Page 39 of Business Casual
A smile hitches the corner of her mouth. “You’re touching me right now.”
“Yeah, that’s the thing about it. I touched you once, and I only wanted to touch you more. I want to keep touching you. I want to make you feel good.” I’m hanging on by a thread here. I slip my hand higher until it’s beneath her skirt. Her skin is warm, her tights smooth beneath my palm. “I want a lot of things, Nova.”
I want to hear her say my name again. I want to hear her beg it. I want to unravel her so thoroughly, she knows exactly what it feels like to be undone. I want to leave my mark on her, not just with my mouth and with my teeth, but with the memory of this night and all the delicious things I plan to do to her. This might be a one-night stand, but I want her to think about me tomorrow. I want her to think about me for a while.
She swings her legs back and forth. “Well, I can’t say I don’t like the direction of your thoughts.” Her tongue wets her bottom lip, and I track the motion, a thrill of heat zipping up my spine.
My fingertips brush something lacey at the top of her thigh. I glance down at my hand and rub my thumb back and forth, considering. When I flip up the edge of her skirt to take a look, she laughs at whatever dumbstruck expression paints itself across my face.
Thigh highs.
She’s wearing thigh highs.
I pull my hand back from her thigh and drop it to safer territory down by her ankle, letting my forehead fall against her knee. I rock my head there, back and forth, and try to get control of myself.
“I need a minute,” I mumble.
“Take several minutes. I didn’t mean to send you into a tailspin.” She combs her fingers through my hair.
I squeeze her ankle. “Sure you did,” I mumble.
This is good. This is great. One night and maybe I’ll be able to knock Nova out of my head a little bit. I’ll get rid of whatever this little infatuation is, and we can both exist in this town with the people we love without all of this…tension spinning circles and making me dizzy. No more back and forth. Just peaceful coexistence.
Nova taps her fingers down my neck. “Would you like to set some rules? For tonight?”
“Well, we’ve already established we won’t be barking like dogs.” I lean back. “What sort of rules did you have in mind?”
She shrugs. “I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever known a one-night stand the way I know you. Will rules make you more comfortable?”
I drop my chin to her thigh and gaze up at her along the lines of her body. She falters at the implication of the position, her eyelashes fluttering.
“Ah,” I grin and tuck a quick kiss to her kneecap. Her leg jumps. “You like my head between your legs, Nova girl?”
She flicks me in the forehead. “Don’t distract me. Rules. Let’s hear them.”
I rub at the spot between my eyebrows. “I don’t know. You’re the one who brought up rules.”
“Should we…not kiss?” Her whole face scrunches up, a little wrinkle between her eyebrows. “Is that too much?”
I snort. “You trying toPretty Womanme, Nova?”
“What? No. I don’t even know what that means.”
I lean back in the chair. “Do you like to be kissed?” I ask.
She watches me, evaluating. Her tongue peeks out at the corner of her peach-pink lips and I shift my legs. Her gaze slips down my neck, taking inventory. It lingers on my shirt, the spot where I have two buttons undone. Heat rolls down my spine.
“Yeah,” she says, her eyes snapping back to mine. “I like to be kissed.”
“Then I’ll be kissing you.”
She nods. “Good.”
“What else?” I ask. My restraint is a quickly fraying rope. I want to flip up her little black skirt and inspect the tops of her lacy thigh highs again. I want to know if her underwear matches. I want to see that rose between her breasts and uncover the rest of the art I know she’s hiding. I want to trace it with my teeth and then my tongue. My hands too.
Her chest rises and falls with her breathing, her oversized sweater slipping down her shoulder until it catches in the crook of her elbow. I lean forward and hook two fingers into her collar, tugging down until I catch a glimpse of beige lace. I swallow and adjust her sweater so she’s covered again.
“Your bra has butterflies on it,” I say, my voice grim. I am completely and totally fucked.
