Page 92 of The Casanova Complex

I just want him to know that he’s not alone.

That he’s got me, however unlikely our friendship may be. I’m here whenever he’s ready, if that time comes.

Scooting a little closer on my desk, I lift my hand and tip his chin with my fingers, forcing him to look at me.

When he does, the bright orbs of his eyes burn into me. “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here, okay? Now, later, never, just… I’m here.”

The corner of his lip tugs up slightly. “Careful, Mer Bear.” His fingers circle my wrist, and he holds my hand along his jaw, not letting me pull away. “You’re dangerously close to seeming like you care about me or something.”

“Or… something.” I smirk, and when he chuckles, I feel his breath fanning against my lips. I didn’t realize how close we’d gotten, but now I can see the scattering of freckles along his nose and cheeks. I notice the darker blue ring of his irises that surrounds the pale blue and the small scar etched into the corner of his full upper lip.

Things I hadn’t noticed before now.

“God, you’re so fucking hot, Legros,” I groan. “I hate you.”

The laugh that rumbles out of him has the desk beneath me shaking. “Nah. Don’t lie to me, Merritt. I think we both know we’re way past the point of you pretending that you don’t like me.”

My brow lifts. “You wish.”

Bennett hums, slipping his hand along my neck and curving it around the back of my nape, tugging me even closer. “So you’re telling me that if I were to kiss you right now, you wouldn’t want that? That if I press my lips…” He trails off, slowly sweeping his thumb back and forth over my pulse point. “Right here, I wouldn’t be able to feel how wild your heart is pounding?”

I have no doubt that he can feel it, even as he says it.

I swallow hard and press my lips together tightly to stop from whimpering as he leans in and does exactly that.

His warm, wet mouth presses hungrily against my neck, and then he flattens his tongue, trailing it down to the spot that’s currently hammering so hard my head feels light.

Dizziness washes over me, pulsing behind my eyes, and I have to reach out toward him, my palms curving over the tops of his massive shoulders to remain upright.

“W-What are you doing, Bennett?” I say breathlessly, squeezing my eyes shut when I feel the sharp nip of his teeth along the spot where my neck meets my shoulder.

“Thanking you for my invitation tonight,” he mumbles against my heated skin, not pausing his exploration even for a breath. “The right way.”

“Yeah?”

A deep rumble vibrates my skin. “The only way a man should ever say thank you, if you ask me.”

I’m not sure what it truly says about me that my mind immediately goes to the filthiest depths of depravity when he says that, but Jesus, I can’t help it that my head feels like it’s floating on top of my body the moment that this guy so much as touches me.

“I could think of ten different ways right now,” I say coyly as I slide off the top of my desk and into his lap, straddling him. His hands find my waist, palms curving around it, his fingers pressing into the bare skin that peeks out from the hem of my shirt. Bringing my mouth to his ear, I nip at his earlobe and slowly trace my tongue along the shell of his ear, then whisper, “But that can’t happen since it would be breaking your rules.”

Bennett groans, low and guttural, and drops his head back on his shoulders. “Fuuuuuck, Merritt.”

“Hey,” I say, pulling back to look down at him, wearing a smirk as I poke my finger into his chest. “You started this, remember?”

His response is to flex his hips, thrusting his erection against my already throbbing clit and making stars dance behind my eyes. “And do you have any fucking idea how close I am to ending it, just breaking them for you?”

The words are rough like gravel being dragged across the pavement, immediately causing a shiver to race down my spine.

God, he feels so good beneath me. Warm and solid and strong.

His fingers toy with the hem of my T-shirt along my sides, and when the rough pads brush against my bare skin, my breath catches.

“I was thinking though…” I murmur against his mouth, my lips barely brushing against his, “You never said exactly what those rules are. You just said you were celibate.” I bring my mouth to his jaw, pressing a kiss along the edge, then another one right below it, trailing a path downward. The next along his corded neck, swiping my tongue in a lingering caress that has his fingers creating indentations along my hips when his hands tighten. “Not what that includes or…” I trail a path down to the curve of his neck where it meets his shoulder and drag my teeth along his heated skin.

A tortured noise vibrates out of him, a mixture of a whimper and a guttural groan, and it makes my pussy clench. “Doesn’t include.”

Lifting my head, I pull back so I can look at him. “So tell me, Bennett, what exactly is the rule?”