“I’m coming,” she croaked, her voice hoarse.
“Good girl.”
Like normal, he kept his hand in the small of her back as they walked, but she wanted him to slip it lower. She wanted to feel his strong fingers cup her buttocks possessively, reminding her of his threat.
Like normal, he took her somewhere new, a little café on the viaduct she hadn’t been to before, guided her to a table. Pulled out her chair, seated her. Sat opposite her. The perfect gentleman. He smiled at her mysteriously. She licked her lips.
A gentleman doesn’t threaten to spank his lady, her argumentative inner voice insisted. And you’re not his lady, it pointed out. Telling her inner voice to go away, she placed her handbag on the floor at her feet. Picked up her menu. Avoided his gaze. Tried to breathe evenly. Tried to pretend everything was perfectly normal and nothing had changed at all. But the truth was everything had changed. Their relationship wasn’t innocent anymore. Now they were more than just colleagues. Even though nothing had happened, and nothing will happen! her sensible inner mind insisted, everything had changed.
He had threatened to spank her.
And she wanted him to do it.
The table was small. Too small. They were down the back of the café, in a dark, intimate, cosy corner, and the air around them was electric. Sparks bounced off the walls surrounding them on three sides and all Jilly could think of was his presence.
When the waiter came and took their orders and their menu barriers between them were gone, the table felt even smaller. She didn’t even have to reach out her hands to touch his that were resting in front of him on the table and when their fingers briefly brushed, her skin tingled, sending prickles all the way up her arm.
He smiled, a little half-smile that lit up his eyes and leaned across the table, capturing her face in his hands, one big palm cupping each cheek, his thumb stroking across her mouth, making the butterflies inside her take flight.
She couldn’t breathe, his presence was too intense. Slowly, so slowly, he leaned forward even further, pulling her closer to him, and pressed his mouth to hers, his chapped lips kissing her softly at first then greedily, hungrily, claiming her mouth with bruising force. Her lips parted, letting in his tongue, and she returned the kiss as fireworks and sirens went off inside her and the world exploded around her.
She was dazed, completely consumed by him. His hands slid back further, his fingers tangling in her hair, tugging gently. This was incredible!
Her heart pounded, her hands trembled, her legs felt like jelly as he slowly broke the kiss, released his hold on her, pulled away from her.
Jilly couldn’t stop smiling. She’d never been kissed like that before. Not even close. No other kiss had sent her topsy-turvy, confused, unable to even remember her name.
So much for nothing will happen! She squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable, embarrassed, excited, at the reality of what had just happened. Despite swearing off men, and insisting she wanted to do nothing but look, Matthew had kissed her. And she had kissed him back. And she had liked it! She wouldn’t mind doing it again, given the opportunity.
* * *
Matthew reached under the table and adjusted his cock in his pants. Kissing Jilly had been a bad idea. He’d enjoyed it—and she had too, if her reaction was anything to go by—but the timing was all wrong. He had a trial coming up. He needed to be focused on that. He owed it to his client to give this case his full attention. Instead, he’d kissed her. Claimed her. Made her his. Or started to, anyway. He didn’t do casual relationships. Once he’d kissed a woman, staked his claim on her, she was his.
A quick glance across the tiny table told him that Jilly was as affected by their kiss as he was. Her breathing was quick, ragged, her face was still flushed. Her lips were still parted slightly, as though she hadn’t quite realised the kiss was over. She jumped slightly as the waiter put their food on the table and her eyes widened. It had been good for her, then. So good, she was still there, in the clouds, with him.
He watched, amused, as she shook her head, bringing herself back down to reality. He couldn’t tear his eyes away as she bit her lip, that sweet, swollen lower lip that had been so responsive to his.
She smiled at the waiter, thanked him. Fuck, she was beautiful when she smiled! He stifled a groan. The more time he spent with her, the more he was attracted to her, but she was a distraction he didn’t need.
Was that regret that flashed in her eyes? Or was he just imagining it? The brief flash was so quick he couldn’t be sure. But as the waiter walked away, the atmosphere between them definitely changed. There was an awkwardness between them now, like a boundary had been crossed that shouldn’t have been.
They ate in silence.
He couldn’t relax. Not now. Not when she was so close, yet so far away. Physically, he only had to straighten his arm and his hand would rest on hers. But emotionally, there was a barrier between them now that hadn’t been there before.
Good one, Stevenson, his cynical inner voice scolded. You’ve screwed it up again.
Last time, it had taken more than a single kiss to scare off the woman he was interested in, but he’d scared her off all the same. Most women ran when they learned what he wanted. They called him a freak, a pedo, and worse. They didn’t
