Elliot sat next to her, draping his arm over the back of the couch. Available for cuddling, if she chose, but safely out of range if she stayed where she was, perched on the edge.

“Definitely. I love to travel, don’t get me wrong. But there’s just something about crashing in your own bed surrounded by your own things. I never sleep very well at hotels.”

“Me, either. Something in common,” she said with a hint of teasing in her voice.

“I think we’ve got a lot more in common than that.”

She looked up at him. His eyes riveted to her mouth, and flashbacks of their kiss in the hall ricocheted around in his brain. He gripped the back of the couch in an effort to keep his hand from sliding down her back or running through her hair that she’d left loose and free. When she moved, the light coconut scent of her blonde waves drifted to him, and he closed his eyes for a second, savoring it. He wondered if she always used coconut-scented shampoo or if being on the island made her feel tropical. She’d said there was coconut oil in her bite balm, so she probably used it for other things as well. He should ask her sometime.

He took a deep breath. If they were going to get any work done at all on his presentation, he was going to have to sit on the other side of the room. She was too much of a sexy little bundle of temptation. He was damn near ready to cry because he couldn’t touch her right now.

She relaxed back, her shoulder fitting snuggly under his arm. Their bodies touched all the way down, her arm rested next to his side, and their thighs pressed together. She fit against him perfectly, like she was some long-lost puzzle piece that had been made just for him.

He moved his arm so it was draped around her shoulders more than the couch. He waited for her to tense up or move away. If anything, she snuggled closer. She’d either gotten over her nerves from the hallway, or she was totally plastered.

He wasn’t quite sure what to do. She’d brought her binder, and he really did want to work on his presentation with her. But with her cuddled up to his side, the last thing in the world he wanted to do was move. Well, that wasn’t true. He wanted to move all right. Move until he was over her, inside of her…

Elliot closed his eyes again and counted to five. Make that ten.

She patted his thigh, and electricity shot from where her hand rested on his bare skin straight to his dick. He held his breath and tried to slow the blood furiously pumping from his brain to the vicinity of his shorts.

“Should we get some work done?” she asked, giving his leg a little squeeze before pushing herself off the couch so she could settle on the floor by the coffee table.

“Sure,” he said, thanking whichever patron saint who watched over horny men that his voice sounded calm and cool. Because he was so not calm.

Lena flipped her binder open. “Ready?”

“Very.”

One eyebrow quirked up, and Elliot gave her a little half grin. That faint blush crept into her cheeks, but she didn’t look away like she usually did. Instead, she bit her bottom lip and let her gaze wander from his face to rove over the rest of his body and back up again. The sight of those teeth lightly grazing the tender flesh of her lip destroyed what little progress he’d made in controlling his baser body parts.

“Good,” she said.

That one word hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. He wasn’t sure what game she was playing. But he liked it. A lot.

Before he could respond, she turned her attention back to the binder.

“Do you always have that binder with you when you travel?” he asked.

She blushed. “Always. You never know when a good idea will hit. I’d hate to have an amazing idea and then forget what it is before I can jot it down.”

“Good point.”

“Okay, so here are a few things I was thinking,” she said.

She started going through some ideas she’d had about his foundation. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, and tried to pay attention to what she was saying. He may have even managed a few coherent responses, but he couldn’t vouch for that.

What he did know was that her light tan brought out the gorgeous blue of her eyes. The sundress she wore exposed strong, toned arms and gently sloping shoulders. The crossed straps showed enough of the curve of her back that he had to lace his fingers together to keep from reaching out to feel how soft that smooth skin actually was. Her legs were tucked beneath her, her bare feet peeking out from beneath the hem of the dress. When had she kicked off her shoes? Her toes curled under for a moment, like they knew he was staring at them.

He wished he could pull those feet out and run a finger along the soles, see if she was ticklish.

“Elliot?”

He looked up, startled, and met her amused gaze. She’d obviously had to say his name more than once. “Sorry. What did you say?”

She laughed. “I was asking what you thought of that last idea, but it looks like your mind is a million miles away.”

He looked into her eyes and shook his head. “No. Not a million miles away. My mind has been firmly in this room since the second you walked through the door.”

“Hmm, then what did I say?”

He leaned forward. “I didn’t say I was paying attention to what you were saying. I said my mind was right here, the whole time. And it was. I was just thinking about you.”

He wasn’t sure what reaction he expected from her. Righteous indignation? Surprise? Intrigue? Embarrassment? There might have been a touch of all of those in her rosy cheeks as her gaze burned into his. But mostly, all he saw was a heat to match his own.

“Come here,” he said, his voice deep with desire.

She didn’t hesitate. She gathered her dress up in one hand so she could rise up onto her knees and close the distance between them. Her face was set in determined lines, her eyes blazing with intensity. She didn’t drop her gaze until she was pressed against him. She glanced down for a moment, leaning in. He parted his legs so she could wedge herself between them, getting as close to him as possible. Since he was still sitting on the edge of the couch, their bodies were almost flush with each other.

Just watching her come toward him had made him rock hard and ready. She leaned in closer. The full length of him pressed into her belly, and he fought the urge to close his eyes and groan. If he touched her, he would have an extremely hard time leaving it at a few kisses. She set his blood on fire. His entire body nearly screamed at him to touch her, taste her, make her his. But if that wasn’t what she wanted, he needed to nip this little game in the bud.

She rose higher, dragging her body up the full length of his.

“Lena,” he said.

She stopped moving and looked at him. He ran his thumb over her lips, which parted to drag in a breath that was ragged with need.

“Are you sure?” he managed to ask.

She came in a little closer, rubbing her body down his. “I want you so badly I’m aching. I want you so deep inside me I’ll remember you every time I move tomorrow. I want you to make me come so hard I see stars. I want you to make me scream your name so loudly the neighbors call security. I want you, Elliot.” She punctuated her words with gentle bites along his neck. “Right. Now.”

His mouth opened in a silent gasp. “Fuck,” he groaned, capturing her face between his hands.

His restraint disintegrated. He wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off the floor as he leaned back onto the couch. She spilled across his lap, half lying on him, kissing him in earnest now. Yanking at her dress, she pulled it out of the way so she could straddle him. The moment her heated center settled over him, she gasped and threw her head back, rocking on him. He grasped her thighs and ground his hips against her.

She cried out, leaning forward to kiss him again. He was pretty sure his heart stopped for a few seconds before it resumed pounding. If she kept it up, he was going to lose it right now, like he was a newbie with no control.

He dragged his hands up from her hips to tangle in her hair, holding her to him. His lips molded to hers, their tongues thrusting together, mimicking what his body longed to do. She crawled farther up his body, settling more firmly over him. He grabbed her hips again, this time to keep her from moving, and pulled away from the kiss, his chest heaving to drag in a breath.

She looked down at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion.