“Come on, baby,” he urged, then flicked his tongue over her clit. Quickly, precisely, knowing exactly what it would take to make her explode.
But the orgasm remained elusive, rippling beneath the surface, skipping across her skin in teasing little flames, refusing to catch fire. She was gasping for air, clutching Seth’s hair so tightly she was surprised he didn’t protest.
So close. She was so close. All she needed was—that. Seth pushing two fingers inside her and wrapping his lips solidly around her clit. He sucked, and she climaxed, soaring into a spectacular plane where nothing but sheer ecstasy existed.
“Well?”
She emerged from her blissful daze to find Seth eyeing her expectantly. “Well what?” she wheezed, still catching her breath.
“You think the Fourth of July has any chance of topping that?”
“Not at all,” she confessed.
He gave her one last lick, and her sex was so sensitized she squirmed out of reach. Chuckling, Seth put her panties back on, tugged her skirt down and wiped his face with the back of his hand.
Miranda moaned when she noticed that his facial hair glistened with her juices. God, that was hot.
“You okay?” he asked gruffly.
“Not really. I can’t move my legs and I totally don’t want to go back to work.”
“I don’t blame you. Hey, if you want, I can stick around until closing time.” Something that resembled vulnerability crossed his face. “There was something I wanted to talk to you about, actually.”
“I won’t have time to talk tonight. I have to wake up early tomorrow. Morning classes, remember?”
“Ah. Right.”
“Talk to me now. We’ve still got some time.”
That odd expression fluttered in his eyes again. “Um. Okay, sure.”
Miranda flopped on the couch and waited. And waited. And waited some more. But Seth was just standing there, fidgeting, running a hand over his stubble, through his hair, behind his neck.
She started to get up. “Well, this has been thought-provoking, but—”
“I want to date you.”
Miranda’s ass plopped right back down. “What?”
“I want to date you.” His chest rose as he inhaled a deep breath.
“Seth…”
She had no clue what to say to that. No clue what to make of the little burst of joy that tickled her heart. Why was she happy, for Pete’s sake? Last time she’d considered letting the fling evolve into more, Seth had burst that bubble with four little words—they’re not my kids.
“No, just hear me out.” Misery clung to his voice, and it took her a second to fathom that the weird flicker in his eyes? It really was vulnerability. Wow. Who would have thought?
Seth sat beside her, resting his elbows on his knees and looking completely ill at ease. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted at the pizza place. Your children are great, Miranda. They’re smart, thoughtful, cute as hell. I’m just not fully comfortable with them.”
He was echoing the same words Ginny and Andre had said in the studio, and Miranda didn’t hear a trace of insincerity.
“I also have this thing…about disappointing people, I guess.” His voice was so thick and gravelly he sounded like he’d just smoked thirty cigarettes in a row. “I don’t like letting people down. I’ve disappointed a lot of people, especially my mom, and a part of me shuts down whenever I get too close to someone because I know that in the end, I’ll end up disappointing them.”
Her heart squeezed painfully. The ravaged look in his gray eyes stole her breath, made her reach for his hand and grip it tightly.
“Hey, I’m sure that’s not true,” she murmured. “And whatever you think you did, you could never let Missy down. That woman adores you.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. “I guess.” He didn’t sound too convinced of that. “So yeah, those are just my bullshit insecurities. But see, with you, I don’t shut down. With you, I always feel like I’m stripped bare. I hate it, but at the same time, I’m okay with it. I want you to know me. I want you to be with me.”
Her breath caught. “Seth…” She trailed off. Didn’t know how to finish, how to formulate a response.
“I don’t like seeing you walk out the door right after we sleep together. I miss everything we were doing last month. Eating breakfast, washing dishes, cuddling in bed. I miss it and I want it back. So I’m making you a promise, right here and now—give me a chance, and I swear I’ll make an effort. I’ll be nicer to the rugr—to Jason and Sophie. I’ll be patient, I’ll be attentive and I’ll be accepting of the fact that if I’m going to be a part of your life, then I need to be a part of theirs.”
He finished with the most endearing little shrug she’d ever seen.
Miranda was at a total loss for words. If someone had told her Seth would be reciting a speech like that, vowing to accept her children, she would’ve laughed them right out of San Diego. But here he was, nothing but honesty shining in those sexy gray eyes. He meant it. He actually meant every word he said.