The Virgin’s Guide to Misbehaving (Bluebonnet #4)(25)
Author: Jessica Clare

That was a mistake. Oh, sweet lord, the man didn’t have an ounce of fat on him, did he? She could practically feel lines of muscle under her fingertips, and she wanted to jerk her hand away, because her body was responding to that small touch as if it were starving. Her br**sts ached and felt tight, and her pulse felt as if it were throbbing right between her legs.

And his hand kept right on stroking through her hair, his fingers tangling and dragging through in a repetitive, almost soothing motion.

Something exploded on screen and she jumped a little, surprised at the sound.

He turned toward her, ever so slightly, and his mouth seemed inches away from hers. “You okay?” he murmured.

She nodded against his shoulder. “Just startled me.”

“You enjoying the movie?”

She couldn’t tell him a thing about the movie, but she was enjoying being here in the bed with him. It was terrifying and wonderful all at once, and yet she couldn’t stop wishing for a lightning storm that would short out the TV and make him pay attention to her.

So she only nodded.

Rome’s hand tugged on her hair again, then released it slowly, and it slid through his fingers. “I love this.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “You do?”

“I do. It’s like silk.” His thumb rubbed on her hair, and she wished, oh she wished that it was rubbing on her body instead. “I keep imagining this falling all over me when we have sex.”

Elise sucked in a breath. She pictured it, her leaning over him, her hair spilling over her shoulder and brushing against his tattooed skin. Her pulse thrummed in response.

His face tilted toward hers again, and their mouths were close. “I keep picturing us ha**ng s*x a lot, you know. Do you?”

No words formed in her mouth. She wasn’t sure what to say—or even if there was a breath of air left in her body. She’d been picturing sex the entire time they’d been sitting here on this bed, but she wasn’t brave enough to tell him that. A small whimper escaped her throat instead, and her face colored with embarrassment at the sound.

“Is that a yes, baby?” His big body shifted, and he turned toward her, his focus suddenly on her like she’d been hoping for all night. His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb stroked over the corner of her mouth. “Is that a yes that’s too shy to come out of your mouth? You been thinking about sex with me?”

Her lips trembled, and her gaze flicked from his eyes to his mouth. Words. I need words. But there were no words in her throat. She felt curiously tense, like she’d shatter—or burst into tears—at the slightest movement, and that was silly. But her entire body was on edge.

So she just watched him, her heart in her throat, hope and fear and longing in her eyes.

Rome’s hand smoothed down the side of her face, his gaze focused on her. “I think you do and you’re too shy to admit it.”

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, letting her body speak for her. Letting it show the aching need inside her.

The lightest brush of a kiss pressed against her mouth, and the sleek metal of his lip ring scraped along her lip.

Elise moaned in response, her mouth parting under his as he began to gently kiss her with soft, sweet presses of his lips against hers. His tongue flicked against her open mouth, and she whimpered again, this time the sound thick with need.

“Sweet Elise,” he murmured, and his hand tangled in her hair, dragging her head back just a little. Then she felt his mouth press harder on her own, and his tongue slicked deep inside.

Then he was kissing her, wet and thorough, like she’d dreamed about, like she’d anticipated ever since she’d seen him pull up on his motorcycle in front of the Peppermint House earlier that day. Like he was devouring her with all the need and urgency that she felt beating a pace through her body. He tasted like beer and she should have been repulsed by it, but she was fascinated, instead. And when his tongue flicked against hers in a playful swipe, she responded with her own.

And this time, Rome groaned, his lips moving against hers as he spoke. “God damn. Kissing you is like falling into madness, isn’t it? It’s like you push away my brain with every little flick of that sweet tongue of yours, until I have nothing left in my head.”

She didn’t want talk, though; she wanted more kissing. More deep, wet, hot kisses that made her forget about everything in the world outside of Rome’s mouth. Her tongue pressed experimentally against his lip, and she felt the metal of his piercing, so she licked at it, instead. She wanted to lick all of him, all over.

He shifted against her, and then she heard the click of a remote, and the TV went silent.

Elise’s eyes opened in surprise. “M-m-movie?” she stammered against his mouth.

“Fuck the movie,” he murmured, his beautiful face inches from her own. “I just put it on to relax you. I wanted to jump you as soon as I got you through this door.”

He did? A gratified surge tore through her, and she reached for him, sliding her hand over his flat belly again. She really liked touching him.

Rome groaned again, and slid down slightly in the bed, and his mouth was kissing hers again, his hands pressing her down so she’d lie in the bed beside him, and she did. She felt him toss the pillow to the floor, the thump of it on the ground barely registering in her consciousness.

And then they were curled on the bed together, mouths locked, and nothing was between them any longer.

It was pure, delicious bliss. His mouth claimed hers, each kiss hungrier than the last. Rome’s kisses were fierce and demanding, until she was gasping for breath and her body felt like liquid hunger. She wanted more, more, more. Her hands curled against his undershirt as they kissed, and she wanted to stroke them all over his body, but didn’t know when—or if—he’d let her.

All she knew was that she never wanted this to end.

His fingers massaged her scalp, stroking and kneading as he kissed her. Then he paused, his forehead pressing to hers. “Can I touch you, Elise?”

She shuddered. “Please,” she whispered. She wanted his touch so badly.

His fingers stroked down her face, her cheek, her jaw. Over and over, he touched her as she closed her eyes and willed herself to calmly breathe in and out, like a normal person would. Then he leaned in and gave her nose a small kiss. “Lie on your back for me.”

She did, her gaze moving over him, his big body next to hers. His eyes were sleepy with desire, that blue turning a darker, smoky color, his lashes thick and gorgeous. She could drown in those eyes.