I shouldn’t have felt so much as a hint of sorrow over his promise, but the finality hit me harder than I expected. This was what I wanted. Needed.
Then why did it feel as if something inside me had died?
“Now that that’s settled, can I finally kiss you as Julia?”
Smiling, I hoisted myself onto my toes, wrapping my arms around his neck. “I’d really like that.”
When his mouth touched mine in a soft kiss, I exhaled, all the tension and unease leaving me. He brought both hands to my face, holding me close, our kiss tender and inviting at first. Then he deepened the exchange, coaxing my lips to part.
This wasn’t the first time I was treated to one of his kisses. Hell, over the last twenty-four hours, I’d enjoyed more of them than I could possibly count.
But without the façade of pretending to be someone else, it felt like our first kiss all over again. It felt…real. The most real thing I’d experienced in quite a while.
Maybe ever.
Bringing the kiss to an end, he met my eyes. The power within made my stomach come alive with the fluttering of thousands of butterflies, making me feel like I was flying. And that was what being with Lachlan felt like. Like I was flying.
“I like kissing Julia,” he confessed, thumb brushing along my bottom lip.
“And I like kissing Lachlan.” I smiled before my expression fell.
He frowned, eyes tracing over my face in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps I should rethink our agreement. I mean, I like kissing Lachlan.” Flashing him a coy smile, I playfully batted my lashes. “But what if I don’t like the way Lachlan does…other things?”
He looped an arm around my waist, yanking my body against his. When he circled his hips, his length pressing against my stomach, a rush of excitement shot through me.
Minutes ago, I was convinced he was only interested in me because I could give him the information his sister had been after.
But as I peered at the heat in his gaze, I had no doubt I couldn’t have been more wrong about his motives.
This man wanted me.
And, my god, I wanted him in more ways than I thought possible after only knowing him a matter of days.
It should have petrified me.
But I wasn’t going to allow it to. I was going to put myself first. Live in the moment until our story came to an end.
And it would end.
It had to.
“Trust me, beautiful,” he crooned, wrapping his hand around my throat, making my gaze meet his, the possessiveness mixed with tenderness in his hold exactly what I craved. “I will endeavor to ensure that Lachlan pleases you just as much, if not more, than the man you were with last night. If you’re agreeable, I’d like to start now. I think eight would do the trick.”
“Eight?” I arched a brow, heart hammering at the lust radiating off him as his intense stare traveled down my dress-clad body.
“Yes, Julia. If my calculations are correct, and they usually are, Chris gave you seven orgasms last night. It’s only fair Lachlan surpasses that number. After all, I’m known for being rather competitive.” He moved his hips, his arousal teasing me in the most scintillating of ways. “What do you say? Does that sound like something you’d be interested in?”
I nibbled on his bottom lip. “I have a feeling I’m really going to like Lachlan.”
“I hope so, Julia. I really bloody hope so.”