Instant Gratification
Page 43
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He said more of his loaded nothing. She put on a steri-strip, then straightened and sighed. “Okay, listen. There’s nothing going on between me and Spencer. At least not in the way you’re thinking.”
His eyes cut to hers. “Not that it matters, but your definition of nothing is interesting, considering I saw you playing tonsil hockey with him.”
“You saw him kissing me. He was proving a point.” At his raised brow, she raised one of her own. “That our chemistry is no longer there. How did you get hurt?”
He lifted a shoulder.
“Let me guess. You went to Moody’s and once again got beat up by three women?”
A corner of his mouth quirked, and he let out a breath. “I helped TJ on a climb, and as it turns out, our client is an idiot.”
“You should probably try harder to weed those out in the selection process.”
“We do try, but sometimes they get past us.”
“Huh.”
He slid her a look. “Hey, even you have to treat the ass**les of the world.”
“Yes, but I don’t have to put my life into their hands. What happened?”
“We were roped together and he screwed up on a grip. Kicked me in the head as he fell. He’s lucky that I have fast reflexes and caught him anyway, or we’d both be bleeding. Or dead.”
She stared at him. With those surfer boy good looks and that throwaway charm he exuded in spades, she kept forgetting how easy it was to underestimate him.
She’d underestimated him.
Because no matter how much he looked like a slacker, he was nowhere close. “I’m really not sleeping with Spencer, Stone.”
“Anymore.”
“Anymore,” she agreed. “I’m not sure why I feel the need to tell you this, but it’s the truth. And, as long as I’m opening a vein, I’ll tell you I haven’t had sex in nine months.”
“Long time.”
“At about the six month mark I stopped missing it.”
“How is that even possible?”
“I’m a girl. We aren’t programmed to think about sex 24/7 like guys do.”
“We don’t think about it 24/7. It’s 20/7, max.”
She smiled wryly. “I keep telling myself it’s not nearly as good as I remember it.”
He tugged her down to the couch with him. Those broad shoulders of his blocked out most of the light. His eyes were very dark. “It would be with me.”
Oh boy.
He shifted closer, then closer still. “Tell me one more time why you were kissing Spencer.”
“To see if there was a spark.”
His hands settled on her arms as he slowly but inexorably pulled her up against him.
He looked at her mouth, his eyes heavy and sleepy, and she shivered, anticipation racing down her spine, branching out into all her good parts, of which there were many more than she remembered.
Way more.
She could feel his hard chest against hers, the easy strength in him as he held her. He was still looking at her mouth as he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, like it was taking no effort at all to hold her, but plenty of effort to hold himself back. “Do you feel a spark now?” he asked silkily.
If she felt any more sparks, she’d burst into flame.
Chapter 15
Stone absorbed the bone-melting sensation of Emma’s arms winding their way around his neck. “Do you, Emma? Feel a spark?”
She pressed even closer, letting out a hum of desire that went straight to his head. And parts south. Far south.
“It’s too soon to tell,” she murmured in his ear.
“Liar.”
“Okay, fair enough.” Her lips were brushing his earlobe with every word, and he was hard as a rock. “I think…I think I feel an entire set of fireworks.”
“Good.” He nodded, definitely feeling the same fireworks. He’d nearly made those fireworks work for him the last time they’d been alone together, when she’d nearly given it all up for him. Nearly…nearly…and then TJ had shown up and he’d been shit out of luck. Suddenly, he had hopes that tonight would end better. “Let’s make sure.”
“How—”
Which is all he let her get out before he leaned over her, pressing her back down, down, down to the couch. Towering over her, he looked into those fathomless eyes, letting the anticipation drum between them before bending low to kiss her.
Together they sank further into his comfortably worn couch as she opened her mouth for him, gently sliding her tongue to his. Oh, God, yeah, that worked, and he tightened his hands on her, apparently the universal sign for more, please, because with a little gasp of breath, she made room for him between her legs and arched up to rock against him. “You sure yet?” he asked as the both of them panted for more.
She blinked up at him, lips wet, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I lost all track of our conversation.”
With a ragged exhale, he pressed his forehead to hers. Pressed up against him, she undulated her hips against the hard-on he’d had since she’d driven up to the lodge. “Okay, it’s definitely safe to say I’m sure I feel something,” she murmured.
With a low laugh, he pressed the “something” up against her. “Not what I meant, Em.”
“I feel it.” She cupped his face. “It’s been so long that I almost didn’t recognize it, but I feel it.” She touched his hair, his jaw, nothing but a touch, and he nearly melted on the spot. It’d been awhile for him too, at least awhile since he’d felt so moved. As in earth rocking, foundation slipping, dizzy from the emotions moved. He was still trying to gather his wits when she whispered his name in a low, shaky voice that said she was with him on this. Unnerved, unsure, but with him.
His eyes cut to hers. “Not that it matters, but your definition of nothing is interesting, considering I saw you playing tonsil hockey with him.”
“You saw him kissing me. He was proving a point.” At his raised brow, she raised one of her own. “That our chemistry is no longer there. How did you get hurt?”
He lifted a shoulder.
“Let me guess. You went to Moody’s and once again got beat up by three women?”
A corner of his mouth quirked, and he let out a breath. “I helped TJ on a climb, and as it turns out, our client is an idiot.”
“You should probably try harder to weed those out in the selection process.”
“We do try, but sometimes they get past us.”
“Huh.”
He slid her a look. “Hey, even you have to treat the ass**les of the world.”
“Yes, but I don’t have to put my life into their hands. What happened?”
“We were roped together and he screwed up on a grip. Kicked me in the head as he fell. He’s lucky that I have fast reflexes and caught him anyway, or we’d both be bleeding. Or dead.”
She stared at him. With those surfer boy good looks and that throwaway charm he exuded in spades, she kept forgetting how easy it was to underestimate him.
She’d underestimated him.
Because no matter how much he looked like a slacker, he was nowhere close. “I’m really not sleeping with Spencer, Stone.”
“Anymore.”
“Anymore,” she agreed. “I’m not sure why I feel the need to tell you this, but it’s the truth. And, as long as I’m opening a vein, I’ll tell you I haven’t had sex in nine months.”
“Long time.”
“At about the six month mark I stopped missing it.”
“How is that even possible?”
“I’m a girl. We aren’t programmed to think about sex 24/7 like guys do.”
“We don’t think about it 24/7. It’s 20/7, max.”
She smiled wryly. “I keep telling myself it’s not nearly as good as I remember it.”
He tugged her down to the couch with him. Those broad shoulders of his blocked out most of the light. His eyes were very dark. “It would be with me.”
Oh boy.
He shifted closer, then closer still. “Tell me one more time why you were kissing Spencer.”
“To see if there was a spark.”
His hands settled on her arms as he slowly but inexorably pulled her up against him.
He looked at her mouth, his eyes heavy and sleepy, and she shivered, anticipation racing down her spine, branching out into all her good parts, of which there were many more than she remembered.
Way more.
She could feel his hard chest against hers, the easy strength in him as he held her. He was still looking at her mouth as he dragged his teeth over his bottom lip, like it was taking no effort at all to hold her, but plenty of effort to hold himself back. “Do you feel a spark now?” he asked silkily.
If she felt any more sparks, she’d burst into flame.
Chapter 15
Stone absorbed the bone-melting sensation of Emma’s arms winding their way around his neck. “Do you, Emma? Feel a spark?”
She pressed even closer, letting out a hum of desire that went straight to his head. And parts south. Far south.
“It’s too soon to tell,” she murmured in his ear.
“Liar.”
“Okay, fair enough.” Her lips were brushing his earlobe with every word, and he was hard as a rock. “I think…I think I feel an entire set of fireworks.”
“Good.” He nodded, definitely feeling the same fireworks. He’d nearly made those fireworks work for him the last time they’d been alone together, when she’d nearly given it all up for him. Nearly…nearly…and then TJ had shown up and he’d been shit out of luck. Suddenly, he had hopes that tonight would end better. “Let’s make sure.”
“How—”
Which is all he let her get out before he leaned over her, pressing her back down, down, down to the couch. Towering over her, he looked into those fathomless eyes, letting the anticipation drum between them before bending low to kiss her.
Together they sank further into his comfortably worn couch as she opened her mouth for him, gently sliding her tongue to his. Oh, God, yeah, that worked, and he tightened his hands on her, apparently the universal sign for more, please, because with a little gasp of breath, she made room for him between her legs and arched up to rock against him. “You sure yet?” he asked as the both of them panted for more.
She blinked up at him, lips wet, eyes wide. “I’m sorry. I lost all track of our conversation.”
With a ragged exhale, he pressed his forehead to hers. Pressed up against him, she undulated her hips against the hard-on he’d had since she’d driven up to the lodge. “Okay, it’s definitely safe to say I’m sure I feel something,” she murmured.
With a low laugh, he pressed the “something” up against her. “Not what I meant, Em.”
“I feel it.” She cupped his face. “It’s been so long that I almost didn’t recognize it, but I feel it.” She touched his hair, his jaw, nothing but a touch, and he nearly melted on the spot. It’d been awhile for him too, at least awhile since he’d felt so moved. As in earth rocking, foundation slipping, dizzy from the emotions moved. He was still trying to gather his wits when she whispered his name in a low, shaky voice that said she was with him on this. Unnerved, unsure, but with him.
