Chapter 16
The kiss was soft, achingly sweet. Full of promises of what could come. His kiss invited me to lean in. His hands cupped my face as his lips moved against mine, tasting me as if I were a delicate treat.
The muscles in his shoulders flexed, and I felt the restraint in his body as he pulled away. He inched back. But I was having none of it. I threaded my fingers through his hair and pressed my body against his.
Beckett hesitated for a heartbeat before his arms locked around me, and his mouth crashed down on mine.
His tongue dipped into my mouth, and heat flooded my body. Stars exploded behind my eyes.
This kiss had been building in my head since I’d first laid eyes on Beckett. I’d thought about him endlessly, and now that his mouth was finally on mine, I wasn’t letting him go.
My arms tightened around his neck as I pressed into his chest. His tongue coaxed mine into a wet, sensual dance, at which he was an expert. Every rational thought flew from my mind as he slanted his head, deepening the kiss from passionate to all-consuming.
Need raced through me, and I ground my hips against his. He groaned and pulled me closer.
The cold metal of Beckett’s desk bit into my hip when he backed me against it. He swept me off my feet and deposited me on top of the desk. My body ignited as Beckett pinned me to the desk, kissing me with unrestrained passion.
Hooking my legs around his hips, I pressed against him and felt the hard length of his erection. Beckett’s moan filled my mouth. I clung to his neck, aching to get closer.
He leaned over me, pushing me back until I was lying flat on his desk. Something sharp jabbed into my back, but I barely felt the bite of pain as Beckett’s mouth ravaged mine.
It didn’t surprise me to know the man could kiss. Beckett did everything thoroughly, and he kissed me breathless.
I was panting by the time he released me. He backed off me, gently helping me sit up.
He came to stand between my legs and cupped my face in his hands. His eyes went soft behind his fogged glasses. “Forgive me.”
“For what?”
“I just attacked you.” He brushed a thumb over my bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”
I kissed his thumb, swirling my tongue around the tip. “I’m not.”
His eyes blazed, and he traced the seam of my mouth with his thumb. His jaw tightened. “You’ve had a hell of a time.” A muscle in his cheek flexed. “I shouldn’t have touched you.”
“I kissed you.” I hooked my leg around him, scooting closer along the cold metal desk. “I’ve wanted to for weeks.”
His eyes turned smoky. “This isn’t how I planned it.”
“You don’t have to plan everything.”
“I wanted to take you out on a date, prove to you that romance exists outside the world of books.”
My chest tightened. “I don’t….” I was going to say I didn’t want that. I didn’t need that. I didn’t believe in love. What I wanted was more of Beckett. More of his lips on mine, wreaking havoc on my senses. “I…”
His mouth hovered over mine, then lowered to nibble at my bottom lip. He kissed me with an aching tenderness. He tasted of the wine he’d been drinking, the cigar he’d been puffing, and a darker, spicier taste that was all his own.
The chemistry that had been zinging between us since the minute we met caught fire. This kiss was what I’d been waiting for ever since I’d cracked open my first romance novel.
A flash of fire roared to life in my belly, then spread lower, electrifying me.
This kiss was going to end me.
But it was just the beginning.
My hands slid from Beckett’s neck to flatten against his chest. I felt the hard planes and ridges of his muscles beneath the cashmere of his sweater. His taste flooded my senses, seducing me to open wider, to let him inside places I’d thought were locked forever.
He cupped the back of my neck. “Is that a yes?”
