I pushed it away. We shared one kiss. One kiss and I was already making plans to move in with the man? That sort of thinking gave women a bad name. “You actually have your own entrance, but for tonight, I thought it’d be easier to come in the front. I didn’t have time to stock your fridge with anything, since, obviously you just booked it. But usually I fill the fridge with half and half, yogurt, eggs, that sort of thing. I can get some for you in the morning.” I unlocked a side door and opened it into the small studio style apartment off the side of my cottage and held the door open as he entered, circling the space: the small kitchenette and the large bathroom that was wheelchair accessible, ifneeded.
“It’s nice,” he said. Then his eyes fell on the stripped bed. “So, uh…sheets?”
Crap. I hadn’t even thought to make up the bed. The dirty sheets were literally in a hamper next to my washer dryer from my previous tenant. I closed my eyes. “Crap on a cracker,” I whispered. “I-um-I might have an extra set of clean sheets in mybedroom.”
I rushed out of the guest house and bounded upstairs to my lofted room and threw open my linen closet, Maisey following at my heels like we were playing the world’s best midnight game. “Maisey, no.Out!”
Even though I sometimes let her sleep in my bed with me, I did not need her getting fur all over whatever clean sheets I hadleft.
Maisey barely registered I had scolded her and instead, she went running out of the room and backdownstairs.
Please, God, please let me have some clean sheets for him. Then again, did it even matter? Back at the inn, he had suggested… no,morethan suggested, that we would spend the night together. My eyes slid to my own bed, still rumpled from last night’ssleep.
“Paige,” his deep voice rumbled behind me and I felt it in the very deepest part of my bones, shivering with the intensity itbrought.
“Um, I’m sure I have an extra set,” I said in a rush. Maybe he changed his mind and didn’t want to sleep together now? Or maybe after, he preferred to go back to his section of the Airbnb for some solo sleep? Oh, god. I was overthinkingthis.
What sort of idiot bed and breakfast ownerdoesn’tkeep extra sheets on hand? Well, to be honest, I do keep them on hand. But it’s off season and the day before Christmas Eve. I didn’t expect to have any tenants until after the New Year and I hadn’t done laundry in a while. The extra sheets were the ones I had slept in last night on my own dang bed rightnow.
“Paige,” he said again, this timefirmer.
“If not, I’ll throw them in the wash right now and in an hour, I’ll have it ready for you. I can make us hot chocolate while you wait, even though I know it’slate—”
I froze as his hot breath hit the back of my neck and sent goosebumps racing down my flesh. “Or, um… tea?” I squeaked. “I could maketea.”
His hand fell to my hip, fingers digging against the leather of my skirt and I whimpered a pitiful sound. Inside, a deep-seeded desire—no,need—for Taylor awakened, and it was taking every ounce of strength I had not to give in. The hard wall of his chest pressed against my back.Why am I resisting this? I want him. He’s here. Flesh and blood and… flesh. I gulped. So much flesh. Muscular flesh. My eyes fluttered closed and I let my head fall back against hischest.
Warm tingles skittered down my spine and I felt my pulse in every part of my body. At the base of my throat, between my legs, even in the swell of my breasts with each heavy breath Itook.
I spun around, turning to face him and his dense lashes lifted, revealing blue eyes so alive with energy that I felt that gaze spiral down my body into the pit of mystomach.
A sudden need to kiss him bulldozed through my chest as his gaze roamed lazily down my body. He curled his fingers tighter around my hips and my body responded in kind, my nipples tightening against the coarse lace of mybra.
I dipped my hand under his shirt and his muscles went immediately taut as he let loose a hiss. “Cold hands,” he whispered with a chuckle. Moving swiftly, he shifted his hands to the back of my neck, gripping me and pulling my mouth to his in a bruisingkiss.
I didn’t think our kisses could get much better. Back in high school, I thought that was the height of passion. And I had been right up until twenty minutes ago back at the inn when he kissed me again. But now, I was realizing, it wasn’t the kissorthe circumstance. It was Taylor.Everykiss with him was like this. Breath stealing, heart pumping, leave me panting kind of kisses. And god, I didn’t know if I could go back to kissing anyone elsenow.
It wasn’t that I was inexperienced. I had kissed other men. I’ve gone to bed with other men. It had just never been this passionate. Before Taylor, kissing was a habitual thing. It was mechanical. Mouths go here. They move around. A tongue slips in. But with Taylor? It was an art form. Unpredictable. He kissed me like his next breath depended on our lipsmeeting.
He backed me toward the bed as I scooped his shirt up and over his head, tossing it onto the floor. Cashmere be damned. He did the same to my shirt and sweater vest, tugging it free and over my head, leaving me panting with the backs of my knees pressed against the edge of thebed.
He peppered my jaw with kisses and left a trail of nibbles and licks down to my breasts, biting my nipple through the lace. I gasped, reaching behind my back and unzipped my skirt. It fell to the floor nearly silent as Taylor stepped back and admiredme.
“Fuck,” he said, devouring me with his hungry gaze. He pushed me gently back on the bed and lowered to his knees in front of me, peeling the nylons from my legs and spreading my thighsapart.
His hot breath slid over my skin and I writhed beneath him, waiting in agony. “You’re gorgeous, Paige. I’ve wanted you for years. Thought about you nonstop since high school. I dreamed of having you spread for me, just likethis.”
Then what are you waiting for, I wanted to scream. But I didn’t. Instead, a trembled breath escaped my lips as he pressed a gentle kiss between my legs. A desperate sound tore from my throat as he sampled me, licking in a long, soft stroke, his tongue sweeping over my clit like hotsilk.
I dove my hands into his wavy, messy hair, gripping him against me. Writhing beneath his mouth as he sped up his movements and slid a finger between my wet, waxed folds. “You’re soaked,” he said, hoarsely, his breath escaping in shallow, erraticpants.
I nod and tugged at him. I wanted his lips on mine. His hard body pressing mine against the soft mattress. He got the hint immediately. With a quick flick of his fingers and push of his hands, his pants wereoff.
Quivers raced down my belly and my core tightened at the sight of him, gloriously naked before me. His erection was long and hard, and my mouth watered at the sight of it pulsing toward me. We were suspended in time, our eyes locked briefly before we each shifted our gaze, scouring each other in mutual admiration. I arched my back, flicking the hooks of my bra and letting the sheer scrap of lace scrape down myshoulders.
My nipples became impossibly harder as they met the cool air of my bedroom and every nerve ending from my neck down sparked from burning embers of desire to a full-on inferno. And just like a wildfire, we were out of control, beyond the point of stopping or tamping down thoseflames.
He lunged for me, laying his body on top of mine. The hard underside of his cock nestled into my wet folds, thrusting up, he ran his length against my clit. I shuddered, my body so ready. He touched his lips to mine, groaning inecstasy.
