Backinginto him, she wiggled her ass against his crotch, making him strain against hisfly, making him ache. His blood blazed. She spun and pulled his head down tohers, and he let her. Her plump lips curved up and skimmed his, her warm,delicious bourbon breath caressing his mouth. “Is it midnight yet?”
Herlips teased him, feathering over his while she fixed half-lidded, molten eyeson his. The seduction was spellbinding. Paralyzing. This was new for him. Stuckwhere he stood, he was poised to scatter willpower to the ceiling and let itfall with the rest of the New Year’s Eve debris. In the background, voicescounted down. “Three, two, one!”
Asblowers and poppers and horns exploded, his mouth descended on hers.
Herfull lips parted for him like the soft petals of a flower, and he took hermouth gently, tasting first her bottom lip then her top. She slid her hands uphis chest, over his shoulders. The tip of her tongue touched his, luring himin. In a heart-pounding second, the burners ignited, and his tongue plunged in,eager to explore and stake its claim. The taste of her made him dizzy. Hewanted to plunder her mouth, to kiss her lips swollen, to take more. To take itall.
Onehand holding the back of her head, the other ran over her small waist, her hip,and cupped a handful of her bottom. He snugged her close. Her grip tightened,and she let out a breathy moan as she rocked slowly against him, nearly undoinghim. People were hooting and screaming all around them while confetti andstreamers rained down, but it was as though they were in another room, anotherworld.
Sheuncoupled her mouth from his and kissed his jaw hungrily, moving down his neck,sucking, running the tip of her tongue against his skin. God, he wanted thatmouth everywhere. The only thing he wanted more was her naked body under his.He trailed open-mouthed kisses over her throat, flicking his tongue over herskin, tasting her, his rapid inhales echoing hers. Digging her fingers into hisshoulders, tugging his hair, she breathed his name.
“Beckett.”
Itsounded like a plea, and he froze. Her words tumbled through his head. Notbefore the divorce is final. I couldn’t stand the guilt.
Thosewords battled with his: I want her. Here. Now. Mine.
Wherehe found a last meager thread of self-control, he had little idea. But hesnatched at it, reluctantly retracting his mouth from her velvety skin. Hewatched her face as she opened her eyes. Was that puzzlement shimmering there?Hurt?
He heldher to him to avoid looking at her; he would be lost if he did. “I’m going totake you back to the room so you can sleep this off, okay?” he whispered. Shestiffened, then gave the barest of nods against his chest.
Shetottered when he untangled his limbs from hers, so he held her up as they wovetheir way back to the suite. Inside, he eased her into an armchair and pulledconfetti from her hair, fighting the urge to weave his fingers in the silkystrands.
“Andie,will you be all right by yourself for a while?”
“Whereare you going?”
“Ah, Iwas invited to join Hammacher’s high rollers for poker and cigars.”
Her baffledexpression hardened into a glare. “Yeah, sure,” she grumbled.
Heplaced a soft kiss on her cheek. “Happy New Year, Andie.” He felt her eyesfollowing him, and he paused at the door for one long, last look beforesnapping it closed and sprinting to the stairs, getting as far away from her ashe could.
.~ * * * ~.
Paige stared at the door. What. The. Hell?
She’dbeen floating in a lovely, fuzzy bubble where she’d been smoldering withanticipation, but Beckett’s flight had jettisoned her and landed her ass-firston granite. A shocking landing, to be sure.
“Whybother asking for permission? Jerk! Stay out the whole damn night,” she barkedat nobody. She reminded herself of an old fishwife.
She hadno claim on him; no one had a claim on Beckett Miller. And she’d told him she’dallow no claim on her either. But that was before he’d kissed hersenseless. Good Lord, every nerve still quivered and tingled. It was a wonderher legs hadn’t melted like microwaved butter. He’d rendered her a brainless,spineless mass with lips. She’d never been kissed like that: as if he weresailing away on a whaling expedition for three years; as if he would never kissanother woman again in his life; as if every part of him wanted every part ofher and would die if he didn’t have her. Was that his everyday kiss? Did herock everyone’s world that way? Obviously, she hadn’t had the same effect onhim as he’d had on her. The thought he’d left her side to kiss someone else,that he was rushing to someone else’s arms, nearly gutted her.
“He’sdoing you a favor,” her muzzy inner voice chided.
With anenormous exhale, she marched to her bedroom, yanked out her silky slip and longjohns, and surveyed each before resigning herself to waffle-weave. She changedand crawled between the sheets. She drummed her fingers on her tummy. And gotup to scrub her face. She texted Gwenn a Happy New Year wish. Back under thecovers, she jumped up again and brushed her teeth. Then again to pull on socks.She eyeballed the slip, dismissing it once more. Minutes later, she clamberedout of bed to pee. And checked her phone.
Whereis he?
Whogives a flying fig!
Shepiled and punched pillows, snapped on her bedside lamp, and stared at theluxurious canopy above her head. She turned on her e-reader and scanned aparagraph, three paragraphs, a page. What had she just read? What book was sheeven reading? The e-reader was tossed aside in favor of the remote, but herchannel surfing was futile. Nothing distracted her.
Forwhat seemed the entire night—but wasn’t a fourth as long, as verified by herfrequent peeks at her phone—she huffed and puffed and rolled around in bed. Noposition was comfortable for longer than two minutes. When she heard the maindoor
