“It’s a figure of speech.”
I shrugged. “A bad one.”
“Are you always this argumentative?”
“Don’t have to be, generally speaking. Since I’m always correct.”
“Ohhh, I see. I guess if you’re constantly surrounded by sycophants and groupies, you would be.” She stood up with the empty coffee cup. “I need more. You?”
“No thanks.”
I followed her to the kitchen to put the dirty plates in the sink. Normally I wouldn’t feel the need to defend myself against her ridiculous accusations, but I was going to see Emily every morning for a while, and I didn’t want her in a snit over nothing. It had nothing to do with me caring about what Emily thought of me.
“I’m not surrounded by sycophants and groupies all the time,” I said. Security kept most of the people away, since I wasn’t interested in getting entangled with those women. The ones who got close enough knew my band mates, especially Dev, who hadn’t met a woman he couldn’t fall in love with since his breakup with Ashley. That breakup had inspired the song “Eat Your Heart Out, Baby.” Thankfully, he fell out of love just as easily. Otherwise, he’d be on trial for polygamy.
Without grabbing another coffee, she turned around to face me. “You should get your head checked, then. Because your judgment sucks.”
“My judgment is perfectly fine.” How was it my fault people shouted and flung themselves at me? That kind of crap was the price of fame the band had to put up with, but it didn’t define me.
I stared at her flat mouth, the challenging arcs of her eyebrows. Fire sparked in her eyes, and everything about her screamed “dare”—I dare you to prove you’re more than what was in those photos, more than your public reputation. I dare you to prove you’re a person with thoughts, dreams and needs that are your own.
And it reignited something deep inside that had gone cool and dormant since my collapse, making it burn so hot and bright that I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Moving purely on instinct, I cupped the back of her head and kissed her. Felt her soft inhale of surprise, her breath feathering my skin.
Her mouth was softer than anything I could’ve imagined. Sweeter than cotton candy.
She stood still for a moment, then raised her arms, letting them hover in the air as though she didn’t know what to do.
I licked across her lips, silently seeking an invitation into her mouth for more. She opened up, stroking her tongue against mine. Every nerve cell in my body came to attention, like she’d sent a shock of electricity through me. And I craved more of that sensation. I hadn’t felt that in…forever. It made me feel so alive, so anchored in the present.
Her hands came to rest on my shoulders, fingers flexing against the muscle. I held her warm, pretty cheeks in my palms and plundered her mouth. She tasted like spice and honey. She smelled like clean forest and citrus. She felt like life, vibrant and full of energy.
She kissed me back aggressively, stoking the scorching need inside my gut with her heat. Her breathing grew rougher and uneven, just like mine. Every little sigh, every lick was unbearably erotic and precious.
I pulled her closer, felt her breasts crush against my hard, bare chest. I wanted to take her to bed, lick, kiss and taste the rest of her, explore her and feast on her. Watch as pleasure broke over her, hear her sob my name as she came while wrapped in my arms.
Suddenly, she pulled back and put a hand over her mouth like a shield. For a fraction of the second, I wondered if I’d gone too far or misread the cues and she didn’t really want it. But her gorgeous eyes were large, dark and glazed with lust as she looked at me.
What was this about? “Emily…?”
She put up the other hand. “That was nice, but—”
Did she just say “nice” to describe the best fucking kiss of my life?
“—I have to finish the rest of my book.”
What the fuck? She had to finish it now? “Can’t you do it later?” I blurted.
“No. Unless you can finish in under ten minutes.” She immediately scowled. That probably wasn’t what she’d meant to say.
And I’d be damned if I rushed through our first time. Under ten minutes. What the hell kind of guy did she think I was? “Then I’ll leave you to your work.” It came out more tersely than I intended, but I didn’t try to soften it. “I’m going to need a lot more of your time than that. Like two hours. At least.”
Then I snapped my shirt over a shoulder and stalked out.
Chapter Seventeen
Emily
Damn it.