Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
His lips felt warm and firm as he captured her mouth with an almost bruising force. Momentarily caught off guard, Audrey hesitated. The sensation was strangely new, yet undeniably erotic. She hadn’t kissed another man in years.
She had been with Scott since undergrad, almost nine years ago now, and to have another man’s lips on hers felt foreign but oh, so welcome.
Kissing Carter was nothing like kissing Scott.
The perfunctory pecks she’d received sporadically from her ex-husband couldn’t compare to the passion flowing between Carter’s lips and hers.
Her attention turned back to the man whose mouth hovered just millimeters from hers.
Carter had pulled back the barest fraction at her lack of response, and she slowly lifted her gaze to his.
Eyes the color of the richest coffee stared deep into hers as if he was looking through her, straight into her soul.
Heat curled through her body and for the first time in years, she felt…
desired. Wanted. She needed more—she needed him.
Curling one hand into his hair, she yanked his head back down, and their teeth clashed under the raw force of the kiss.
His large palms stroked up her back, down over her bottom, lighting every inch of her skin on fire.
She shifted, trying to get closer, needing to alleviate the ache between her legs.
She opened her mouth to him, and his tongue swept inside, curling over hers.
He tasted of the sparkling, smooth champagne, and she melted against him.
His hands cupped her ass, and she sucked in a breath as he lifted her, then settled her on the counter.
Pushing her legs wider, he stepped between them, pressing as close as he could get.
His fingertips caught the hem of her shirt, and she lifted her arms, breaking the kiss just long enough for him to pull it over her head and toss it to the floor.
She curled her fingers in the fabric of his dress shirt and pulled him back to her once more, needing to taste him again, unable to get enough.
It had been so long since she’d felt this way—so long she couldn’t remember anything even remotely comparable.
Warm hands slid over the curve of her hip and around her back. Suddenly, her head felt too heavy for her neck, and it lolled to the side as his thumbs flicked over the sensitive peaks thrusting toward him.
His hands dropped away as his head drooped against the space where her shoulder met her neck. “God, I want you so much. But if you’re not ready…” He trailed off, then pulled back to look at her.
She knew it was wrong. She was still technically married, even though things had been over between Scott and her for months—years, even. Whatever was happening with Carter was different, stronger… more potent. He did something to her that she didn’t understand, and she wanted…
She didn’t know what she wanted. She wanted his addictive kisses. She wanted him to keep touching her. She wanted him to never stop.
Unable to speak, she met his dark gaze and nodded her permission to continue.
The air left her lungs in a rush of excitement as he yanked her against him, and she wound her legs around his waist. Although he was only a few inches taller than her own five-nine frame, he carried her from the room like she weighed nothing at all.
Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she clutched at the back of his head and pulled him to her. His lips fused with hers as he made his way down the hallway toward her bedroom like he’d done this hundreds of times before.
The thought froze her for a moment. He’d probably done this very same thing, more times than he could count. He was successful and gorgeous; what woman would turn him down?
But she had no claim on him. Shoving the irrational jealousy and disappointment away, she fell into the kiss and allowed the pleasure to pull her under.
She didn’t realize they’d reached her room until his arms loosened around her and the cool fabric of the sheets grazed her back.
Propping a knee between her legs, he levered himself over her, caging her in his arms. She curled her fingers around the lapels of his shirt and nipped at his bottom lip as he started to pull away.
He returned the favor, capturing her lower lip between perfect white teeth.
She arched upward, needing to feel every hard inch of him against her.
He obliged by settling his heavy weight in the cradle of her hips.
Her hands wandered down his spine and beneath the hem of his shirt, exploring the hot flesh of his lower back.
A low whimper left her mouth when he lifted away from her again, and he let out a strained chuckle. “Right here, babe. I’m not going anywhere.”
His fingers skimmed over the outside of her thighs then slipped beneath the waistband of her pants. Thank God for yoga pants. The stretchy black material gave way as he yanked it downward, and she shimmied her hips free. They landed on the floor with a whisper, but his eyes never left her.
Clad only in her underwear, she shifted under the scrutiny. “What?”
His intense stare was broken by a single blink. “You’re so beautiful.”
Her cheeks heated, the compliment warming her to the tips of her toes.
She’d never been considered beautiful. As tall as most men, she was lean and willowy, resembling a teenage boy more than the mature woman she was.
She lacked the curves other women seemed to have in abundance, and she’d agonized over her nonexistent breasts for years.
Scott had told her more than once it didn’t matter to him, but she’d caught him ogling women with huge boobs more than once when they were out at bars and restaurants.
Turned out it had mattered more than he’d let on.
Libby had a perfect pair of lab-manufactured double-Ds, something she was sure he very much appreciated.
She gave a shaky laugh. “I think you might be biased.”
“Not even a little.” He brushed a strand of hair from her face with such care it nearly undid her. “I’ve thought that since the day we met.”
Her breath caught.
“Do you know how hard it’s been staying away from you this past year?”
She stared up at him, her chest tightening.
“But I kept my distance. I told myself wanting you didn’t matter.” His thumb brushed gently along her cheekbone. “Nothing’s stopping me now.”
Emotion swelled so suddenly in her chest she could barely breathe around it.
Carter leaned down and kissed her slowly, tenderly, as though he had all the time in the world.
There was no urgency in it—only warmth, affection, and months of restrained longing finally set free.
Audrey melted beneath the touch, her hands curling against his shirt as the ache she’d carried for so long began to loosen.
For once, she stopped thinking. Stopped worrying. Stopped running.
She simply let herself be loved.
And as Carter kissed her again, whispering her name like something precious, Audrey allowed herself to be swept away by the bliss of it.