Bad Romeo (Starcrossed #1)(66)
Author: Leisa Rayven

He hugs me again, and I sigh.

“Ready for that kiss yet?” he asks as his arms tighten.

“Not yet.”

He runs his nose along my throat and inhales. “Just checking.”

Six Years Earlier
Westchester, New York
The Grove
The Diary of Cassie Taylor

Dear Diary,

It’s been nearly two weeks since Holt and I officially decided to become non-official, and in that time I’ve experienced more sexual frustration than I’m sure any human was meant to endure.

We’ve shared the occasional kiss-and-grope session when he’s walked me back to my apartment after class, but that’s it. If I didn’t occasionally catch him looking at me like he wanted to make a three-course meal out of my boobs, I’d never know he actually liked me.

My problem is I’m sure everyone can tell I really like him. I laugh too loudly at his jokes and sit too close to him in class. His demonic sexual voodoo has kicked into overdrive, and I can’t get enough of him.

It doesn’t help that I’ve had some highly erotic dreams about him recently. Dreams in which I get to see what he’s been hiding in his pants. Subsequently, my allotted porn-viewing time has been extreme. I’ve watched countless film clips about how to pleasure a man, and although I’m pretty nervous about putting my pseudo-knowledge into practice, I really want to.

He’s coming over tonight so we can study for our History of Theater quiz tomorrow. I want to seduce him, but I’m not really sure what seduction entails. I guess I have two hours to figure something out.

“Name the six most famous ancient Greek playwrights,” he says, all sexy voice and glorious eyes.

“Um … okay. Ancient Greek playwrights. Uh … just give me second.”

I tap my pencil on my notebook as I try to remember the answer. He’s watching me as he sits cross-legged, leaning back against the couch. His crotch is foremost in my line of sight.

There’s no way in the world I can concentrate while he’s basically flaunting his penis in front of me. What the hell is he thinking?

I huff and squeeze my eyes shut. “Um … Ancient Greek guys … ah—”

“Come on, Taylor, you know this.”

“I know, but”—you’re distracting me with your possibly beautiful man member—”my brain’s tired. We’ve been studying for two hours.”

I open my eyes. He’s staring at me, and a familiar heat emanates from him.

“When we’ve finished with the ancients, we’ll take a break. Okay?”

There’s a slight sheen of moisture on his lip. I can’t look away.

“When we break, will you let me kiss you?”

He pauses and tries not to smile. “Maybe.”

“Grope you?”

“Possibly.”

“See your penis?”

His eyes bug out of his head, and he chokes on his own saliva. “What the hell, Cassie?!”

Okay. Seduction fail. Time for plan B.

“Please?” Did I mention plan B was flat-out begging?

He laughs and runs his hand through his hair. “I’ll say one thing for you, Taylor. I never know what’s going to come out of your mouth.”

I desperately want to say something about what I’d like to go into it, but I figure I’ve already freaked him out enough.

“Okay, how about a challenge, then?” I sit up onto my knees. He looks at me quizzically. “For every answer I get right about the ancients, I get to take off a piece of your clothing.”

He laughs again, but this time it’s tinged with mild hysteria. “And if you get questions wrong?”

“Then you get to take my clothes off.”

He looks at me before dropping his gaze to the floor. “I thought we agreed to take things slowly.”

“We did, and we are,” I say and take his hand. “Holt, the only thing going slower than the two of us right now is a glacier in New Zealand, and quite frankly, it’s gaining.” I look down at his fingers and stroke them. “I just … I want to touch you. Would it really be so bad if I did?”

He squeezes my fingers. “You do realize it’s usually the guy who pressures the girl into getting naked, right? I mean, you’re kind of usurping my manly duties here.”

My heart pounds faster as I see how large his pupils have become. “Then pressure me.”

He stares at me with an expression of disbelief.

“Nothing about this scares you, does it?” he asks quietly.

I almost laugh. “Of course it does. It terrifies me. You terrify me. But not enough to make me think you won’t be worth it.”

His gaze is intense. “You think I’m worth it?”

I nod. “I have no doubt.”

He swallows. “That’s the sexiest goddamn thing anyone’s ever said to me.”

In a second, he pushes me onto the floor. He kisses me hard, and as he presses his weight into me, I part my legs for him. As we connect, he buries his hands in my hair and makes my favorite groaning sound in his chest.

“If we flunk this test tomorrow,” he says between panting and kissing my neck, “it’s going to be your fault. You know that, right?”

I kiss him deeply then push him over so he’s on his back. I straddle his thighs and grip the collar of his shirt. “Oh, please. We can so do this and keep studying. Uh … the six most famous ancient Greek playwrights.” I flick open his shirt button. “Thespis.”

“Aeschylus.” The second button goes.

I pull fabric aside so I can kiss his chest. He grabs my hips and squeezes as he pushes his crotch up into me.

“Keep going,” he murmurs, and I don’t know if he’s talking about my mouth or the Greeks.

“Number three would be … Sophocles.” I open another button and continue to kiss him; his skin is crazy-warm and soft under my lips. “Four is … um … Euripides.” I open the last button and pull open his shirt before kissing a trail down his stomach. He lets go of my hips and digs his fingers into the carpet. “And five is…” The muscles in his stomach tense as I kiss them. “Uh … five is…” I lick his abs.

“God … Cassie.”

“Nope. Not ‘God’ or ‘Cassie.’ I’m thinking it starts with an ‘A.’”

I kiss back up to his nipple. I have no idea if men’s nipples are as sensitive as women’s, but I kiss it anyway. He arches his back and swears so loudly the neighbors probably heard it.