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Blake smiled at the way her eyes lit up, the sweetness with which she talked about her time with her friends. “I’m glad. You deserved it after everything you’ve gone through.”
Skyla nibbled on her bottom lip. “Yeah. Well,” she stood and Blake instantly knew he was losing her. She had no reason to trust him or even hear him out. “We should probably go -”
“I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you why I was hanging around Madigan’s,” he said. “I mean, I probably would’ve been removed from the case, and reprimanded by Caden and our boss, but it’s really no excuse. You’re not just a random person of interest, or some stranger. You’re -” He almost said ‘a friend,’ but sometime between when he opened up to her about James, and what they’d gone through last night, he realized she was so much more than that. “You’re everything,” he said, surprised by how willing he was to cut himself to the quick if it meant getting just one more minute with her. “I know my actions made you feel like you were less than, and I am truly sorry for that.”
Skyla met his gaze, a hint of surprise in her expression. “Thanks. I’m so used to people using me to get whatever they want. I guess I didn’t expect that you -”
“That I would be just like them,” he finished. “Yeah, I’m a guy, and I was on a mission. I tend to get tunnel vision when I want something and don’t stop until -”
“Until you get it or get shot. Got it.” Skyla actually smiled, and it was like he could take a deep breath for the first time since she opened the door.
“Have you eaten yet?” He didn’t just want to change the subject, he wanted to do something nice for her, something to take care of her the way she took care of everyone around her.
“No,” and then she added quickly, “and not because I was waiting for you.”
Blake smirked. This woman wouldn’t wait for anyone, much less a man. “I never thought that. Still, this place is known for their brunch menu and I’d hate to eat alone. Will you join me?”
Skyla nibbled her bottom lip, and Blake nearly held his breath, watching that lip being tortured and wanting to rescue it. “I guess I could eat. But, it’s not a date.”
Blake nodded, keeping a straight face. “Of course not.”
He stood and extended his hand to her. He waited for her to take it, hoping she didn’t reject this small gesture. Skyla was a no-nonsense ball of fire at Madigan’s, but this version of Skyla was sweet and slow to open up, and it only made him more attracted to her because it brought out every protective instinct he had.
Carefully, as though expecting his hand to detonate on contact, she placed her fingers into his palm, and that surge of electric energy between them was instant. Her whiskey-colored eyes widened and she licked her lips. Those lips that he could still taste, that tongue he’d so thoroughly explored. A small part of him hoped that maybe seeing her again would prove whatever he thought they had was all in his head, only because it would just make everything easier. But if they were both reacting this way from just a single touch, this was definitely not going away.
Blake closed his eyes for a moment as he took her much smaller hand in his. He was done fighting this feeling. Done trying to figure out why this woman consumed his every thought. He hadn’t been looking for a relationship, hadn’t wanted to be brought to his knees by a woman the way Luke and Caden had been. But shit, if they felt for their women even half of what he was feeling for Skyla right now, then he knew exactly where this was going, and there was no way in hell he could walk away from her.
He opened his eyes and his gaze collided with hers. He drank her in, not missing the look of pure desire that drowned out every other thought. They stood frozen in the middle of the hotel room as if some invisible force field was keeping them there, staring into each other’s eyes, their lips slightly parting.
He’d planned to go slow, build trust. But this wasn’t about what he wanted. Skyla Madigan’s gaze raked over him with the kind of lust and fire in her eyes that could bring a man to his knees.
Blake closed the distance between them and placed a hand at the nape of her neck. Hewouldn’t do anything Skyla didn’t want, but he couldn’t ignore this charged energy between them anymore. And from the expression on her face, neither could she.
“We probably shouldn’t do this,” he said, his voice husky with need.
“Probably not,” she quipped, her eyes begging him not to back down.
Then she tilted her head and parted those pink glossy lips, and he sealed his mouth to hers.
***
Heat pooled in her core as the taste of smoky mint erupted in her mouth. She wrapped her hands around his neck, drawing him closer, hungry only for him. Not making her wait, his tongue surged deeper into her mouth, meeting her tongue as they teased and danced. Heat pooled in her core as she savored every second of this moment she’d been dreaming about since their first kiss. How many times had she berated herself for that kiss, wishing she hadn’t made that move and opened that can of worms, but God, it was the best can of worms she’d ever had and she wanted more. Needed more. With every thump of her pulse that echoed between her ears, she dove harder, deeper into Blake’s mouth, exploring every crevice, every taste. She was getting drunk on this man, addicted from less than a minute of the high he offered her.
But she couldn’t give in to this. She would not be responsible for anything happening to Blake, no matter how badass he thought he was. Against every screaming instinct in her body, she pulled back, meeting his gaze, and nearly gasping for air as she lost herself in those baby blue eyes that seemed to follow her every move, notice her every reaction. This was the last thing she needed right now, but wasn’t this why she’d given AJ a lifetime of healings? To save this man. Surely, just one time wouldn’t hurt, right? She could take pleasure in this moment, give in to her desire, get him out of her system. Maybe, just maybe, once would be enough.
Her fingers teased the hem of his shirt, and he instantly responded, pulling it off and tossing it aside. His body was gorgeous. Ripped with muscles upon muscles, and valleys she wanted to trace with her tongue. When his fingers slid under her tank top, tickling the skin of her midriff, she easily took it off, eager for his touch. But it was the way his gaze caressed her skin that seemed to burn right through her.
His mouth pressed kisses down the side of her neck, his soft lips brushing against her skin, as he trailed his tongue down to the hollow of her throat. His fingers worked to undo the button of her cutoff jean shorts, and she helped him, not wanting to waste a second of the time they had together. If she was doing this, really doing it, then she wanted him, all of him, for as long as she could get him. Then she’d say her goodbyes and push him out of her life. But for right now, with his mouth circling her nipple, the only thing she wanted was more of him.
Her fingers slid across his chest, gently playing with the soft blonde hairs there until she reached his nipples. She’d heard men were just as sensitive as women, and she wanted to test out that theory. The delicious groan that escaped his throat told her everything she needed to know.
“Skyla,” he breathed, his hands cupping her breasts. She arched her back into him, seeking more, and he lowered his head, delivering everything she craved - sucking, licking, and absolutely driving her insane, then immediately going to the other breast and giving it the exact same treatment.
“Skyla,” he breathed again. “I need you to tell me when you want to stop.”
She groaned, knowing what the right thing to do was, but simply unable to do it. The only way stopping was an option was if one of them ceased breathing. Unless he was the one who - “Do you want to stop?” She asked, her fingers pausing from undoing the button of his pants.
“Fuck, no. But I promised you brunch, and -”
