She turned to face him. “Hey, yourself.”
He brushed her hair away from her face and leaned down to kiss her. It was a casual gesture, but somehow it felt really intimate to Chloe, and it filled her with just as much warmth as the kiss did.
“I don’t know what it is, but I feel like I’ve known you for a hundred years,” she blurted out as he pulled back from the kiss and sat down.
What?!
She was not someone who was prone to careless outbursts, but rather was someone who thought through her words carefully before speaking or writing. She only said what she meant, and she reasoned through all potential repercussions before committing herself. Her inhibitions were, at all times, firmly in place. It was one of the things that made her good at her job.
Why did it seem like all of her tightly-held mores loosened around Chris?
“I know exactly what you mean. When I’m with you, I feel all the comforting familiarity of an old friend and all the fiery excitement of a new flame. You’re the best of both worlds, Chloe.”
Whoa. He saw her spontaneous admission and raised her an intimate confession.
Well played, Martell. Well played.
In an effort to bring things back to lighter ground, she teased, “I bet you try to work firefighter references into your flattery with all the girls. I’m sure it’s a real panty-dropper.”
He threw his head back and laughed. It was a genuine and warm sound, and it filled her with a sensation she couldn’t quite name. It was part affection, part bonding, part attraction, part…
It’s home. Chris feels like home.
She closed her eyes in recognition of the truth bomb her subconscious had just casually lobbed her way. Wow. So, her effort to bring things back to lighter footing had failed. Miserably. Time to try another tactic.
“So, how’d you sleep?”
He grinned. “I didn’t. And you?”
“Oh, God. Same,” she admitted.
“We’re quite a pair.”
The rush of heat and exploding tingles those words sent racing through her were more intense than even things she’d felt when he’d actually touched her in the car the night before. How is that possible? That just those words from him — the idea that they were a pair — could make her feel more twisted up inside, more breathless and lightheaded than she’d even felt when he’d brought her pleasure?
She picked up her menu and opened it, hiding her face behind the large leather folder. She didn’t want him to see how his words affected her. She cringed inside at her reaction. Even as badly as she wanted to surrender to the feelings Chris sparked in her, to surrender to Chris himself, she was still stuck in her old patterns—to maintain control, never give an inch, and hide any tiny effect another soul may have had on her.
That may make her a great lawyer. It didn’t make her a great lover.
Now, she just had to wonder — was she strong enough to change? Or—more to the point — was what she felt for Chris strong enough to inspire her to?
Chapter 12
“So, which fish do you think is me?” Chris smiled down at Chloe as they stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling glass tank. He’d smoothly introduced the idea of heading over to the National Aquarium after lunch, and he was pretty proud of himself for the thought.
Wandering through endless rooms together gave them lots of time to talk. Plus, the mood lighting couldn’t be beat. His mojo was full strength, and he was happy. He’d never needed it to work its magic as much as he did with Chloe.
“That one. Right there.” Chloe pointed, a mischievous expression on her face.
“The clown fish?” Chris asked, staring at the orange and white striped fish in the tank they were passing.
“Because of your sense of humor!” she grinned.
He pulled a goofy face. “Well damn, I hope it’s no reflection on my fashion sense.”
She laughed.
Mission accomplished.
He felt inordinately proud of himself every time he brought a smile to her lips. With girls he’d dated in the past, there was no sense of accomplishment in making them laugh. They used laughter as social lubricant. It came easily and was never sincere.
Chloe was different—intelligent, mercurial, and above all else, sincere in all things. She didn’t laugh often, but when she did, it was real. And there was more to her than just empty giggles. She had fire in her eyes when she talked about things she was passionate about.
There was an underlying wildness he could sense, tied up and kept controlled beneath her buttoned-up exterior. But he could feel it. Fire was, after all, his mistress, and he knew all her tricks. And the one thing he knew for sure was that hidden fires burned the hottest. And that’s what she had—hidden fire. He could feel it.
Now he just needed her to let it out. Let him see it, little by little. Earn her trust. He’d never thought of himself as the kind of guy who was up for a challenge, romantically speaking. In the past, when things got complicated, he’d move on to the next thing and be more than happy to do it. Now, he wanted things to get complicated. He reveled in the idea. He wanted to show Chloe just how worthy he could be.
Fuck. Who am I with this girl?
The answer to that question came to his mind immediately—I’m someone I like a whole lot better than who I am without her.
“Seriously, though,” she said, “you have a good sense of humor, don’t get me wrong, but is there more to it than that? You’ve made some comments since we’ve known each other about how you don’t take things seriously, or you don’t care about things. But that doesn’t seem to match up with what I’ve seen of you, or the vibe I get from you.”
“Wow. Add insightful to the list of your amazing qualities. Not to mention perceptive.”
She laughed. “And add ‘expert question ducking’ to the list of yours.”
He slipped an arm around her shoulder, and they walked in silence for a few more moments. He liked that she gave him space to formulate his answer. She wasn’t like a hummingbird, flitting along on the surface of a hundred different topics, never settling on one thing for long, losing interest if she didn’t find immediate gratification and fluttering off to the next thing. Chris had had enough of that kind of woman to last a lifetime.
No, Chloe was like a wise owl, seeing straight to the heart of a situation then waiting patiently for the truth to reveal itself.
Of course, she was a lot sexier than one would expect the human personification of an owl to be, but that was another one of those “best of both worlds” things about her—body of a supermodel, mind of a Supreme Court Justice.
“You know,” he said, “I’m not sure what’s up with that. I’m not evading. Just being honest. The truth is, the way I am with you isn’t how I normally am. I’m still getting used to it myself. But I know I like who I am when I’m with you. There are parts of me I think are good, like my sense of humor, that still shine through when I'm with you. But there are other parts of me I wouldn’t mind seeing fall by the wayside, like my tendency to never take anything or anyone truly seriously. When we’re together, those parts just naturally seem to fade away.”
She smiled, the look in her eyes was warm and encouraging. As opposed to “back slowly away from the crazy person,” which was what he had been afraid to see. He breathed in deeply, relief giving him the courage to finish.
“I don't know what that means, really. Except that I’d like to spend a lot more time with you if you’re up for it. I’d like to find out what it means, and where it goes.”
She locked onto his gaze then, her face shining. He was glad what he’d said had been worth the wait. She looked into his eyes for a few long seconds, and then nestled her head onto his shoulder as they walked. “I’m up for it,” she said quietly, slitting her arm around his waist. “I’m definitely up for it.”
Chapter 13
He’s only here for a week. How hard could I possibly fall? How out of control could I possibly get?
Yep.
That was it. Chloe made the final decision as they walked up to her car door. She turned and spit the words out, rushing before she could lose her nerve. “You know...you could come to my place… if you want to.”
His gigantic grin gave her a hint that he probably wanted to. The way he grabbed her to him and kissed her with hungry desperation sealed that impression.
She pulled away. She had to; her blood was rising, and her inhibitions were melting away, and she didn’t think that getting collared for indecent exposure was a great way to begin a career as a public servant. Well, not as a child advocate, at any rate. Leave that stuff to the politicians.
Her fingers trembled as she did her best to unlock the car door and fumbled the keys trying to find the electronic fob. The ring clattered to the ground, and Chris bent and gallantly swept them up, then pressed the unlock button on the fob and ushered her around to the passenger door in one swift, smooth motion. He bent down and whispered in her ear as she settled into the passenger seat, his breath hot on her neck as he did. “Let me drive. It’ll be quicker.”
She nodded without thinking. He had her at quicker. She didn’t know how much longer she could last without being naked with him, their hot skin pressed together, hands and mouths roaming everywhere…
She squeezed her eyes tight shut. This wouldn’t do. If she didn’t want her knees to be too weak to make it up to her apartment, she had to maintain a clearer head than this. She couldn’t afford to lose herself in images of his tongue flicking her nipples, or his mouth buried between her legs—
Motherfucker!
Luckily, it was a short drive to her place, and pointing out the turns in plenty of time for him to navigate the crowded downtown Baltimore streets provided a bit of a distraction.
When they reached her apartment, Chloe unlocked the door and looked around at the mess of halfway unpacked boxes and piles of random belongings strewn around her living room and kitchen, seeing it fresh through Chris's eyes.
"As you can tell, I'm quite the decorator," she joked. Self-deprecation was always her go-to move when she felt embarrassed. She figured it was the better idea to make fun of herself before anyone else could then to give them the opportunity to get in a dig.
Chris laughed. "All I care about is that there is a bed," he said, lust woven through his voice like the deep golden threads of a tapestry.
Just like that, which happened so often where Chris was concerned, just a few words made everything around her fall away. She wasn't in her tiny starter apartment with boxes everywhere and barely any furniture to speak of. Nope, she was in "Chris-land" — a magical place where no one existed but the two of them.
Their surroundings didn't matter, only them and their bodies and what they were going to do to each other. How good they were going to make each other feel. Ahhhh, Chris-land; it was her favorite place in the world
"I've got that," she assured him. "Well...sort of."
She took him by the hand and led him into the bedroom, where there were more unpacked boxes, and clothing tossed haphazardly on every surface. In the middle of the floor sat a mattress on the box spring. No headboard, no frame. It was adorned by nothing more than a simple sheet and blanket.
She laughed at the sight, only at that moment realizing how pitifully bare it looked. "To be fair," she preemptively defended, "I only moved in less than a week ago, and I've spent the majority of that time at work."
He didn't respond, and she looked up at him, wondering if seeing her sparse living conditions had changed the way he looked at her. Maybe it had soured him on the whole thing.
But one look at his face told her she needn't have worried. His smoldering gaze was fixed on her, a faint half smile on his lips. "I'd say that's pretty much all we need," he said.
Heat flamed through her body at the mental images flooding her brain.
The two of them.
Naked.
On her bed.
In her fantasy, she had no inhibitions. She was completely free with him.
Their limbs were entwined, the afternoon sun streaming through the window and highlighting her flaming red hair as it tumbled over her shoulders, the softly-curling tips falling around her stiff pink nipples like a picture frame.
Hmmm….maybe that sight would prove too tempting to him, and he would lean down and take one of those nipples in his mouth, and—
“Was that a moan I heard? Did you just look over at your bed and moan?” he teased, brushing her hair back from her face. “What dirty thoughts popped into your mind when I said that the bed was all we needed, naughty girl?”
She turned her face up toward him, keeping her expression open and neutral. He may have been teasing, but she was a lawyer. If he asked a question, he was going to get a straight answer.
“I was picturing the two of us naked,” she said, her tone matter-of-fact. She might as well have been in deposition. “Our legs were wrapped up with each other. My hair was shining in the sun. I’d just started picturing you sucking on my tits. That’s probably what made me moan.”
His eyes grew progressively wider with each word she spoke, and she finally broke into a smile. She couldn’t torture him anymore.
“Are you, by chance, interested in acting out any parts of that fantasy right now?”
He wasn’t the only one who could tease.
“Oh, fuck, yes,” he breathed, and then he was on her, his strong arms crushing her to his chest, his mouth moving against hers with passionate intensity. His hands tangled in her hair, pressing her lips even closer to his.
He moaned. “Oh, God, Chloe. You have no idea. No idea how I’ve thought about nothing but you since the last moment we saw each other.”
With that, he moved his lips from hers and peppered light kisses down her chin and neck, continuing down her chest and only stopping when he reached the neckline of her shirt. He unwrapped his arms from around her and slid them to her waist, grabbing the hem of her shirt and whipping it off over her head in one swift movement, drawing a surprised laugh from her.
“That was amazing.” She giggled. “Like that tablecloth magic trick people do.”
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Baby, I’m magic in ways you can’t even imagine.”
She grinned. “Care to show me?”
He lowered his head to her breast and captured the nipple through the lace of her bra. The rough sandpaper texture of his tongue, combined with the flowery ridges of the lace, sent shivers running through her from her hard nipple all the way to her tightening core.
He moved his mouth back and forth between her two breasts, trailing his tongue over the lace-covered skin as he traveled between his two ultimate destination points—her nipples.
He took the two steps necessary to cross the empty space between where they stood and the bed, bringing her with him and never breaking his rhythm as he sucked on her. When the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, he gave her a little playful shove, and she giggled, falling backward onto the springs.
“Mmm. I like the way your tits bounced when you did that. Do it again,” he requested with a wink. She laughed and placed her hands behind her on the mattress to give her leverage, then bounced her butt up and down, causing her tits to do a festive dance for his enjoyment.
All levity suddenly gone from his eyes and tone, he breathed, “Oh, fuck, that’s hot,” and climbed onto the bed with her, positioning himself between her knees, using his body to spread her knees farther apart. He reached behind her to unsnap her bra, and when her breasts were completely free, he took her nipples into his mouth entirely, alternating back and forth from one to the other and sucking on them frantically.
She threw her head back against the bed, her back arching up to meet his mouth and moans tearing from her throat. Chris only seemed to be encouraged by her enthusiasm. He cupped her breasts with his hands from below, squeezing them to put even more tension on her nipples as he sucked them and flicked them with his tongue repeatedly.
Just when she thought s
he couldn’t take that sweet torture even one second longer, Chris began to kiss his way down her belly.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this good. While that was definitely great, it was also scary. She didn't want to ruin this amazing encounter by overthinking it—the way she did with everything—but she was afraid she might not be able to help herself. Overthinking was her classic modus operandi.
However, all thoughts of how scary the emotional intimacy might be, or what the over-under was on how long she would sabotage this budding “relationship” by overanalyzing it, flew out of her head the minute Chris pulled down her jeans and panties, leaving her exposed to the air, and to his adoring eyes. He pulled her clothes off over her feet and tossed them to the side, where they joined multiple other piles of clothing that sat around the room in the chaos of moving. She didn’t even care anymore about the mess, and she doubted Chris even saw it. He seemed to only have eyes for the glistening slit between her legs.
“Oh, Chloe, you’re so beautiful,” he said, never tearing his eyes from her mound. “So pretty and pink and shiny and...beautiful.”
His voice was filled with something like awe, and it only made her wetter to hear that tone infusing his words. Sure, she’d been told she was beautiful before, but in the way that most people are — by friends, or guys who are flirting, or dates who say it out of obligation. She had never in her life had someone say those words to her in a way that seemed like they meant them, felt them down to the very core of their souls.
He leaned down, positioning his head between her legs, extending his tongue and running it gently up and down her outer lips. The touch of his tongue felt so good, but there was more to it than just the physical sensation she felt in the moment. There was also the anticipation of what he was about to make her feel. All of that combined to make her giddy and lightheaded.
“Chloe?”
She glanced down at his face. The teasing look was back again. She smiled and played along. “Yes?”
Wild Irish: Falling for Wild (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 5