Excerpt
That was when it was time to make his move. He let the confident feeling surge through his veins, and he stepped closer to her, close enough to touch her. “That’s not the main reason why I came back here, though.” He waited a few seconds to let his words register with her and then he said, “We have a little unfinished business.”
She seemed so innocent in that moment. “We do?”
Yes, innocent maybe, but not unwilling. He leaned over and took her face in his hands, lifting her lips to his. He kissed her, as gently as he could allow himself to, but, goddamn, it was difficult. He’d been imagining this moment for months now, and he wanted her badly. Way too badly. Fuck. He should have jerked off in the shower, because controlling himself was going to be harder than usual. Would losing his load have helped? He didn’t know, but he had to stop thinking about that right now.
It was hard, though, because she tasted so sweet, and her response was just as he’d imagined. She parted her lips and took him in. Yeah, she was willing and eager, and all that did was fuel his fire. She was feeling it too, that weird attraction between them igniting into something bigger than he’d expected, something he knew he’d be lucky to control. Still…he kept his breathing (and his cock) under control for the meantime and ended the kiss. Oh, fuck. And she placed her hands on his pecs as though to steady herself. It took her a few seconds to open her eyes, as though she’d been transported. When he had her full attention, he said, “Unfinished, right?”
She gave him a tiny smile, sweet and naïve, and seemed to give the tiniest of nods. Well, she wasn’t pushing him away. In fact, she seemed breathless and expectant. He wasn’t going to disappoint her, so he kissed her again, and he would have sworn it was magic. Okay, so he never would have said something like that to one of his friends. Ethan would have called him a pussy if he’d even known Brad had been thinking something like that. But it was, though—it was more than just a kiss. It felt like they deepened their connection in that moment, like he could see inside her soul and, yes, she was pure and light and everything he could ever want.
He knew her response was a sign to move forward, so he wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close. Fuckin’ A. She smelled so goddamn good and felt so right up next to him. She moved her hands onto his neck and then slid them up into his hair, driving him insane. Jesus…he wanted to fuck her right there, but he knew a girl like Val would need finesse. And he wanted to give that to her. He wanted her to know she wasn’t just a cheap lay for him. Still, he wanted to move the proceedings forward, so he slid his hands down to her ass, using it as an excuse to press her harder into his body.
And her fingers in his hair. Shit. She was driving him fucking crazy.
Her breathing got deeper, so he knew he was on the right track. He couldn’t hold it back anymore and just let the blood flow straight to his cock…like he’d be able to stop it anyway. He moved his lips to her neck and not only did she let out a sigh, he could have sworn he heard a moan. Fuck, yeah. He didn’t know that a girl had ever done that before they’d actually engaged in the real deal. He moved a hand up underneath her shirt, feeling the bare skin above her jeans, and he heard her breathing quicken again.
It was then, though, that she took a hand out of his hair and placed it firmly on his chest. No. Fuck, no. If he was reading her right, she was putting on the brakes.
“Brad…please stop.”
He opened his eyes and looked in hers. “Stop?”
“Yeah.”
Why was she changing her mind? Was that really what she wanted? He had to try one more time. He kissed her again. Yeah, there were those sparks. Could she deny them? “Stop that?”
She blinked. “Yes.”
“You don’t seem so sure…” He pressed his forehead on hers and bore into her eyes with his. He wanted to understand. “What’s wrong?”
She moved both hands to his chest. She wasn’t pressing against him as if to push him away, but they seemed to ground her. “I…It’s not you, Brad. Oh, God, it’s not you. I swear. I want you bad.”
That’s what he’d thought. “So why not? If you’re worried about birth control…” He wasn’t going to be irresponsible. She had to know that.
She hesitated. “No. I’m…um… I’m a…”
“Virgin?” He knew it even before she nodded her head. “Oh.” He nodded too as if to process the information. “Oh. Yeah. Uh…your first time should be…special, right? At least, for girls. I didn’t give much of a shit.” He didn’t know how to do that for her, not right now, anyway. He was nearly out of his mind with desire, and she was pulling the plug. He needed a bathtub of ice water to jump in. She giggled and, in spite of his feelings of desperation, he found it endearing. But then it dawned on him. Fuck. He had to know. As much as it was gonna hurt, he needed to know. Her eyes all but said it, but he needed to confirm it. “That’s not it, though. It’s Ethan, isn’t it? You still care about him.” She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. It was written all over her face…
USA Today Bestselling Author Laurelin Paige is a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Mad Men and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by the wonderful Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.
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