Charlie was certain her eyes widened as he leaned closer, taking his time, making sure. Half of her was a jittery mess of nerves and the other half wished he’d hurry the hell up already, but she made herself be patient. To wait, to let him take the lead. If things hadn’t gone hinky last night, this was where they might have ended up, after all.
He closed the final distance between them and her eyelids drifted closed as his mouth touched hers for the first time.
His lips were soft, warm, and tasted like coffee and nutmeg and something that was just him. He nudged subtly, prompting her to deepen the kiss, and she did, somewhat shyly but enjoying the slow sweetness of it. One of his hands reached around to cup the back of her head, controlling the contact in a way she wholly approved of. She liked how he took charge of the kiss without forcing anything. Hesitantly she reached out and placed her palm on his chest in silent approval.
“Mmm,” he murmured against her lips, the vibration of the sound sending ripples of desire through her. “You’re good at that, Charlie.”
“So are you,” she replied, a little bit breathless.
“Should we try it again?” he asked.
There was no way she could say no. The combination of suggestion and teasing was impossible to resist.
This time she leaned forward and slid into the kiss, hungering for more. She put her hands on his shoulders and shifted until she was sitting across his lap, her fingers sliding through his hair as the contact deepened and quickened with urgency.
Chapter Five
God, she was sweet, soft and pliant beneath his hands.
Dave forced himself to go slowly, even though his blood was raging and his desire for her was burning hot. There was something about Charlie that was fragile. Something that made him want to take his time. For the first time in years, he worried about being careful with a woman.
She was so beautiful today, so approachable in her soft yoga pants and fleecy hoodie. Testing, he slid his hand beneath the waistband of the sweatshirt and touched the silky skin of her belly, gliding upward until he encountered the satin fabric of her bra. He cupped her small breast in his hand, the point of it pressing against his palm and he reminded himself to not hurry. Even if he did want to. Desperately.
Instead he focused on kissing her, thoroughly, until his mind was clouded with only her.
“We probably shouldn’t do this,” she murmured.
“I know,” he answered, closing his eyes and letting the sensations fill him completely. He kissed her again. She tasted so good. Like rich butter and smooth chocolate and woman.
Panting, she broke the kiss and leaned away a little. “I need to stop.”
He did as she asked, even though it damn near killed him. He pulled the hoodie back down and rested his forehead on her shoulder, working on regaining his senses.
Her breath came hard and fast. That and the crackling of the fire were the only sounds in the room for several seconds.
“Wow,” she finally breathed. He took it as a good sign she didn’t pull away from him. Their legs were still entangled on the rug, though their hands and clothing were all in the right places.
“Wow is right. That’s some good coffee, missus.”
She giggled, and he loved it. It had been too long since he’d made a woman laugh, and the sound warmed him from the inside out.
“I don’t know if it was the caffeine, the sugar rush, or just you,” she said softly. Her hand stroked at his hair and he kept his eyes closed, loving the feel of it. “But that was … unexpected.”
“Not for me,” he admitted. “I’ve wanted to do that since you nearly threw that doll at me the other day.”
She did slide away then, sitting all the way up. He rested his elbows on his knees and grinned up at her surprised face.
“You did?” she asked.
“Do you honestly think I would have gone to that caroling nonsense otherwise?”
The look on her face was priceless. She looked so … pleased with herself. Dave had the sneaking suspicion she had no idea how attractive she was right at this moment. Even in an oversized hoodie with her lip gloss thoroughly kissed off. Especially then.
“You are very good for my self-esteem,” she admitted.
“And you’re good for my self-control,” he replied, and then chuckled. “Don’t mind me if I don’t thank you for it.”
She tugged at the hem of her hoodie. “I, uh … help me out here. Is there a way to transition from this gracefully?”
And then he laughed. He couldn’t help it. Neither one of them was particularly smooth, were they? And he liked that about her. A lot. She seemed incapable of playing games. That was damned refreshing.
“I’m no good at this either,” he admitted. “It’s probably really bad form to talk about exes at this particular moment, but it’s been a while since I had to navigate…” He paused, scrambling for the right word. “Dating,” he finished, not sure if that was the right choice or not, but relationships seemed premature.
“You guys were together a long time?”