I never got to say the last word. Patrick’s hand shot between us, and the world spun sideways. He clutched my jacket as we stepped around one another, and the door slammed into my back.
A huff of surprise and impact left my lungs, but it didn’t go far. My breath, warm and misty, went right into Patrick’s mouth as he slammed his lips against mine.
I didn’t remember to close my eyes.
I didn’t remember to keep breathing.
Pinned against the door, trapped in Patrick’s grip, I parted my lips and felt him. I felt all of him. His lips dragging over my mouth, his body rubbing against mine, his leg pushing in between my legs to feel my devastatingly hard cock, and his tongue venturing between my lips. As he exhaled through his nose, mist rose between our heated faces, but I was barely aware of it. All I knew was that a guy had just kissed me and that it was hotter and infinitely more furious than I had imagined in my wildest fantasies.
My chest trembled and my knees clicked, but he held me against the door, kissing me for what felt like an eternity, except that only a heartbeat or two had passed. And when he pulled his head back and opened his eyes, they weren’t icy at all. “Is this what you want?” he asked.
“If you…”
“No,” Patrick said in a softer voice. “I’m asking whatyouwant.” He held me in place just the same, even as he stepped back. His hand remained on my chest, although his gaze alone would have kept me nailed to the door. “You think I was teasing you just to take it away? Okay. And what were you doing, Shane? ’Cause every time I thought you wanted me, you shut down, but you carried out your little experiment anyway. Talk about teasing.”
“Patrick, I’m sorry,” I said.
“Sure. But you owe me an answer,” he said. “This…do you want it? Or is it just a test?”
“It’s not a test,” I said.
“Say the words,” he said. His voice had gone from quiet anger to an irresistible temptation.
I reached for his jacket, pulling him toward me, groping and struggling to keep my fingers from trembling. “I want it,” I said, desperation far louder than I’d hoped. “It’s all I think about. You’re all I think about, Patrick.”
Patrick took an easy step toward me, but instead of kissing me again, I heard the distinct sound of the key sliding into the lock and turning. The door opened behind my back, and a spark of mischief lit up Patrick’s face. “The house is empty,” he said, a combination of excitement and naughtiness painting his voice the most irresistible colors.
His hand dropped from my chest and grabbed my hand, yanking me into the house as he hurried before me. My heartbeat was the only thing I heard as he stumbled and raced up the stairs and into our room.
Patrick flicked on only some of the lights, a pro doing what he did best, but I froze as the door of our bedroom closed. “Er, I…”
“Don’t tell me you’re changing your mind,” Patrick said, his chest heaving as he ripped his jacket off and let it fall on the floor.
“No,” I assured him. “It’s not that. I…I need to…” I looked at the bathroom. “Can you wait a minute?”
I could see the realization light up behind his eyes. It was almost like relief to some degree. “Oh,” he said, and his mouth formed the shape of that sound. He laughed. “Of course. Take your time.”
And I did. I wasn’t risking a freaking accident on my first try, especially not with Patrick.With Patrick, I thought, my heart fluttering like a newborn butterfly on its first flight. I couldn’t believe it. I had stepped through the looking glass and into a realm of the impossible.
When I put my clothes on and took a few steps toward the bathroom door, my heart seemed to beat in my throat, and I closed my eyes. There was a chance I would step out there and find Patrick fiddling with his phone, looking at me awkwardly and apologizing for changing his mind. Hell, he might not even be there. I didn’t know how long I’d been in the bathroom; I just knew I’d seen him naked before, and if my hunch was right, I needed to be ready.
Whatever was out there, I had to stay calm.
I opened the door, light and steam pouring into the bedroom, and my eyes almost popped out with shock. Every empty surface, every scrap of table or nightstand, was covered with candles, their wild scents of orange, cinnamon, rose, apple, leather, chocolate, and vanilla filling the room until it felt like walking through a tangible thickness of scents.
Patrick stood in the far corner of the room, arms crossed on his chest, chin high, and gaze sharp. “It’s all the candles I could find,” he said.
I looked around again. “It’s about a million more than I’d expected.”
He bit his lower lip hard and let his arms drop to his sides. He still wore his black shirt, a few top buttons undone for a roguish look, light cream pants tight on his muscled legs, chest rising high with each breath. “You didn’t…change your mind, did you?”
I wanted to laugh, but only a nervous breath escaped me. I shook my head. “No, I didn’t.”
Those three words gave him confidence. I could see that each step closer was firmer, more decisive, until he stopped a pace away from me. It was like he had walked away from a shadow of doubts and stood before me with nothing but decision. His gaze scanned me slowly, and I tucked my hands into my pockets, not sure if I needed to do something to move this along.
“You’re already hard,” Patrick said, his voice a little cheeky.
I snorted. “Are you trying to embarrass me?”
