Chapter 4
Chapter Four
He was kissing her. Andy Fisher was kissing her. Kat Carlson. And it wasn’t just in her fantasy. It was real. It was very, very real.
Her entire body vibrated. If Andy hadn’t been holding her—oh, and was he ever holding her—she might very well levitate straight off the floor.
Sure, Kat had been kissed before. More than once. But never like this. Never before had there been so much…passion and electricity between her and a man. Yes, it was cheesy to think of it like that. As if Andy were some sort of hero in a romance novel who made her come alive after so many years lying in wait. But there was no other way to think of it, because that’s exactly what was happening.
A low moan filled the air around them.
Was that her?
Oh, God. That was her. She might have been mortified if Andy hadn’t responded with a groan of his own as he tugged her even closer to him, as if he couldn’t get enough.
Good .
Because she couldn’t get enough, either. She wanted more. She wanted everything.
Kat had always known that a kiss with Andy would never be enough.
She could feel him hard and thick with need, pressing against her belly as he sucked gently on her bottom lip before he pulled back from their kiss.
“Why don’t we take this into your bedroom?” She hoped she didn’t sound too eager, but there was really no other way of telling Andy what she wanted from him in no uncertain terms. And she did know what she wanted. What she’d always wanted.
His eyes shut momentarily, and when they opened again, they were clouded. He took a step back from her, and his hands slipped down to rest on her hips. “Kat, I…”
“It doesn’t have to be a thing, Andy,” she said quickly. “I mean…that kiss was?—”
“Fucking amazing,” he finished for her, sending a surge of pleasure through her body.
She hadn’t misread the situation at all. Not that she thought she had. It was true that Kat didn’t have a ton of experience with men, but she knew enough. And judging by the way Andy looked at her, and the heat in that kiss, her feelings were right on track.
“It really was amazing,” she said softly and took a step to close the distance between them. “But you know what else would be amazing?”
Kat couldn’t even believe the words that were coming out of her mouth. Maybe it was the few sips of wine she’d had that had loosened her tongue. Not that it mattered. Not when she meant every word she said.
Andy didn’t immediately say no. He didn’t pull away or stop touching her, details that only fueled her resolve.
“Taking this into your bedroom would be pretty amazing.” She leaned in and fluttered her lips over the sensitive skin just below his ear. Andy’s scent overwhelmed her senses, and she sucked in a breath before catching herself. Hold it together, Kat.
“Kat…I…”
“You want this,” she murmured in his ear. “As much as I do.” As much as I always have, she stopped herself from adding.
His response came in the form of a groan. His body shuddered from her kisses. “Damn, Kitty Kat. I do want this, but?—”
“No.” She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. “There is no but , Andy.”
“Ahh.” He released his grip on her and stepped away.
She felt the loss immediately. Hot tears sprang to her eyes, but she bit her bottom lip to keep them from spilling over. She would not cry. He’d never see her as the grown-up woman she was if she acted like a child. No.
Kat watched as Andy battled with himself. He turned his back to her and scrubbed a hand over his face before threading his fingers through his hair. Still, he didn’t turn around.
“Andy?”
He didn’t move.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not.” He spun back around and faced her. “It’s not okay,” he said, softer this time. “You’re…and your brother…”
“Never needs to know.”
Andy’s face twisted with confusion, and Kat rushed to make her point.
“There’s no reason Craig ever needs to know,” she continued. “After all, it’s not like we’re going to have a relationship or anything. That’s not what this is about. I mean, we don’t even live in the same city. Like I said, this doesn’t have to be anything more than…a friendly hookup.”
It almost killed her to say the words out loud. It went against everything she felt inside, but she wasn’t stupid either. Kat had always known that there would never be anything real between her and Andy. Even if he wasn’t her brother’s best friend, they lived ten hours apart. She’d already made peace with it.
“But you’re?—”
“A grown-up.” She stepped forward, pressing her breasts out so they strained against the fabric of the dress she’d brought with her in the hopes that she saw Andy. With a boldness she didn’t know she possessed, Kat ran a finger down the front of his shirt. “I’m not a little girl anymore, Andy.” She kept her voice low and took a step closer. “I don’t believe in fairy-tale endings of happily-ever-afters. I’m not naive enough to believe that’s how life works out. I believe in happy-for-right-nows, and I think we can make each other very, very happy.”
She stopped inches in front of him, bit her lower lip, and looked up through her lashes into his eyes.
Andy let out an animalistic half groan-half growl. And then everything was okay because his hands were gripping her face and his mouth was on hers, devouring her.
Oh fuck yes.
They could make each other very happy. Of that, there was absolutely no doubt in Andy’s mind. The chemistry between them was absolute fire. And she was right. It’s not as if there were ever going to be anything serious between them. Nothing more than one night, anyway. And if she was okay with that…
“You are so delicious,” he murmured against her lips. Was one night going to be enough? It was going to have to be. Even if things were different and they did live in the same city, and she wasn’t his best friend’s little sister, he wasn’t in a place with his life that he was looking for a relationship anyway. “Happy for right now. Is that what you called it?”
He needed to hear it again. He needed to be sure. After all, this was Kitty Kat. His Kitty Kat.
“Happy for right now,” she repeated as she slid her hand behind the back of his head and threaded her fingers there, tickling the base of his neck, a move that sent a thrill through him. “We’re not children anymore, Andy. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Just live in the moment.”
That was all he needed to hear. With another growl, Andy again caught her mouth in his.
Fuck. She tasted good. So good. Sweet and spicy and like he needed another taste. A deeper one.
“This dress.” He got the words out through gritted teeth.
“You like it?”
“It has to go.”
Her eyes widened.
“Now.”
Andy didn’t wait for Kat to process what he wanted, or even to do anything about it. Instead, he spun her around, so her belly was against the kitchen counter. She put her hands out to steady herself, her ass pressed out toward him. He barely contained a moan at the sight of her presenting herself for him in such a way, and for a moment considered exactly how much he liked that particular position. But no, he needed to see her. He needed his mouth on those sweet lips.
He swallowed hard and tugged down the zipper on her back, revealing smooth, pale skin sprinkled with a smattering of the same delicate freckles that adorned her face. He’d always teased her about them but that’s only because whenever he did, she’d reward him with that smile he loved so much. But now there was no teasing, because those freckles were the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
Until now .
With a tug, Andy pulled the tight dress down and off Kat’s shoulders. His fingers traced a pattern on the sweet sun spots before pulling her up against him so he could press his lips to the skin and kiss his way across the delicate marks he’d only ever admired from afar.
She squirmed under his touch, but he wrapped his arm around her waist and held her tight.
“You’re so beautiful, Kitty Kat.” With his free hand, he roamed around her body to the front of her thigh, where the hem of her dress landed. A small sigh escaped her lips, encouraging him, as he traveled up the sensitive skin there. He hesitated at the elastic of her panties, but only for a second before he ever so lightly fluttered his finger over the silky fabric.
Kat gasped and, at the same time, her knees buckled a little. Andy tightened his grip on her, pressed one last kiss on her shoulder, and spun her around once more so he could see the look on her face as he pleasured her.
And he was not disappointed.
“Damn, Kat. I had no…I never imagined…” Unable to finish his thought, he shook his head and reached for her. Once more, his mouth took hers into a deep kiss. He was beyond ravenous for her. He’d never let himself imagine what kissing her would be like. Not really. Because it could never happen. No matter what feelings he had for her, how strongly he was drawn to her, or how much his body responded from the smallest smile in his direction, he could never have her.
But now …
Maybe he still couldn’t have her in any real way. At least not in any way that would go beyond tonight in his apartment. What if it wasn’t enough?
It would have to be.
“Andy?”
He hadn’t realized he’d stopped kissing her or pulled back at all.
Kat’s eyes were wide with question, and she watched him warily. “Are you…if you don’t want to?—”
He shook himself out of the thoughts that threatened to screw up what promised to be a very good thing. “What I want,” Andy reached for her, “is to make you scream.” With no further hesitation, he scooped her up and set her on the kitchen counter.
She let out a squeal of surprise as he rucked up her dress and tugged her panties down. But the squeals very quickly turned to moans of pleasure the moment he buried his face between her legs.