Taryn laughed, but Shaw set the microphone aside and caught her chin in his hand. He dipped down and kissed her like no one was watching, nearly knocking his borrowed hat off his head.
A whistle of appreciation came from the audience, and Kaleb came back on the stage. “Well, folks. I’m not sure who’s going to top that. Let’s hear it for Lucas and Jamez!”
Shaw was still looking at her with hunger in his eyes, and she had to take a breath before she could speak. She lowered her microphone. “You should probably let me go now.”
“I…cannot at this moment. We need to wait for the lights to go off.”
Her lips parted, and she forced herself not to look down. Man, she wanted to look down. But her body was at least safely blocking him from the crowd. “You realize I will never ever let you live it down that you got turned on by a Dolly song.”
The hand on her waist flexed. “Professor, this has nothing to do with Dolly.”
The spotlights dimmed and she stepped closer, gasping when the steel length of his erection brushed against her thigh. She wet her lips. “Sha…Lucas.”
“Yes.”
“This whole plan about taking it slow…”
“Yeah?”
“Is really overrated.”
“Epically.”
They hurried down the steps on the side of the darkened stage, almost tripping over each other in their haste. Shaw pulled off the cowboy hat and tossed it on a nearby table. They were out the door in a flash. This time when they crossed the street, they didn’t bother waiting for the walk signal.
Chapter
Seventeen
Taryn’s back hit Shaw’s front door with enough force to rattle it. Now that they’d decided to do this, it was as if neither of them could tolerate one more millisecond of not touching each other. Shaw kissed the curve of her neck, his hand cradling the back of her head, as the other hand fumbled for his keys.
The hallway was empty, but the security camera tucked into the corner stared back at Taryn, silently judging her lack of decorum. Someone would get quite a show if they watched any of the footage. Right now, she couldn’t find it in herself to care. She groaned as Shaw’s teeth grazed her collarbone, and her nipples hardened in anticipation of him moving lower. Her fingers threaded in his hair, that thick, silky hair. She closed her eyes. “We need to get inside.”
“Yes. Inside,” he said between kisses. “Inside is good.”
He finally got hold of the key and jammed it into the lock next to her hip. The door released behind her, making her stumble backward, but he banded an arm around her, keeping her upright. Once they’d crossed the threshold, Shaw kicked the door shut behind them. The apartment was cool and dark, but Taryn’s skin was burning all over. Never before had she felt so desperate to get naked with someone. It felt like end-of-the-world urgency. Like this was the last sex she’d ever get to have, and the clock was ticking. Aliens were descending. Killer viruses had been released. Go! Go! Go!
“Shaw,” she panted, the plea in her voice borderline embarrassing.
“Light. We need light. I want to see you,” he said, breaking away briefly. He hit some switches, making the lamps come on. Her chest heaved with urgent breaths as her eyes adjusted to the sudden light. When he turned back to her, the need on his face made every female part of her light up and report for duty. His gaze tracked over her without shame. “God, you’re gorgeous.”
She smiled, basking in that look of pure want he was sending her way. “Back at you, cowboy.”
He laughed and gathered her to him. “Now, that is something I’ve definitely never been called.”
He slid his hands down to her backside, pulling her against him, letting her feel the hard heat of him and how much he wanted her. Her inner muscles tightened, aching. But Shaw didn’t go back to kissing her. His gaze searched her eyes. “Tell me you want this. Tell me I’m not rushing you. Tell me you’re not drunk.”
“Want it. Not rushing. Not drunk. Have wanted this since I met you.”
“But now you know who I am. I need to know you’re really okay with this,” he said, holding her close. “Tell me you’re okay, Taryn. When you wake up tomorrow, it’s going to be with me. Not Lucas. Not your trainer. Not a random date. Me.”
She cupped his jaw, the words pinging through her. “I know. I’m okay. I want this, and I want you.”
&n
bsp; He closed his eyes and released a breath. “Thank God.”
With that, he slid his hands to her waist and pulled her sweater over her head. When he looked down at her lace-edged bra, he made a guttural sound deep in his throat. “Fuck. Look at you. I want to taste every sweet part of you and then go back for seconds.”