“You can and you will,” he cut me off, trailing a line down my shin with his fingertips. His entire body was angled toward mine.
I barely restrained myself from rolling my eyes. “But I want to make sure you can handle mine.”
Those swamp-colored eyes seemed to swallow me whole. His fingers went over my calf, squeezing the muscle lightly. His big hand kneaded my calf again. “There is nothing I’m not willing to do for you.”
I was suddenly so thankful I’d put on one of my nicer dressy shorts instead of jeans. I shivered, arching my back without even realizing it. He was the one that made my chest tighten. The person whose face both seemed to be able to make me scream in anger, and within days make me feel like I was living a dream.
“Sal,” he drawled in a low rumble, sucking me out of my quiet admiration. His hand crawled back up my leg and onto my thigh, slowly slinking up the material of my shorts to caress the skin there. Kulti squeezed the meaty, muscular part of my hamstring before shifting me forward on the seat so that his fingers could slide even deeper into the confines of my bottoms.
I hissed when the tips of his fingers grazed my bare ass, dipping under the damp cotton of my underwear. “Rey, wait.”
“No,” he said, toying with the band. “I’ve waited long enough.”
“Your driver can hear us,” I whispered, way too self-conscious about the man sitting three feet away.
He let out a grunt that I took as acceptance until his mouth covered mine, a deep groan rattled in his chest. Hot wet lips grazed over my parted ones as he gripped my leg tightly. It was endless. His full mouth was the Pacific Ocean; it was huge and dark and wide and so, so easy to get lost in. The little pleased noises he was making sucked me out into his ocean even deeper.
He pulled away for a minute, swiping his hot tongue over my lip. He moved his hand to grip the width of my thigh, pulling my legs apart. “He has headphones in,” he said against my skin, pressing those perfect, straight white teeth into my skin. Kulti dragged his teeth over the curve of my jaw and the column of my throat, where he paused and bit gently.
I sucked in a breath and jerked away just a little, conscious of the driver who seemed to be minding his own business, but… “Rey, I showered early this morning. I probably smell.”
Rey took a quick inhale that had me break out in a shiver, the tip of his nose a brush on my neck. “You don’t.” I would have sworn the tip of his tongue touched my skin.
Oh my.
My hips shifted forward in the seat on their own, searching for his hand, for his groin, anything and everything, while he moved down to bite where my neck and shoulder met. “I need you, Sal.”
Jesus Christ. Jesus freaking Christ. I couldn’t help but eye the driver.
Rey nipped at my earlobe. “He can’t hear.” The hand that had been on top of my thigh slid up and under my shorts so fast, I didn’t even get a chance to mentally prepare myself for the thumb brushing over the seam of my body through my underwear. His mouth covered mine again, sucking my bottom lip between his as his finger grazed over the material covering my clit. Rey made a noise in his throat as he slipped one of his fingers under my panties to graze against my lips with the back of his digit. He did it once, twice, three times. I knew I was turned on, really turned on despite being self-conscious about our location.
He brushed over my lower lips one last time, sliding his finger out of my underwear. Gaze on mine, Rey brought his fingers to his mouth. Those brown-green eyes were locked on me as he licked his index and middle finger slowly. A smile crept across his face. “I’m going to need another taste.” He licked his fingers once more.
I was going to go into cardiac arrest.
The car pulled into my driveway, and the second it was in park, Rey put my clothes back into place right before he linked his fingers through mine and pulled me out of the car. My keys were handed over for him to unlock the door. We’d barely gone inside when he leaned down to fuse his soft lips to mine, kissing me gently. He towered over me. His hands gripped my hips loosely, thumbs pressing into my bones.
“I want you,” he murmured against my mouth. “More than I have ever wanted anything…” He kissed the edge of my lips. “Are you sure you want this?” he asked, pressing his lips to my neck again.
Was I sure I was a woman? Or that I liked sunny days and chocolate-covered strawberries?
I arched against him. “I’m positive.”
“Yes? You understand what you’re getting yourself into?” He gave my neck a light bite that had me shaking in his arms.
Did I understand that nothing would ever be the same? That I was probably giving up my privacy and life as I knew it if this—us—didn’t burst into flames?
Yeah, I knew. But I knew that I loved him, and I didn’t give my heart away willingly. Like he’d said, life had worked to bring us to this point. Why should I start counting down the days now?
Most importantly I knew he’d done all the things I would ever want from someone I loved. He protected me, supported me, he was giving, and he worked hard. He was loyal. You don’t throw away something like that even if it isn’t perfect and effortless. As cheesy as it was, the best things in life aren’t easy or cheap. I didn’t eat fast food because I knew I could go home and make a nutritious meal instead. I could have used cardio as my only exercise, but I wanted my body to be in the best shape possible, so I did a variety of different exercises. Why wouldn’t love be the same way?
“I know, Rey,” I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders.
He straightened up and gave me the most intense look I would ever witness. “This is not temporary.”
Oh hell.
Some people don’t find possessiveness attractive. My last boyfriend had been the most trusting, even-tempered guy I would ever meet. But the words coming out of Rey’s mouth… It was like I was signing part of myself away to this man who claimed everything and nothing.