“But what?”
“Honestly?” She tapped her tongue piercing against her teeth as she summoned the words she didn’t want to admit. “I’m scared.”
Kynan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they’d gone dark with regret. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Gem. I want to make it up to you. I know this won’t do it, but it’s a start.” He patted the blanket. “Please.”
Her mind screamed that this was a mistake, but still, she sank down on the blanket next to him and kicked off her Crocs. God, she was easy.
He poured two glasses of sparkling juice and handed one to her. “I don’t want you kissing that guy.”
“That isn’t your call.” She sipped from the glass, her tongue piercing making a little clink against the edge.
“I know.” Kynan pulled a tin from inside the basket. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to use every trick in the book to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He opened the tin, and she grinned.
“Chocolate-covered oranges. My favorite. How did you know?”
“Tayla.” He removed one from its gold foil cup and held it to Gem’s lips. “Bite.”
She did, nearly letting out a moan at the exquisite sweetness. He watched her, a slow smile curving his lips, his eyes darkening dangerously.
“That’s good,” he murmured. “Enjoy it.” He used the bitten end to trace her lips, the wet, cool stroke of the fruit a strangely erotic sensation over her suddenly hot flesh. “Lick the juice.”
He drew the orange slice away and watched as she used her tongue to swipe the liquid from her lips. His gaze was focused, half-lidded, and blazing with heat. Wow. This was power. He might be giving the orders, but she was working him up too, and they hadn’t even touched.
“Another bite,” he said, his voice lower and rougher than it had been a moment before.
Holding his gaze, she sank her teeth into the orange, noted the slight hitch in his breath as she sucked on the juicy bite. She chewed, swallowed, but didn’t have time to lick her lips because his mouth was on hers and he was doing it for her.
Sighing, she opened up for him and hooked her hand around the back of his neck. His tongue penetrated, meeting hers, and just like that, the sensual teasing turned to erotic, demanding play.
As her body sparked to life, she dug her nails into his skin, drawing a hiss from him. “You kill me, Gem,” he said against her lips. “You have since that night.…”
She knew the night. It was burned into her memory, because he’d given her the first orgasm she’d ever had with a guy. And then he’d pretty much kicked her out of his apartment.
“You didn’t want to be with me.”
“I didn’t want to be with anyone. Not after what Lori did to me.” He gripped her hips and hauled her up against him. “I was an idiot.”
“I won’t argue that.” She scored his neck with her nails and enjoyed the way he bared his teeth. “Now, make it up to me.”
He had her flat on her back in an instant, his thigh between hers, his mouth doing wicked things to the sensitive skin of her throat. “You’re so soft, Gem.” He slid his hands beneath her scrub top and up her rib cage. “So gorgeous.”
Arching her back, she spread her legs to cradle him between them until she felt the hard ridge of his erection against her core. She nearly panted at the sensation, especially when he began a slow grind that caught her in exactly the right place. She could come like this, knew it for a fact, because the night he’d mentioned had been much like this, and she’d flown apart while he watched.
Shoving aside the bittersweet memory, she ran her hands down his back, reveling in the flex and roll of the muscles under her palms. His hands played lightly on her ribs and belly, but they didn’t stray, remaining tamely centered. Totally rated PG when she wanted R. Or triple X.
A low, rumbling noise came from deep in his chest, the purr of a male in need, and her body responded instinctively, going utterly wet between her legs.
“Christ, you make me hot. So hot I can’t think.” He shifted his weight and took her face in his hands, pressed his forehead to hers. “I want to make love to you.”
Her breath left in a rush. “I… oh, God, I want that, too.”
“But not here. Not now.”
She blinked. “Say again?”
“I want to do it slow and right. With a bed, and I want to spend all night doing it.” He kissed her, just a light brush of the lips, and she wondered where he got his self-control, because she was ready to strip them both of their clothes and ride him hard. “All the other times, I was drunk or angry or jealous. I don’t want it to be like that again.”