Tempting me.
Teasing me.
Demanding I lick every drop....
“You’re off limits,” he reminded me, or from the look in his eyes, both of us. I knew he was right, so I didn’t move closer. I simply waited him out. Waited for him to walk away, because there was no way I could.
But he didn’t.
Instead, he pulled me closer. My toes curled in my shoes, but I was determined not to shy away. Right then and there, standing in Maverick’s arms didn’t feel wrong. It felt unbelievably right. Then his warning repeated in my head.
“Are you saying that because of Gabe?”
“You know it’s because of Gabe.” His voice was lower, deeper, and I just wanted him to keep talking, anything to keep hearing the deep rumble so close to my skin. “What else could it be?”
I shrugged, trying not to look away, especially down to his hands that were brushing against mine. I wanted to reach for him. Touch him. Make him deliver on the promise in his eyes, on what would have happened if we weren’t who we were. I wanted to make him burn for me like I was burning for him.
“I don’t know,” I said, moving my hands across his chest. “Maybe I’m too old for you?”
“What?”
“You were flirting with the barely legal crowd.” I acted like I didn’t care and as if every single nerve in my body wasn’t trembling with need.
“Jealous?” He smirked.
“Not one bit,” I lied through my teeth.
How could he irritate and turn me on all at the same time? One of his hands came up, wrapping around the curve of my hip, making me achingly aware of my body. I swallowed hard, and my eyes fluttered at the feel of his thick fingertips on my lower back, their heat penetrating the thin material of my dress.
“Not at all?” he asked roughly.
“I don’t know you,” I pointed out, my voice unusually low, wondering if his body was filled with lust the way mine seemed to be.
His lips tilted north. “Just a couple of minutes ago, you all but called me a man whore.”
“And you called me a spoiled princess,” I replied.
“Hmm…” His fingers skimmed deliciously back and forth, and I whimpered. “Do you know what I would do if you were my little spoiled princess?” he asked, and I shivered. Heat pooled in my belly and slightly below. My eyes found his despite the darkness that enveloped us. His heated gaze seared me to the point my knees actually weakened.
God, he hasn’t even kissed me, yet I feel like I’m on the verge of an orgasm.
“What would you do?”
“I’d spank that delicious little ass of yours until you remembered how to behave.” My cheeks heated. “You like that, don’t you?” he prodded.
I do.
I’d never been spanked, never wanted it. But damn. He made it sound better than an all-expenses-paid vacation at Disneyland. The sensations, the mental images unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
“You’re crude.” I tried to sound offended, but I knew he wouldn’t believe it.
“You like it,” he whispered thickly, his lips mere centimeters from mine. “You would be bad just to get punished, and I would happily deliver it, Princess.”
“You’re insane,” I murmured, but I was the crazy one. Because what he was offering sounded good. Better than good. Delicious. So damn good, I’d be willing to exchange eating carbs the rest of the year for what he was offering.
“Hmmm…” he hummed. The air sparked with sexual tension.
I’d had sex. I was far from a blushing virgin. But there was something about the image of his big, rough hand smacking my ass that turned me into a squirming mess, leaving me a little breathless. “I’d smack your perfect ass a bright red, and then I’d make you forget your name.”
“Such a guy thing to say,” I replied, still fighting to dig my way out of the deep, dark lust that was swirling around us.
“I’m a grown-ass man, Princess.” His nose skimmed mine. “Trust me, I’d know exactly how to do it. You would get lost in the sensations I’d make you feel,” he warned or promised, and damn, he left me breathless.
“Sure,” I whispered, failing at sounding unamused by his dirty talk.
Maverick’s lips were so close to mine, I could feel his smile. I wanted to trace his lips with my fingers, while the other part of me, a part I was afraid would win, wanted to move toward them. “Make you scream my name so loud and for so long, your voice would be hoarse the next morning.”
“Mav,” I nearly moaned. I was there. My control was shot. I just wanted, no, I needed Maverick Bridges.
“Would you have gone through with it?” he asked, throwing me off.
“With what?”
“No names. No numbers. One night?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered honestly, the word slipping from my lips like a purr.
Who am I?
What am I doing?
I needed to step away. I needed to break the moment. But I couldn’t. I didn’t have the strength to do it. I was weak under his warm touch and beautiful stare.
“Me too,” he shared a mere second before his lips covered mine, both of us getting lost in a kiss it seemed like I’d waited a lifetime for. He gently coaxed my mouth with his, and I parted my lips, eager for him. His tongue glided against mine, and my hands dug into his hair. I wasn’t gentle. I couldn’t be. He had already built a roaring fire in me, one that was burning higher and hotter than anything I’d felt before.
Both of his hands were on my waist, his fingers digging into my sides, making me feel more than desired.
Safe. I didn’t know him. Not really. But he made me feel cherished.
Not wanting to ruin the moment with my overthinking, I let go and soared with him. I fought to deepen the kiss, standing on the tips of my toes, my hands tangled in his hair, gripping it tighter. Silently demanding more. His hands clenched my ass. His thick, muscular thigh nudged between my legs, and I moaned. It felt like fucking heaven.
My back hit the driver’s side door of my car. His tongue lashed in and out of my mouth, mimicking the exact way I wanted him to take my body, and I gave more. He groaned, the sound full of need and sexy as sin. His thigh moved upward just right, raking against me, causing luscious sensations to rock through my body. I moaned loudly against his lips. My entire body trembled. My clit pulsated in time with the blood thrumming through my body.
We broke the kiss for oxygen, and I dragged it into my lungs as his teeth skimmed the skin along my jaw.
“Yes!” I hissed as I felt the small sting of pain with his teasing bites. “Mav, please,” I whimpered. “I need more,” I begged, unsure of what I was pleading for, only knowing I needed more.
“Shit,” he croaked, suddenly pulling his body away from mine, and I felt the loss like a slap in the face.
I staggered to stand on my own without having him for support. My breath was ragged. I wanted to cry out in pain at the loss of his touch and beg for his arms again.
But he didn’t come back, and I didn’t go after him.
For a long minute, we stood there, my fingers on my lips, which were raw and swollen from his assault. His hands fisted together at his sides. The only small conciliation I had was the way he was breathing and struggling to gain control.
He opened his mouth, but I already knew what he was going to say. Maybe it was the jetlag, or maybe I was just being defensive, but I didn’t want to hear it.
And I sure as hell didn’t want him to have the last word.
Not when I knew his words were only going to leave me feeling rejected and alone. And weirdly vulnerable.
How could a kiss feel more intimate than actual sex?
“I’m…” He pulled in a deep gasp of air. “Shit, Princess, I shouldn’t have done that. It was a mistake,” he said. His words cut me open, like I knew they would. How can something that rocked my entire world on its foundation be a mistake to him? I wanted to believe he was lying, but I couldn’t. Not when it woul
d lead to hope of more. I wasn’t stupid. I could see the regret reflecting in his beautiful eyes. And it killed.
“Don’t flatter yourself.” I shook my head. “If that’s all you have to offer, then I guess I’m not missing much after all,” I somehow spit out with a surprisingly steady tone.
“What?” he growled, but I stood in place with an ice-cold mask on my face. I can do this.
“Thanks for not wasting my time.”
“You felt that,” he growled, taking a step toward me. My eyes widened. I wanted so badly for him to come back. My body already missed his heat and strength. But in the light of a new day it wouldn’t matter. He would still push me away.
I knew it and he knew it.
“All I felt was you shove your tongue down my throat.” I rolled my eyes, hoping to God he would believe me.
“I heard you.” Had I been loud? Probably. My cheeks flushed as I looked around, thankful the parking lot was empty.
“Look, it was just a kiss. Don’t get your panties in a twist. Been there, done that, big boy,” I lied, praying he bought it. I was humiliated enough. What I had shared with him was a hell of a lot more than a kiss. But if he could push me away, there was no way he felt it, and damn if that didn’t hurt the most.
He took a step back, his hands in his hair, and I fought to act the part of the I-don’t-give-a-fuck princess he already thought I was.
“See you around, Bridges,” I muttered, hopping into my car, unable to look him in the eye and praying he didn’t catch the way my hands shook.
Chapter Four
Maverick
It was just a kiss.
Her damn voice had been on freaking repeat all day.
Just a kiss, his ass.
His day off had been as uneventful as productive. He ran the errands he had put off the last couple of months. They needed to get done. Sure. It wasn’t like he was avoiding being home with a sexy little princess with hair so damn soft, he swore he could still feel it in his hands.
Just a kiss. Her voice in his head made him growl. She’d felt it, like he had. There was no way a kiss like that, a magnetic attraction like they’d experienced, could be one-sided.
Less than twenty-four hours later, he could still feel her lips on his. Her sweet taste coursed through his veins, fueling his need. I seriously need to get laid. But he couldn’t touch her. At the end of the day she was Gabe’s little sister. Not only that, but she was a decade younger than him.
He couldn’t touch her. Not again, he reminded himself.
Looking at her Jeep in the driveway, Gabe’s huge truck nowhere to be seen, he took a labored breath. He could do this. He could go into the house and NOT touch Sofia Blanco. Gabe was probably with whatever booty call he had. Not that Mav blamed him. If he had someone who could get his dick wet on the regular, he would be there instead of hanging out with family.
Slipping out of his SUV, he walked into the quiet, well-lit house. The soft murmur of a TV playing in the background somewhere in the house made him think she was already in bed.
Damn.
Sofia and a bed, and all the damn possibilities that went with it.
He was freaking pathetic! What was wrong with him? He should have hit up a bar, or dialed one of his own booty calls to solve his problem. He scratched the top of his freshly-cut hair as he headed to the kitchen, knowing that wouldn’t be the answer. He raised his eyes and stopped in his tracks at the sight before him.
She was standing at the counter, her back to him, her long dark hair hanging loose in waves, and just like that, he was starving. Her creamy skin had a golden glow, highlighting how much of her flesh was showing, thanks to her outfit. He had always had a thing for women in lingerie. What man didn’t? But what she was wearing fell between classy and sexy.
Like a wet dream, Sofia was in a blush pink satin pajama set. Tiny little shorts fell just above mid-thigh and hugged the curves of her ass just tight enough he knew she was bare underneath. Not even a thong could work beneath there without showing up somehow. Her top was in the same color, a creamy white lace at the edge and the bottom, all held up by two tiny straps at her shoulders. In the light, he could see she had freckles sprinkled over her skin, and all he could think about was licking each and every one before playing connect the dots with those freckles as he searched her delicious body for others.
When she turned, the sight of her only improved.
Braless.
She was obviously not expecting him. At the first sight of him she jumped, and he bit back a groan. Her tits bounced, and the image of her pretty little body over his, riding him, flooded his mind. Shit.
Gabe’s sister! he half-heartedly reminded himself yet again, but the thought quickly faded as he caught her shiver. Her skin was covered with goose bumps, and her perfect pointy nipples popped out, greeting him.
“Hey.” He tore his eyes away from her tits, clearing his throat. When he looked at her face, his tongue was suddenly too big for his mouth. She was wearing thick, black, nerd-like glasses, which only made him hotter for her. Fuck, I’ve always had a thing for girls in glasses.
“Hey.” She smiled, her eyes obviously appreciating the sight of him. He stood straighter, puffing his chest out, stifling a groan as she licked the tip of a chocolate-covered finger.
He hid his body behind the kitchen island, so he wouldn’t scare her away with the way his dick was tenting up behind his pants.
“Want some?” she offered, and he clenched his hands on the dark granite of the kitchen island.
Want some? Damn, that was a loaded question.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, Nutella toast!” she cleared up, gifting him with a smile he felt in his chest. Lifting a small plate, she showed him the two slices of toast with chocolate spread on it.
“No, I’m good,” he lied as his stomach growled lowly, suddenly starving.
“Not much of a sweet tooth?” she asked, her eyes glued to his chest, and he couldn’t help but grin.
Just a kiss, my ass.
“How was your day?” He ignored her sweet tooth question. It was too tempting to offer spreading her up with chocolatey hazelnut goodness, so he could have his merry way with her.
“Good. I went to see my mom.”
“How is she?”
“Good. She asked about you,” she shared, and he nodded. “Her new place is nice,” she kept talking, and he just listened.
“It’s a good size for her. I’ll see her Sunday.”
“I guess the three of us will now, huh? That’s the routine, right?” she asked right before taking a bite. When some of the chocolate spread stayed on the edge of her lip, he gritted his teeth as he held on to the countertop to stop himself from moving toward her and licking it away.
Nutella and Sofia. He had never thought of anything as decadent as that.
“I’ll give her a call tomorrow,” he chimed in. It felt wrong talking about Mrs. Blanco with an erection.
“She’ll like that.” She shrugged and took another bite, crumbs falling down her plentiful chest. “So, umm… I was thinking we should probably talk.”
“Talk?”
“I mean, we’re cool, right?” she asked, giving him an out.
“Cool?” he repeated, his eyes pinned on her. Cool?
“Yeah.” She shrugged nervously. “Look, yesterday was crazy, right?” she asked, but he didn’t say anything, He just watched her, that damn warmth in his chest growing. There was a blush on the apples of her cheeks, and even though her eyes were hidden behind her ugly but cute glasses, he could see the hungry desire radiating from them. “Case of mistaken identity and all that.”
“What?”
“I said, just chalk it up to mistaken identity. And it isn’t like we did anything bad. All we did was kiss. It’s not like we ran away and eloped, you know?”
“Sofi—”
“Even if it was an okay kiss.” The blush moved further south from her cheeks to her collarbone, and he clenched his jaw.<
br />
“Okay kiss?” he repeated. “It was a hell of a lot better than just okay.”
“Well…” She rolled her eyes, but he could see it. It was all for show. He smiled. She was so damn adorable he couldn’t be pissed at her. Right then, in the kitchen, he could see how he affected her.
“I like the glasses,” he pointed out, and she simply squished her face up, making him laugh. Fuck, she was something else. He was hard and so damn horny he was close to going cross-eyed, but she could still make him laugh. “What? I’m serious.”
“I only wear them at night,” she divulged on a shrug, making him smile.
“They’re very….” —he tilted his head and grinned at her—“smart.”
“Smart?” Her eyebrows shoot up, and he chuckled.
“Come on, don’t you know that smart girls are sexy?”
“Since when?” she asked, and he winked.
“Always.” He was walking on thin ice. He shouldn’t have been flirting with her, but he couldn’t help himself.
“Whatever. You don’t have to tease me.”
“Trust me, babe, if I were teasing you, you would be tied up to my bed, and there wouldn’t be any question of what was happening, and you sure as hell would like it.” When her eyes widened, he realized he had said the words out loud.
She tried to act unamused, but he could see the interest twinkling back. “Does that work for you?”
“Pretty much. What you see is what you get with me,” he offered the truth. He wanted her to know him, despite it being wrong.
“Wow, an honest guy. How… refreshing,” she retorted dryly, and he laughed at her attitude. He had never been attracted to a woman with an attitude, but hers called to his dick like a damn target.
“You have a little something…” He pointed to her lip, and she wiped the Nutella away with the pad of her finger before licking it clean. That was all she had to do to have him break a sweat.
He wanted her. He wanted her, and he was flirting with her like a damn idiot. He knew better. He couldn’t keep flirting with her.
“I better go to sleep,” he gruffed, his face serious as he crossed his arms at his chest, afraid he would give in and touch her.
Burning Bridges Page 4