Beckett. Beckett. Beckett.
He grabbed his glasses from the floor and rose to tower over me. My hands trailed from his shoulders to his chest where I felt his heat radiating under the soft cotton of his shirt.
“Beckett…” I gave in to the overwhelming need to say his name.
I realized it was one of the few words I’d spoken since I’d walked into his bedroom. And now, I had to go. I’d only come to pick up Aslan. It didn’t feel right to leave after what he’d just done, but Aslan was waiting.
I dropped my hands from his chest.
“I have to go,” I told him, pulling up my jeans. My panties were ruined, lying on the floor at our feet.
What he’d done with his mouth shouldn’t have been possible. He’d done things—and made me feel things—that I’d only read about. I knew now that it was actually possible to see stars. A whole galaxy of them.
I dropped my hands to the front of his chest, then lower… over his belt, and then along the zipper of his pants. Beckett froze as I flattened my palm over the hard length of him. He sucked in a sharp breath.
“I didn’t do that for anything in return,” he said, voice full of gravel. “I just wanted to. I needed to.”
“I know.” I squeezed his impressive length, eager to drive him as crazy as he’d driven me.
Beckett inched away from my exploring hand. “There’s nothing I want better than to do exactly what you’re thinking.” His words faded into a growl as I reached for him again. He grabbed my hand, trapping it between us. “But, not now. I won’t rush this with you.”
“We didn’t get a chance to talk before…”
He squinted down at me, eyes hot and soft at the same time. “Before I made you come on my tongue?”
My cheeks burned at the image. “I’m not ready for this.”
His eyebrows drew together. “I told you we would take it slow. We have time.”
“I’m not talking about sex,” I said. “I’m talking about us. What if we don’t have time? I don’t even know where I will be in a few months. My lease is almost up.”
Taking my shoulders in his hands, Beckett gently separated us. His eyes found mine, probing deeply behind the lenses of his glasses. “You’re thinking of moving?”
I nodded. My throat ached. “It’s what I do.”
Beckett’s jaw clenched. “It doesn’t have to be.”
My chest ached, and my blood ran cold. I didn’t let myself get attached to people. I usually took off long before I got anywhere near this close. “It’s the only way I know.” I could barely push the words through my tight throat.
Beckett wrapped me in his arms and rested his chin on top of my head. I resisted for a single heartbeat and then melted into him, linking my arms around his waist. “We can find a new way.”
“We haven’t even started yet. It’s easier this way.”
Beckett curled his hand around my low ponytail and tugged until I looked up and met his eyes. “We started the moment we met.” His voice was steady, confident, and sure. A touch arrogant. He bent his head and kissed me. I tasted myself, and my body thrummed with desire. He thrust his magic tongue against mine, kissing me until we were both breathless.
“Beckett…” I pulled back.
“We can talk more tonight,” he said. “I’ve got meetings all afternoon, so it might be late.”
“I don’t want anything fancy,” I said. “No limos. No sleighs. No barns with five-star restaurants.”
“You have a lot of rules.” He smiled down at me, making those dimples pop. If I’d been wearing panties, they’d be soaked.
He tugged my hair again, and I turned my face up for one last kiss. My head and other parts of my body seemed to be at war. My head was losing, especially when he dipped his tongue between my lips.
Chapter 26
The Carolina blue sky stretched for miles without a cloud. If only my mind was that clear. I walked through the park in a daze, letting the dogs pull me wherever they liked. I didn’t hear the laughter or smell the blooming crocuses. I didn’t notice the bikers whizzing past or the chill in the air.
