Chapter 1

 

 

Theo Malone’s tongue should be registered as a lethal weapon. Everywhere he touched my skin, he set a fire that blazed through my entire body.

He started on my lips, kissing me deeply until my head was nothing but a mess of thoughts of how badly I needed him. He left a trail of kisses along my jaw, slowly making his way down until he was at my neck.

And, my God, the pleasures he could bring me there.

He gently nibbled on my ear, bringing his beautiful lips to the hollow of my neck. Tingles radiated outwards from each individual claiming of my skin.

I groaned in pleasure, spurring him down further and further.

“God, you’re beautiful, Ivy,” he whispered reverently. I loved the way he worshipped me as much as I did him. It had been his turn earlier, this time it was all about me.

And, boy, did he know it. I could hardly keep myself together and functioning as he touched every inch of my naked skin. Our bodies pressed together, making sure there could be no distance between us.

I was acutely aware of every place our skin touched. From his hands caressing my breasts to his thighs keeping my own apart. He was the perfect specimen of a man, from his warm brown hair to his intense blue eyes to that tongue. There wasn’t one part of me that didn’t yearn for that part of him.

It was just Theo and I. Nobody else in the world mattered as we spent all afternoon in the hotel room making love. I lost count of how many times he made me lose my mind. It didn’t matter anyway, the entire afternoon blurred one minute into the next.

When it ended, we were spent with a sheen of sweat over our skin, I nestled into the crook of his arm. His heart was beating wildly in his chest, right under my ear. I loved that I had that effect on him.

“That was… something,” I muttered.

His breathy laugh was music to my ears. It almost made me ready for another long round. “It sure was.”

“What excuse did you use to get out of the office?” I had told my boss I needed to pick up some supplies. As far as anyone knew, I was on the opposite side of town doing my job.

“I said I had a business lunch that was probably going to go long.”

“Again? You’re going to have to think of some new alibis.”

His hand found mind and twined our fingers together. Even that tiny movement was enough to get my heart kicking up a notch.

“Yeah, I will,” he agreed.

I knew our time together was coming to an end but I went into the same denial I always did. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to picture us walking out of the hotel together, getting into the same car, and going out to dinner or someplace else in public.

It was a fantasy.

Theo squeezed my hand, his sign for leaving. “I should get going. I wish I could stay longer.”

“I know.”

He pushed out of the bed, leaving me alone. Again. I should have been used to it by now.

I watched him get dressed, dragging on his boxers and then his pants but leaving the belt undone for now. He found his shirt hung over the end of the bed. As he shrugged into it, I jumped up so I could fasten his buttons.

When he looked down at me, I soaked up every inch of his hungry look. I batted my eyelashes innocently. “It’s only fair I do these up considering I was the one who undid them in the first place.”

I earned myself the same breathy chuckle that made my stomach clench every time I heard it. He wasn’t helping me think about getting dressed and leaving.

He nodded toward the strewn clothing. “What about the belt?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll get there,” I promised.

I finished with the buttons and took my time tucking in his shirt. He watched the entire time, his blazing eyes bordering on consuming me.

When I reached his belt, he flinched at my wandering hands. “Hey, if you’re not careful I’m not going to be able to leave.”

“So don’t,” I challenged, even though I knew I needed to go too. There was only so much time required to pick up supplies.

“You know I have to.” The belt looped and he was dressed, more rumpled than when he had entered the room. He leaned down and gave me one last kiss. “I’ll call you later.”

“You better.”

He flashed me his dimpled smile one more time before he left the hotel room. I could have handled it if he was just going back to work.

But he wasn’t.

He was on his way back to his girlfriend.