“How old are you?”
“Nineteen. Why? How old are you?”
“Twenty-four.”
“Are you going to kiss me or not?”
“Yes. Yes, I am.” Geez. Five minutes into the tour and she’s already breaking me down.
“Well, get on with it, Crosby. You’re hot and I’m freezing.”
I don’t question anything for another second. I just go for it. The good things in my life have happened to me when I take chances that seem to appear out of nowhere. I’m not about to let this chance get away from me.
She’s freezing when I wrap my arms around her, closing in on her. First I warm her ears, cheeks and nose with my breath. I expect her to laugh, but she doesn’t. When our lips meet, the kiss has the warming effect of piping hot cocoa, with melted marshmallow sweetness on her lips.
She shivers in my arms. Abruptly, I pull her closer against me and she emits a small sigh. The sound of it, just knowing I’m capable of provoking a nonverbal noise from her, makes my chest expand.
I back her into the warmth of the kitchen and shut the door behind us. Sassy follows us inside and I don’t care.
Ridley’s soft, silky lips tasting me back provokes me to tease her with my tongue. With an excited breath, she opens to me.
Tasting her mouth heightens all my senses. My skin absorbs the softness of her cashmere wrap. The sounds of our kisses and sighs make my mouth demand more. Her soft feminine scent spikes my arousal.
When we break the kiss, she whispers, “I wasn’t expecting today to go like this.”
I suck my lips into my mouth, savoring the taste of her on them. “If I had known such a woman would be assigned the job of keeping me company over her winter break, I would have packed more than just nerd tee-shirts in my suitcase. I would have dressed up a bit more.”
She smiles at me, but there’s something beautiful and sad about it. I don’t have time to ask about it because her mouth is on me again, this time with more urgency. Something I said sparked something appreciative inside her on a deeper level, but I can’t imagine why. Surely she is worshipped everywhere she goes.
Her hands rest on my chest and travel up to my neck to stroke my hair. Every new sensation compels me to commit her to memory.
A pinging sound from her dress pocket brings her back to earth and she pulls her mouth away from mine. My lips miss her right away.
“That’s my friend Hadley texting me,” she says, out of breath.
My arms remain locked around her, my hands palming her back. “I’m not done. I haven’t tasted that neck yet.”
Ridley paints on a look of sternness, but I don’t miss the truth. She can’t hide the flush of excitement as she pushes away from me.
“Thirsty much?” she asks.
I smile at her while I touch the wetness that her mouth left on my bottom lip. I rub it in with the pad of my thumb. “Yep. Now run along and tell all your friends about the geek who gave you the best damn kiss of your life.”
She narrows her eyes at me while I slowly back away, my hands running over my chest and abs. “I’ll let you finish all this later.”
4
Ridley
How dare that huge geek act like such a cocky ass?
But seriously, though. He earned it.
I mean…that kiss. It was a kiss that made me forget all other kisses. How could I even compare?
Being held in those strong arms, his full lips on me, feeling those criminally long eyelashes brush against my cheek, while the faintest of low moans escaping his throat—it was heaven.
When our faces separated, I nearly let him see how hot that kiss made me. Can’t let that happen. He’s just a guy like all the others. Right?