Page 25 of Viper

One pretty eyebrow arched. “Jolt?”

He smirked. “Not sure how else to explain it.”

He watched her eyes lower and his gut twisted. Christ, maybe he’d overstepped. Misread things. Maybe she was just happy to entertain their light flirting and never⁠—

She stood, her sudden movement sloshing her coffee. Her nipples pressed against the plain white tee, the hard little nubs outlined by her full breasts. His cock throttled to attention.

She moved close, and like an automatic sliding door, he opened his arm. Her hand circled the back of his neck and she tossed one leg over his lap, straddling him.

Every cell in his body lit with fire.

“This jolt?” She leaned in and pressed her silky lips to his.

A purr tickled the back of Paige’s throat as she kissed Troy. The rough whiskers around his mouth made goosebumps spring to life on her exposed legs. Doubt flipped her tummy over, but everything about his body language screamed keep going.

One of his large, brawny hands settled on her ass. The other rested at the small of her back. Her sex nestled on top of his cock, the barrier of his boxer briefs the only thing separating them. If he minded, he didn’t let on.

His tongue slipped between her lips and she groaned, letting him enter her mouth. A thrill burned her nerve endings.

His fingers flexed on her ass before he broke away, his breath hot and fast. “What the hell are you trying to do to me, woman?”

She rocked against the hard length of him jutting at her groin, but the deep, almost-angry scowl of his brow tripled her doubt.

She tucked her hair behind her ear. What the hell was she doing?

Playing with fire. Testing the waters. Testing him.

It was a sick game that both of them could lose if she wasn’t careful. He’d been clear about his intentions—well, his lack of them—months ago, and she’d respected that. But for the love of god, his words had stung then. And they did now.

It wasn’t payback she was after. But maybe part of her needed to see if he was serious or if he just wanted to tease.

Though, that didn’t resonate. Troy Evans was a soldier through and through. A man of integrity and purpose. A man who could’ve fucked her in a coat closet a couple of months ago if he’d wanted to because she sure as hell had been ready.

The challenge in his wary blues told her he expected an answer.

She swallowed and lowered her gaze to the mouth that’d just devoured her. Oh god, she wanted his lips all over her. In the few tantalizing seconds his tongue had been in her mouth, she’d been given a prelude to his expertise.

Her skin tingled.

“Paige.” His gruff, tortured voice urged her on.

“I had to see if you meant what you said about . . . us.”

Us. Why did that feel so right?

He inhaled deeply and averted his gaze before swinging those soul-crushing orbs right back onto her. “I fucking meant it. I want to take you on a date. Not just fuck you on the kitchen table.”

“Just?” An incredulous laugh rolled off her tongue.

His mouth slid into a lopsided grin. “Well, I certainly want to do that, but I owe you more respect than that.”

She glanced at the wooden table that could surely hold them. “I see no reason to object.”

“Paige,” he growled. “You’re making it hard for me to do the right thing here.”

“I guess what’s right is up to interpretation.”

This time he laughed, the sound light. This was the man she fell for every time she saw him. He kissed her nose then stood with her wrapped around him. “Breakfast,” he said, gently lowering her to her feet. “A date. Something other than sex until . . . until we know this is what we both want.”