“I lied, then,” I managed to sputter between the bursts of laughter. “Soggy nachos are definitely worse. So is having the really hard armrest digging into your back.”
He let up then, and before I could fully comprehend what was happening, one of his hands was on my knee and I was leaning into him, hoping he would kiss me. I’d barely had time to process the thought before the mood between us changed, and his lips were on mine.
I swore that the entire world stopped spinning when Paxton kissed me. It was like the past and the present clashed with such intensity that everything just stood still.
I knew this was a bad idea, but I didn’t stop him. In fact, I never wanted him to stop kissing me again.
As his tongue swept across my lips, asking for entry, I parted them willingly and wound my arms around his neck to pull him closer to me. So close that I could feel his heart racing against my chest and felt his pulse thundering against my fingertips when I drew one hand back to cup his neck.
I moaned into his mouth as he deepened our kiss, tangling the fingers of my other hand into his hair as I held him to me. There was nothing I’d discovered in all my thirty years on this planet that was quite like kissing this man.
All too soon, our steamy make-out session was interrupted by the car pulling up to Paxton’s apartment complex. I broke away from him to check that we weren’t just stopping at a traffic light, but no.
This was definitely his place. He sighed when he glanced over his shoulder and realized the same thing, pressing a final kiss to my lips before he pulled back and sat up.
“You actually live here?” I asked when I recognized the building. “It’s brand-new. I remember seeing the signs for the renovation while they were doing it. It’s supposed to come with all the bells and whistles.”
He smiled. “I was one of the first people to move in.”
“Congratulations,” I said, trying to talk about anything other than what we’d just done.
“Thanks.” He opened the door and hit a button on his phone. “I’ve paid the driver. Good night, Colette. Thanks for the best night I’ve had in years.”
Before I could think of a witty reply, he was out of the car, but he didn’t close the door. An expression so contemplative I wouldn’t have thought his drunken brain would be able to think that hard right now crossed his features, and then he leaned back down and peered into the car.
Butterflies exploded in my belly, but outwardly, I merely cocked a brow at him. “Forget something?”
“Do you want to keep the night going?” he asked instead of answering my question.
Even though I knew I should say no, I took the hand he offered me and let him help me out of the car on wobbly feet.
“Sure,” I said. “But you’d better behave, Paxton Gould. Whatever you think I’m coming up for, it’s not that.”
“That’s fantastic. I wasn’t in the mood to play board games and drink coffee anyway,” he joked, settling my hand in the crook of his elbow as we headed for the doors. “There are so many more fun things we can do than that, don’t you think?”
I did think, but I wasn’t admitting it. I was too busy trying to remember when last I’d felt like this and why exactly I’d been avoiding him since.
Chapter 17
PAXTON
Colette and I stopped at my door, and it took me a few tries to get it unlocked. She giggled beside me, leaning on the wall as she watched me struggle.
A couple of seconds later, the lock clicked and the door swung open. I grinned at her. “After you.”
“So you can be a gentleman after all,” she said, her sassy side coming out to play again. “First helping me get out of the bar, then getting the fancy cab, and now this.”
Walking in ahead of me, she blinked when the lights came on automatically as she entered. She turned around, walking backward as she spread her arms out to her sides. “Wow. This is pretty awesome.”
She spun around again, marveling at the place while I squinted my eyes to try to see it through hers, even through the drunken haze. Although, to be fair, it wasn’t just a drunken haze anymore. Sure, the alcohol we’d consumed still played its part, but my head was now also swimming with lust after that make-out session in the back of the cab.
Never in my wildest dreams had I thought I’d get to touch her like that again, and it was seriously intoxicating in a way that had nothing to do with the booze. Kissing Colette had been one of my favorite pastimes once upon a time, and I’d definitely remembered why.
Yanking myself out of the thoughts that were getting me harder than was comfortable in the confines of my jeans, I forced my attention back to my apartment as I closed the door behind us and followed her in.
The place was nice, and it wasn’t being immodest to admit it. I’d nearly creamed my pants the first time I’d walked in here. The realtor had hardly let me in the door before I was salivating to sign on the dotted line.
It was modern but not cold. The penthouse spanned two stories, with a mostly open-concept bottom and all the bedrooms at the top. There were one and a half bathrooms as well as a guest suite down here as well.
The far wall was made entirely of stackable glass doors, opening the living, dining, and kitchen areas up to a large balcony that had a pretty decent view of the city and the ocean beyond. It was a clear night, and stars reflected off the shimmering surface of the water lit up by the city lights.
My walls were painted a dove gray instead of being stark white, and the trimmings were brushed aluminum as opposed to the shiny metal found elsewhere. An interior decorator had been brought in to offer options to all prospective tenants to purchase the places fully furnished, and while Tierra had helped me make it homey, I’d chosen a package that included warmer colors and area rugs together with more antique-looking furniture.
“Holy crap,” Colette said with awe resonating from her tone before she cracked a sly grin. “I finally understand why you settled for this whole underwear model shtick. You can’t be doing too badly for yourself.”
“Firstly, I don’t only model underwear, but yes. The money is good.” I smirked and went to stand in front of her before running my hands up and down my sides. “Besides, it would’ve been selfish of me not to share all this with the public.”
She rolled her eyes, but it seemed to be more from amusement than exasperation. “Sure, Pax. What’s your next line going to be? That you don’t work that hard on your body just for yourself?”
I snapped my fingers. “Damn. You caught me. That’s exactly what I was going to say.”
“Uh-huh.” She laughed, swaying a little before she reached out to catch herself on my arm.
Her eyes flew up to mine when my arm snaked out to steady her as I wrapped it around her waist. We ended up chest to chest, gazes locked, and our bodies pressed up against each other. Neither of us moved for several long minutes as our breathing synced up and our eyes dipped to the other’s mouth before tracking back up.
Feeling her soft curves against my body was enough to make my dick sit right back up at attention. She let out a soft sigh when she felt it, let her lashes flutter, and then took a small step back when her eyes opened again.
“You going to give me the tour?” she asked, her voice a touch breathier than usual.
I nodded, took a deep breath, and held out my hand. “Better hold on to me. I wouldn’t want you suing me if you fall and break a hip in my house.”
She flipped me off but couldn’t quite contain a smile. “We’re not that old yet, are we? I doubt my hip would just shatter if I do fall.”
“Rather safe than sorry.” I winked and let my outstretched hand hang between us. She glanced down at it, chewing on her lower lip before slowly bringing her hand up to meet it.
Score one for the home team. I wanted to pump my fist in the air, but I’d grown up at least a little bit more than that.
“Would you like a drink while we’re taking the tour?” I asked, though I doubted either of us needed more a
lcohol in our systems.
She seemed to agree. “Maybe just a water. Thanks.”
“A water it is.” I guided her into the kitchen first, grabbing two glass bottles from the fridge and passing one to her. “So, this is the kitchen. It’s got marble countertops, appliances built in, and it came with a pretty amazing coffee maker.”
“I can see that,” she said, her hip cocked against the counter as she took it in. “I love center islands. It’s definitely a feature I’m going to be looking for if we ever move.”
My eyes darted to my island, which I hadn’t thought much about before. The stove was built into it, and the pots and pans hung above on neat, dark rails. “Well, you’re welcome to borrow mine in the meantime.”
“Thanks.” She giggled some more before shaking her head. “I don’t think I’ll be spending a ton of time here, though. As nice as it is, it doesn’t really seem like the kind of place you’d want to set a child free in.”
“I disagree. It might not have much of a garden to speak of, but I’m not uptight about my stuff, and there’s nowhere for her to really get hurt. We can even babyproof it if you’d like.”
I’d said it flippantly, but Colette’s brows shot up. “We’re not moving in, Pax. Jeez. Calm down.”
After pausing for a beat when I replayed the words in my head, I laughed and reached for her hand again. “That came out wrong, but if you want to move in, you know I’d let you.”
A frown tugged at her brow, but she smoothed it out and simply chose to ignore the statement instead as she followed me out. I took her on a quick tour, not taking her upstairs to the bedrooms in case she got the wrong idea, and then led her out onto the balcony.
“This was the pièce de resistance for me,” I admitted as I swept my arm across the space. There was a hot tub in one corner, a bar in the other, and the privacy glass around it blocked people’s view of me while offering me an unimpeded view of the world beyond.
“Oooo, I haven’t been in a hot tub for years,” she said, then surprised the shit out of me when she started stripping down.
Giggling once she was left in only her bra and panties, she shot me a challenging stare before spinning around and hopping into the warm water. I was paralyzed by the shock for only a second before I was in such a hurry to get my own clothes off that I nearly tripped when I pulled off my jeans.
Her giggles turned into full-blown laughter, but as soon as I joined her in the tub and our eyes met, everything changed. The laughter cut off abruptly, and we drew closer together after I hit the button to get the bubbles going.
There was some hesitation in her gaze on mine when I scooped her up and deposited her in my lap, but it disappeared as she looked into my eyes. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I said, matching my tone to the softness of hers. “Is this okay?”
She cocked her head, settling her knees on either side of my hips and smirking when she felt what was going on beneath the thin fabric of my boxer briefs. “You’re hard, Pax.”
“Can you blame me?” Deliberately lowering my eyes, I drank in the sight of the top of her cleavage, and her nipples puckered beneath the lace of her bra just below the waterline. “I didn’t think it was possible, but you’re even more gorgeous now than you ever were before. And just in case you hadn’t noticed, you’re just about naked. On top of me. Of course I’m hard. If I wasn’t, I’d expect you to be getting me an appointment to get my eyes or my cock checked.”
I let my hands come to a rest on her hips and flexed my fingers ever so slightly, bending my head forward to drop an openmouthed kiss on the bare skin of her shoulder. “Do you have any idea how many nights I’ve dreamed about getting to see you like this again?”
She made a sound of disbelief that came out somewhere between a snort and a sigh. “You honestly expect me to believe you dreamed about me when you’ve had your bed full of models every night?”
My hips rocked forward, and a strangled groan came out of me as I ground my length against her warm center. “Does it feel like I’m lying? I’m not going to deny that I’ve been with other people since you, or that some of those people were models, but no one, and I mean no one, has ever done the things you do to me.”
Pink streaked across her cheeks, and her head dropped back slightly as I continued rocking, but her eyes remained on mine. “You don’t need to say all these pretty words. You know that, right? I’m already practically naked and on your lap. As you just pointed out ever so kindly.”
One of my hands traveled up into her hair, past the wet tips to grip the back of her head. With no way to avoid it since our faces were so close together and I was holding her there, I had her full attention and gave her mine.
My words came out on a harsh whisper, but I wanted her so bad it hurt. At the same time, I wasn’t going to do a fucking thing until she accepted that I wasn’t bullshitting her.
“They’re not just pretty words if they’re true, Colette.” I thrust up against her again, groaning against her mouth and punctuating my next words with kisses to her jaw and neck. “I have no reason to lie to you, and you’re right, I don’t need to just say things for the sake of saying them considering where we are. Everything I’m saying to you is the absolute truth.”
“Okay,” she conceded on a soft moan. “You win, Paxton. I believe you. Are you going to kiss me now?”
I pulled away from her, searching for the acceptance in her eyes before tightening my grip on her. “You bet, baby. I’m not stopping until you beg me to either.”
With those final words, I slanted my mouth over hers and made good on my promise. Our kisses were frantic, much more so than they had been in the cab. They were the kind of kisses that led to more. The kind of kisses that would drive a man crazy if they didn’t.
Colette kissed me back with an equal amount of need and passion, her hands cupped at the nape of my neck but quickly moving to roam over my shoulders and arms. As her fingertips caressed me and her mouth practically plundered mine, I let her take control until I was sure she wasn’t about to pull away.
When I felt her giving herself over, I moved my hands to her rib cage and brushed my thumbs along the undersides of her breasts. She shuddered against me, and it brought back a thousand memories of what we used to be like together.
If this ended up being anything like it used to be, we were both in for a wild ride. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter 18
COLETTE
Kissing Paxton in the back of that cab hadn’t been a good idea. Stripping down and jumping in his hot tub had been a worse one, but neither of those things had a patch on letting him put me on his lap and then making out with him like we’d zoomed back in time.
There was no world in which this could end well, but I was so tired of always overthinking things. Being a grown-up sucked, but especially being one who took themselves so darn seriously all the time.
It came with the territory; I knew that. I was a doctor and a mother, but I was also a woman. I’d just forgotten that somewhere along the way. In my everyday life, Colette and what she wanted stood back for Dr. Wynne or Mommy, but right here, right now, I could just be me.
Tonight had started out being about finalizing stuff for the wedding, but it had quickly become about cutting loose and having fun. Maybe it was just the alcohol talking, but fuck it all. Fuck the overthinking, the responsibility, and the regrets I already knew I would have tomorrow. I would deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.
For now, I just wanted to feel. I wanted to give myself over to Paxton and not worry about what it meant or if it even meant anything at all. And that was what I did.
When he felt me completely giving in, he groaned into my mouth and held me even tighter, then he moved his hands up from my hips to my ribs and teased my breasts. It had been so damn long since I’d felt anyone’s hands but my own on my body that I moaned as soon as his thumbs brushed over my nipples.
They were so hard that it was entirely possible they were about to cut
their way out of the lace of my bra, but then again, Paxton’s dick felt even harder where it rubbed against me. I surrendered to the diverse sensations of Paxton’s hands on my skin, the rougher feeling of the waistband of his underwear against the insides of my thighs, the firmness of his kiss, and the slight burn of his stubble whenever it brushed against me.
The water bubbling around us intensified it all, made it feel like we were safely ensconced somewhere that only belonged to us when in reality, we weren’t even indoors. Somehow, even the knowledge that we were outside only served to turn me on more.
Then again, I had a feeling it had more to do with Paxton than anything else. He always did have a gift for making me feel like I was going to spontaneously combust whenever we were together like this.
Rolling my hips against the delicious bulge in his underwear, I moaned his name before sucking his lower lip between my teeth and giving it a little nip. He bucked against me and let out the sexiest growling noise.
“Fuck,” he breathed between kisses. “I completely forgot what that does to me.”
Feigning innocence, I grinned and gave my shoulder a little shrug. “Really? What are you talking about? This?”
I did it again, relishing the way his body quivered against mine. He cursed some more, then crushed his lips to mine and reminded me exactly what those little nips did to him. Every time I got half a chance, I nibbled on his earlobes or at that spot in the crook of his neck.
Paxton didn’t just sit back and let me drive him to the brink, though. He’d never been much of a receiver over an equal-opportunity giver, and clearly, I wasn’t the only one who remembered what made the other crazy.
He touched me everywhere, letting his hands explore freely while avoiding the areas where I needed him the most. Dragging his lips everywhere he could reach, he placed the lightest kisses on my skin and left goose bumps in his wake.
When our mouths clashed again and again, our bodies would writhe together and our moans and sighs would fill the air. My clit pulsed with such need that I was halfway there, and my panties weren’t even off yet. If what I was feeling rubbing up against me was any indication, he wasn’t far from exploding either.
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