My body was still heated—flaming hot—as we stood in line. The tingle of my lips reminded me that his had been pressed to mine, the lingering mint against my tongue, and the recurring whiff of his succulent spicy citrus scent that had rubbed off on me haunted me.
He had touched me, and now my skin crawled to have his touch again.
Desperate.
Wanting.
Needing.
We got our coffee in silence, but I didn’t have the stomach for it anymore. What we’d done had my adrenaline pumping, and I was desiring something else entirely.
We kissed.
And I wanted it.
I wanted more.
We didn’t just kiss—we made out like hormone-driven teenagers.
And it felt so unbelievably good.
It pulled me from my panic, brought me out of my fear, and filled me with a passion I’d never felt before.
The way back up was uneventful, but I noticed the tension in him.
Through my panic, I had seen my own emotions mirrored in his eyes. He was always so confident and put together, but now I was struck by the evidence of his vulnerability. If it wasn’t for his rigid posture, part of me would have questioned if what happened wasn’t just some elaborate act. Even the most cynical parts of my mind couldn’t believe that.
He had needed an anchor as much as I did. It was a truth I could feel.
“About the elevator,” he began the moment we were back in his office, the door behind us closing.
I shook my head and set my coffee down on his desk. “Please, don’t mention it.” Please, oh, please don’t bring up that embarrassment.
Because I knew he wasn’t talking about my anxiety. He was talking about the other thing. The thing that still crawled around my skin.
It was like I was another person, completely overtaken by the electricity that surged through me at his touch. The attraction I’d felt for him was pale to the way my nerves exploded under his hands.
“Don’t mention how hard it made me, or how much I want you?” he asked.
I froze, lips parted, and I couldn’t stop from looking to his waist, my eyes widening at the bulge down his right leg that strained against the fabric. Had he been in that state since then? Was I the only oblivious one?
“I… Wow.” I bit down on my bottom lip as my thighs clenched. Heat pooled deep inside me and an ache began to spread.
“By your reaction, I know I’m not the only one.”
“It is very much not a good idea. Remember how much I hate you?” Though it wasn’t hate anymore. More likely that I hated what he did to me. I hated how much I wanted him.
Especially knowing we could never be more. I didn’t want to just be his plaything.
His lips twitched. “You don’t hate me. Besides, all of that was foreplay.”
“Arguing is foreplay?”
“With you, it is.”
“You do know you are technically my boss right now, and so that’s just not a good idea,” I argued, hoping it would make him back down. Him cooling off was the only thing that was going to stop us, because I’d already pulled away once and I didn’t think I could do it a second time.
“Right now, or ever?”
“I really want to say ever, but I can’t do it.” He’d worn me down. After his lips had touched mine, I wanted nothing more than to be consumed by him.
“Let me take you to dinner tonight.”
I shook my head. First off, did I even want to entertain the idea of going out with him? Yes, I did. Things had changed between us.
I even knew the answer to the follow up—I wanted to go out with him.
But then second, there was Kinsey. There was no way I’d be able to find a babysitter on such short notice.
“You can’t just ask a woman to dinner the same night.”
“Why not?”
“Preparation and stuff, and this high of making you wait. You are giving off this vibe like you want to pounce on me.”
“Because I do.”
I drew in a ragged breath. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been so overtaken with the fantasy of what it would be like to have a man between my thighs. It’d been so long since I’d had sex, including a good amount of time before my ex-boyfriend and I split.
Suddenly, Thane rounded his desk and stalked toward me. I backed up, my eyes wide, but I didn’t get far when his hands gripped my hips and spun me around, picking me up with ease. He took a few steps, not stopping until my back was pressed against the wall.
“Thane…”
“Tell me you don’t want me.”
“I…”
“Can’t, can you?”
“We shouldn’t.” I was shaking, giving away what I tried to deny. Being surrounded by him crumbled what little resistance I had.
“Liar.”
We were so close we were breathing each other in. The elevator had been a sort of foreplay, turning me on so that when his lips touched mine again, every cell in me exploded.
I gave in. To his touch, to the fire, and to him. I was going to take Lizzie’s advice and fuck him. Maybe then the curiosity would die down and I could concentrate again on what mattered.
His mouth on mine was a euphoric relief that opened my body to him, desperate for more.
A whimper left me when he pulled back.
His dark eyes met mine as his hand moved up the outside of my thigh before shifting to the inside and under my skirt. I drew in a breath, lips parted when his fingers brushed my mound. My nails dug into my palms as he worked his way under the fabric of my thong, pushing it to the side to find the flesh beneath.
My head fell back when he slid between my pussy lips, running up and down my slit.
A groan left him. “So slick.”
I wanted to protest, but I couldn’t. He’d barely touched me, and it was better than I imagined.
“Tease,” I hissed.
His lips twitched, and without warning two fingers slipped inside me. We both let out a groan before his lips found mine. Little bolts of electricity zinged across my chest, the residual heat pooling between my thighs.
My hips jutted forward, pushing his fingers deeper. Lips parted, I kept one hand pressed against the wall, while the other had a death grip on his sleeve as tiny moans slipped from me.
“Everything you dreamed of, baby?” he whispered.
I moved my gaze up until our eyes met. “Is that the best you can do?”
His lips pulled up into a devilish smirk. “I told you…” He pressed his palm against my clit and my back arched, pushing our chests together as I grabbed onto his arms for support. “I like a challenge.”
My mind was relieved of all thought as my head fell back against the wall, every nerve focused on the pleasure. No man had ever touched me with such confidence and strength, and it made me melt into him. Each slide in, each strum against my clit with his thumb had me falling endlessly into a mindless state of pleasure.
Thane had an expert touch. He knew exactly where and how to drive me crazy.
My eyes flew open and my grip on his sleeves tightened when his other hand moved from my waist. Our gazes locked and I was enthralled by the dark, lust-filled heaviness of his eyes. The anticipation grew as his hand inched up, and when the tips of his fingers brushed against my nipple piercings, I heard a low groan.
The feeling was so intense that I struggled for breath. Only stunted little mewls escaped between my lips. He leaned down, his breath hot against my neck before he nipped at my skin.