Page 71 of Downforce

My lips quirks at the dramatic way she rolls her eyes and tosses her hands up in frustration. She’s so damn cute. Sexy too, dressed in the sleeveless blue and white jumper that has a little peek-a-boo action happening at the midriff.

It’s different from the navy skirt and light-colored silk blouse she’d worn earlier at the meeting with Liam and his partner, but the same outfit she’d worn throughout the afternoon.

“You’re trying to use me to get to my brother.”

I step closer, dropping my arms.

“Am I?”

“It’s obvious,” she says, her voice lowering slightly. “You’ll do whatever it takes to get inside of his head to improve your chances of winning on the track.”

“And you think I’d use you to do that?”

She gestures around the room. “Yes.”

“That’s impossible,” I say, moving even closer.

Her eyelids flutter as if she can’t believe what I’ve just said. “Why would it be impossible?”

“Because when I look at you, Annalise, there’s no part of me that even thinks about your brother.”

Her mouth parts.

“Can’t even remember his name.”

Her mouth closes as she bites her bottom lip while her eyes fall to my lips.

“What is it again? Timothy? Trevor?”

Her eyes remain glued to my mouth.

“Something with a T—” My comment is cut off when her lips finally collide with mine.

Annalise initiates the kiss, pulling my head to her with her hands clutching my shoulders, but I’m the one who takes over. I wrap one arm around her waist and pull her flush against my body. She feels better than I ever imagined, and heaven help me, I’ve spent plenty of hours imagining.

Her tiny moans and mewls send my arousal into overdrive. All of the blood in my body goes straight to my cock. I know she can feel it pressing against her stomach, but she doesn’t pull away.

And that turns me on even more. She’s as into this as I am.

That is, until she pulls away, panting.

My gaze dips to the heaving of her chest, and I dart my tongue across my lower lip, wishing it was her skin.

“I … only did that … to shut you up,” she says in between gasps.

My smile spreads. “You should try to shut me up more often.”

When she presses her lips together, I can tell it's done to suppress a mix of a smile and a frustrated purse of her mouth. The move mirrors the tension combined with uncertainty and desire in her eyes.

The third emotion I choose to grab onto. It’s my lifeline in the wake of her lack of certainty and confusion of being here with me.

She wants to be here while also not wanting to want to be here. But I can’t let her leave. I’ve waited long enough to spend alone time with her, to have her to myself, her sole focus on me and only me.

“Another way to get me to stop talking,” I suggest, and then wave to the food on the dining table. “You haven’t eaten dinner, I assume.”

“Don’t assume,” she counters, even as her eyes wander over to the table.

“You’ve spent the day running around, haven’t you?” My slightly scolding tone surprises me.