No one has ever kissed me like this.
No one.
If this is what a real kiss feels like, I’ve been ripped off my entire life.
Liam doesn’t just kiss. He hijacks my entire body. Those talented fingers of his continue kneading the muscles along my spine, turning my knees to jelly. I cling to him out of necessity. There’s no way I’m capable of standing on my own.
Not now.
Not with his lips pressed to mine.
Not with his tongue probing and exploring, teasing and tempting. His hand flattens against the small of my back, pulling me against the hardness of his body.
And he is hard.
His rigid length presses against my belly, unashamedly aroused and powerful.
Liam will cause serious damage if I don’t find some way to protect myself from his inherent charms. One kiss and he’s already ruined me for other men.
Passion fuels his entire soul.
And holy hell, if this is what Liam’s kiss feels like, what will it feel like when we have sex?
When?
Yes.
I said it.
God willing, if that’s where this leads, I’m more than happy to follow Liam.
Every nerve in my body thrums in anticipation, leaving me wholly unprepared when his mouth releases mine and those lips of his travel to the angle of my jaw.
22
LIAM
Maria’s strung out from everything that’s happened tonight. That tension vibrates in her breath. It pulses in the way she carries her body. She’s so keyed up, she’s forgotten how to act normal. That kind of agitation broadcasts itself to the world.
My job is to turn that negative energy around. Until I do, our mission is a no-go. It’s dangerous for us both; that’s a risk I won’t accept.
So, I kiss her, and holy hell, the woman burns beneath my lips. It’s unexpected and fascinating. Strokes my ego just fine, if I do say so myself.
Christ, her breathy moans are addictive as shit; a mainline of adrenaline shooting through my veins. Maria tastes like heaven, light and fresh, a hint of mint and strawberries. She’s perfection and has no idea how desirable she is to a man like me.
The chemistry between us is a palpable thing, crackling between us, waiting for the right spark to ignite.
Which makes kissing her dangerous.
I can get lost in this woman if I’m not careful.
But Maria isn’t a random hookup.
She’s my job, and my job is to get her to a point where she’s comfortable with me touching her.
She’s a puzzle I get to figure out—a challenge—and I love a good challenge. Put all the pieces in the right places and there’s no doubt in my mind, this woman will turn into a raging inferno beneath my skilled hands, mouth, and cock, if she decides to take things that far.
I’ll lead as far as she lets me, but there’s no way I’ll force something like that. It’s no fun and just plain wrong.
I string a trail of kisses from the corner of her mouth to the angle of her jaw. From there, I nibble on her earlobe before working my way down the gentle curve of her neck. I trace a path to the soft spot at the hollow of her throat. A signature move of mine, it never fails to drive a woman crazy.
“Liam …” The way my name fills her breathy moan is a total turn-on.
My dick takes notice, moving from interested to fully engaged. Meaning, I go from soft to hard in the span of a heartbeat.
“Don’t think too hard, princess. Let it happen.” Unfortunately for my dick, kissing Maria won’t lead to the good stuff. That’s not what this is.
“But …”
I silence her rebuttal by kissing along her collarbone to the corner of her shoulder.
If we were in a club, my nose would be deep in her cleavage by now. My hand would be under her shirt or under her skirt. Considering this isn’t a club, and we’re practically strangers, I’m trying to be a gentleman about this kiss. Damn, if she’s not temptation overload.
I stop at her shoulder, leaving my lips pressed to her skin while she regains control of her breathing. Once she steadies herself, I give one final press of my lips and relinquish the kiss.
“That wasn’t that bad of a kiss, was it?” My goal is to make a dent in her personal armor. Crack it wide open and find a way to slip inside. I not only need her to be comfortable around me, but the more time I spend with her—especially kissing her—the more I want her to enjoy her time with me.
“It was a good kiss.” She breathes the words out on a contented sigh.
“Good? I can’t believe my ears. Just good?” I place my hands over my ears and widen my eyes in mock horror. “I’ve spent decades perfecting that kiss. You wound me. Quick, we need to do that again.”
“You’re a goofball, and decades? How old were you when you started perfecting that kiss? And I doubt there’s anything I can say that can wound you.”
“What about my fragile ego?”
This is good. Banter is good. It’s just what we need.
“Fragile?” Her laughter is a beautiful thing. It dances in the air and brings a smile to my face. “I seriously doubt your ego is that fragile.”
“Well, when my kissing skills are in question, my ego gets a little sensitive.”
“Well, your ego has nothing to worry about. Your kissing is off the charts hot.” She folds her arms over her chest. Normally, that would tell me she’s closed off, but exactly the opposite is happening.
Maria is having fun with me. She’s loosening up. Those crossed arms are a part of the fun.
She mocks me.
I almost want to pump my fist in the air. I’m making progress.
“Whew!” I make a show of wiping fictitious sweat off my brow. “I can rest easy tonight knowing my epic kissing ability met the mark.” I grip her arms, lightly, and pull back a tiny bit. “No slobber, right?” My gaze darts from one sapphire eye to the next. Damn, but those eyes are mesmerizing.
Instead of pinching together, her brows kind of wiggle and her cheeks turn the faintest shade of pink. “No slobber. You did good, Hollywood.”
Definitely making progress.
“Are you saying my epic kissing ability superseded the mark?”
“I’m saying no such thing. The last thing I need is to stroke your ego any more than I just did.”
“I’m not against a little stroking.” A quick glance at my crotch forces her gaze to drop. “Ego or otherwise.”
“No doubt about that.” This time, she props her hands on her hips, loosening up and smiling for the first time. Not a fake smile, but an honest expression of amusement.
“Hey, I’m a guy. It’s not my fault we think about sex every seven seconds.”
“Seven seconds? It’s amazing men have time to do anything else.”
“I should kiss you again.”
It’s a cautious test. The more I can get her to relax around me, the more normal she’ll act when put under pressure. I need her to turn to me for support rather than stand on her own.
“About that kiss.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Decades of perfection?” She arches a brow, questioning me. “You had to be a fetus when you started.”
“Maybe I’m older than I look?”