How did he always get the upper hand? I swallowed hard and my voice came out in a barely audible whisper, “You forget I have a—”
“Boyfriend?” He scoffed. “Yeah, I’ve heard. You forget, I don’t really care. Let me ask you this, where is he, Evangelina? Not a very worthy adversary if you ask me. How can he go weeks on end without seeing you? Hell, I can barely stay away from you now. I’d rather not hear about your poor excuse for a man anymore. You need a real man.” He snaked his hand through the hair at the nape of my neck and inched me close. “One who’s right here. Flesh and blood. Who can take care of you.” He dragged his knuckles along my cheek and scraped his thumb across my bottom lip.
Lost in the weight of his eyes, and the possessiveness of his touch, I fought to tear my gaze from his. Looking down in my lap, I toyed with a thread hanging from my shirt. “I told you . . . He’s away.”
His focus darted from my pouted lip up to my eyes as he analyzed me. A disbelieving humph escaped his lips. Then he backed away, taking his heat with him, and didn’t say anything more.
My fa?ade crumbled into dust around me. He was turning me to putty and somehow could see right through my shields, my lies. Like an intimate little chisel, he was breaking me down piece by piece. I was beginning to worry all that would be left was bare bones. “You promised you’d be good,” I whispered.
His eyes glowed with promise. “Oh, I am good. Make no mistake about that. I’ll be the best you’ll ever have. Rock your world and make you beg for more. And that’s a promise.”
“Stop.” My voice was so small, so meek I could barely hear it in my own ears. If I wanted to be convincing, I was doing a poor job.
He leaned in again. “Make me.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me, Angel. Make me stop.” His lips were so close to mine, a mere hiccup would push them together. The air around us was as thick as a swollen cloud about to combust.
He was right—everything he said. And as much as I should tell him to go to hell and get as far away from him as I could, I couldn’t bear the thought of not being near him. I liked the way he made me feel. For the first time, I felt alive.
I had to get out of here or I would do as he asked because, damn it all to hell, I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Want to watch a movie?” I suddenly blurted.
His head tilted to the side and his brow furrowed, the brisk change in topic catching him off guard. “A movie?”
“Yes, a movie.” I took the brief opportunity to regulate myself.
He contemplated my request for a quiet moment. “Sure, let’s go.” He grinned. “I told you, I’ll take what I can get.”
By the time we reached the hallway in my building, all awkwardness was gone and we were laughing and joking.
“Thanks for the help. If I fail another test, I’m gonna kill myself.”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh please, you’re such a drama queen.”
“Am not!” I swatted at him playfully, but he skillfully dodged me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed a ginormous, skeevy monster dash out from under a door. With its beady eyes and giant wings, it was raging at me, fists flying.
“Ah! Oh my God!” I yelped. Before I could think better of it, I jumped up and wrapped my legs around Blake’s waist, nearly strangling him with my arms. “Kill it, kill it, kill it!”
He secured me by my waist and spun around. In every attempt to keep my eyes on the ferocious beast, my head flew to the right and left as he swirled and whirled, trying to see past me to the ground.
“Calm down, it’s only a water bug, sissy girl,” he said through his laughs.
I didn’t care. “Come on! Get it!” I screamed.
He twisted, maneuvering me on his hips, stomping his foot, trying to extinguish the hideous demon. I shrieked into his chest. My body was jolted and shaken, flying from side to side as Blake danced a jig, thrashing madly.
As the pounding died down, awareness prickled up my body. I suddenly realized the severity of what I’d done. My face was buried in the soft hardness of his chest, feeling his heart beat against my cheek with each rise and fall. My nose taking in the scent that was just . . . Blake. My hands were buried in the hair at the back of his head, and my legs securely wrapped around his . . .
Oh my God!
I could feel his appreciation of me spearing me in my girl parts. The skirt I’d decided to wear did nothing to create a shield against his prodding tip. It tantalized me, teasing me, begging to be set free and touch me without any barriers. Of its own free will, my body opened up to him, welcoming him. Telling him to come inside and take a seat, stay for a cup of tea. The feeling was so strong, I was nervous I’d leave evidence of my own appreciation on his clothes through my thin undergarments.
Feeling him nuzzle his nose on the top of my head, all movement ceased, other than his chest still heaving from exertion. At least, I thought it was still exertion.