Chapter Twelve
Zane
Fuck, she was stunning.
Melina feasted on our free meal with her mouth soft, eyes at half-mast, and chest rising with each satisfied sigh. Something tightened in me. Not the usual ache or the familiar craving, but something deeper. Something that felt like it could become permanent.
Things were about to change. And it scared the hell out of me.
After tonight, there was no way I could rush out to another crazy party and continue with the never-ending string of one-night stands. It would be pointless to even try. Especially since it wouldn’t cure the bite of agitation I felt every time I denied myself what I truly wanted.
Melina was the only answer. I wanted her, and I didn’t care if it took one date or ten, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had her.
Although, I was wound entirely too fucking tight right now. With her curves pressed against me and her ass brushing up against my aching cock, it was impossible not to be.
Still, as hungry as I was for her, it wasn’t all about her body. She was guarded, yet fiery, and determined as hell to keep me on my toes. I liked that. Fuck, I liked pretty much everything about her.
“Wow.” She sighed, dropping the fork to the counter and leaning back into me. “I haven’t had a meal this fantastic in forever.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it. And you even saved some for me.”
“Thank you,” she said through a laugh, swatting my hand as she stretched her neck to look up at me. The angle gave me a perfect view down her body, and my mind filled with visions I had no business entertaining.
Of her bent over this counter. Of my hands on her hips. Of driving into her so hard and deep she’d be begging me to let her come.
“You’re welcome.” I bent forward and kissed the tip of her nose, forcing away the torturous images so that I could enjoy the way she languished in my arms.
When I pulled back, she shifted, turning her delectable body to face me. Her hands ran up my chest, over my shoulders, and clasped around my neck, leaving a burning trail of desire in their wake.
“I mean it.” Her gaze was a formidable challenge. “You paid attention to everything I said, and you kept your word. You have no idea how important that is to me, Zane.”
Heat spread through me, my body practically demanding I act on its urges. “I think I might have a bit of an idea.”
She inhaled deeply, the soft swell of her tits pressing against me, and my entire body vibrated with need. And fuck, it was the best kind of misery ever.
Her fingers played with the ends of my hair, her brows pinching together. “How do you know so many people, and why did they all seem to owe you a favor?”
Laughing, I stepped back and caught her hand in mine. I needed to create some goddamn distance before I moved us into territory neither of us was probably ready for.
Because as much as I ached for her, I didn’t want it to end. “Let’s sit and finish our wine. If you’re going to interrogate me, let’s do it in comfort.”
She made a noise of protest and gestured to the mess on the counter.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll clean up later. Right now, I just want to enjoy being with you.” And hell, if that wasn’t the truest thing I’d said all night.
Yes, I wanted her naked and begging. But I didn’t want to rush. I wanted to take my time with her. Show her that I understood she was worth more than a quick fuck or even a full night of passion. But most of all, I just wanted to be with her, and to have my restless urges quieted, any way I could.
We curled up on my couch, with her legs tucked under her and her curves pressed tight to my side.
“I don’t want to interrogate you,” she said with a frown. “I guess I’m just feeling a bit out of my element tonight.”
“How so?”
Her gaze dropped to her lap, and the slight show of insecurity hooked around my heart. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m not quite the social butterfly you are. I don’t have the time or energy to focus on much more than work and my family, but even if I did, I don’t think I’d know how to be so…so…”
“Slutty?”
She broke into a huge grin, her eyes finally coming back to meet mine. “I was going to say outgoing.”
“Ah, well.” I huffed an uncomfortable laugh. This conversation was already too fucking deep. “There can only be one life of every party.”
She sat straighter, her hand pressing over my chest. “I’m serious. You’re so effortless with people, and everyone loves you.”
“It’s not effortless.” I trailed my fingers over the back of her hand.
“Trust me, there’s a hell of a lot of effort that goes into being the fun guy everyone expects me to be.
They may all love me, but not many of them really know me.
If they did, they’d see I’m not always so much fun to be around. I have my down days, too.”
“We all have those days.” Her voice was barely a whisper, and that hold she had on my heart pulled harder.
“Yes, we do. Some more than others. But I think it’s human nature to pretend we’re okay even when we’re not. It’s hard to let people in when we’re suffering. That shit is scary.” I swallowed hard, waiting for her reaction.
Had I just cracked the door open too wide?
“They can hear the smile in your voice,” she murmured, her eyes glassing over.
The pads of my fingers met the velvet skin of her cheek, and I tried to soothe the troubled look on her beautiful face. “Sorry, I don’t follow.”
“It’s something my mother used to say. I never really knew what she meant, until I lost her. But I feel like I’m wearing a fake smile a lot these days, and I do it because I’m sick of showing the world all my cuts and bruises. I’m tired of all the pity that comes along with the truth.”
“And what’s the truth?” I traced my fingers down, over the bow of her lips. “What are you hiding under that gorgeous smile?”
She frowned, and somehow the look was even more captivating than the carefree awe she’d worn earlier. “More trouble than you want to know.”
“Oh, I don’t know…I think I might like getting into trouble with you.” I glided my fingers down the soft column of her throat, hooking them lightly in the top of her sweater and running my knuckles over her collarbone.
Her breath caught. Her eyes widened. And the intensity of her stare made my heart hammer so hard I could feel it in my throat. My skin felt too tight, my chest too narrow, my whole body flooded with sensation. One smoldering look and I was ready to rip her clothes off.
But I wouldn’t. I couldn’t.
At least, not tonight.
“Zane?” Her voice was husky—half lust, half uncertainty—and it matched the feeling swirling through my gut. “What are we doing?”
“I don’t know.” Because fuck, I really didn’t have a clue.
I wanted something I had no right to, didn’t deserve, and could probably never earn. A thing that should have me running the other way. I might not know anything about relationships or commitments, but as I stared into her weighty gaze, I knew if she asked, I’d dive right in.
She bit at the inside of her lips, seeming to ponder my answer, and the hand she held over my heart closed around my shirt in a tight fist.
“Damn, you make it hard to think straight.”
Her words hit hard against the restraint I’d been barely clinging to. My desire for her finally taking over. “Maybe we should stop thinking and just feel for a while.”
That was all it took.
She lifted to her knees and straddled my lap. Her mouth came down on mine, hot and urgent, and every rational thought I’d ever had went up in smoke.
I kissed her back with everything I had—lips, tongue, and teeth.
Greedy and reckless and not giving a single fuck about restraint anymore.
Her hands slid down my chest and back up into my hair, pulling hard enough to sting, her nails raking over my scalp.
Every place she touched felt like it was catching fire.
And fuck, I was ready to burn.
My tongue stroked over hers, and even though I’d done this more times than I could count, nothing had ever felt like this. Like kissing her was a first. My real first. The beginning of something I didn’t know how to navigate. Only that I didn’t want it to end.
A whimper caught in her throat when I dragged my mouth from her lips, over her chin, and down the side of her neck.
Her skin tasted fucking divine, and I groaned against her pulse point as she began rolling her hips over me in a way that promised something wild and untamed. Something fucking amazing.
Something I wasn’t going to survive.
My hands found her lush ass and, using the last bit of self-control I had, stilled her movements. It was pure torture and, despite my recent masochistic tendencies, was more than I could take.
“More,” she panted, her sweet breath washing over me. “I want more.”
Fuck. Those words nearly finished me.
I nuzzled against the side of her neck, inhaling her, reluctant to let go but certain that if I didn’t, she’d hate me tomorrow. “Fuck, firecracker. Me too. So much more.”
What I didn’t say was how much I wanted more than just one night. Those words lodged in my throat like a weapon, making me feel weak.
“I want you so much,” I repeated instead. Words that didn’t convey nearly enough but were easiest to say. Safer to say.
She dipped her head, finding my lips again. “Please,” she begged between kisses. “You make me feel so good.”
God, fuck, she was trying to kill me.
“I like hearing you beg,” I admitted, my voice a low growl that gave away my desperation. “And one day, when my head’s between your legs and I’m feasting on your pussy, I hope to hear a lot more of it.”
Her whole body shuddered against mine.
“But there’s no rush.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “Saying I want you isn’t an invitation for sex. It’s just a truth I needed you to hear. And maybe when I take you home tonight, still aching for it, you’ll understand how hard it was not to take you to my bed right now.”
Her sigh was more like an impatient, strangled groan, and it made me smile that she might be even half as worked up as I was.
“Besides,” I reminded her, placing a light kiss at the corner of her mouth, “we agreed to one date, and if it went well, one kiss at the end of the night. I don’t want you to look back at this and regret it.”
I don’t want you to regret me.
She sat up, putting space between us, and I grieved the loss of her—her heat, her weight, the press of her body against mine. It might be the right thing to do, but it still fucking sucked. Especially when, even at a distance, the lust burning in her eyes was enough to scorch me.
“Yes.” She nodded, reluctance seeping into her tone. “You’re right. That was the agreement.”
“It was.” I ran my hands up her outer thighs, unable to stop touching her. “And as you so nicely complimented me on earlier, I’m good at sticking to my word.”
“Damn you. You really are.”
Laughing, I smacked her lightly on the ass, forgetting about her earlier injury and making her wince. The word sorry sat on the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, and something about the way she bit her lip after made me not so fucking sorry at all.
“Guess this date’s over, then, firecracker. We’ve already had our one kiss.”
“You’re lucky it was a good one.”
“Only good?” I coaxed with a smirk.
I was the luckiest guy alive. No question.