Page 50 of The Complete Truth Duet
Unfortunately, he only continued with the verbal seduction. “And some nights, I’ve done nothing but lay in bed, my mind spinning, trying to figure out when I was finally going to have the chance to do it.”
A soft moan escaped my throat. Then, in the miracle of all miracles, his lips ghosted across mine. It wasn’t exactly a kiss. But it wasn’t exactly not a kiss, either.
“Penn,” I breathed, gripping his strong shoulders, my nails biting into the hard muscle.
“You ready, Cora?”
I nodded multiple times before finally finding the word, “Yes.”
“Give me your hand.”
Hypnotized and teetering on the edge of anticipation, I obeyed immediately.
His callused fingers folded around the back of mine, and, palm up, he extended my arm out to the side.
And that’s when I felt it.
Everything he’d described.
Everything I’d been asking for.
Yet, in that moment, nothing I wanted.
“Penn!” I exclaimed as water from my kitchen faucet rushed over our joined hands. My eyes flicked open and I found him standing in front of me, a shit-eating grin splitting his mouth.
He feigned innocence. “What?”
I gave his chest a shove that did nothing to move him. “That was mean.”
“Wait, what’d you think I was talking about?”
I glared. “Oh, I don’t know. Wet. Warm. Laying in bed dreaming of giving it to me.”
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth fell open, but he was still joking as he said, “Oh wow. I did not realize how filthy your mind was.”
I barked a laugh and flicked droplets of water off the tips of my fingers, splashing him in the face. “I didn’t mean sex!”
He wiped his cheek on his shoulder. “So, what, then? A kiss? Like on the forehead? Farther south? I’m gonna need specifics here.”
I rolled my eyes, feeling my face go up in flames. “Sweet Lord. Let’s just talk about the water. You actually fixed it?”
His only answer was to hook his arm around my hips, forcing me to the edge of the counter.
I cursed, fisting my hands in the front of his shirt when my core met his zipper.
His smile grew knowingly. Rough as velvet, he murmured, “We could try a forehead kiss, you know?”
“Oh, goodie,” I smarted, pushing at his chest, desperate for an escape. “Is the bathroom working too? I want to see.”
“No. I need to connect a few pipes. But, first, close your eyes again.”
Forging ahead on my escape plans, I shimmied, trying to get down while mumbling, “I think we’ve had enough surprises tonight.”
With a hand in the back of my hair, he stilled my retreat and tipped my head back until our eyes met. His face had drained of humor, but the flicker of desire remained. “Have you unlearned the In my experience yet?”
I swallowed hard and shook my head.
“You been with anyone since your ex?”
My eyes flared. “Not before and not after.”
“Right. So this is going to work a little differently for me and you.” Sliding his free hand down my calf, he wrapped my leg around his hip. “Say the word, Cora, and I’ll kiss you breathless. But that’s where we start and stop tonight. We take this slow. Get to know each other. Gain some trust. Ease into things.” His voice became jagged. “Don’t look so disappointed, baby. There’s a lot of fun to be had with our mouths. You just gotta ask.”
The herd of elephants resumed their stampede, and my throat got tight. “What word exactly?”
“Any of them.”
“And you’ll kiss me breathless?”
His mouth twitched. “That’s what I said.”
I licked my lips as I tried to formulate a witty retort that hopefully included The Word. When I came up with nothing, I smarted, “That doesn’t sound like a forehead kiss.”
Grinning, he nuzzled his nose with mine, whispering on an exhale, “You’ll have to ask and find out.”
The magnificent sound of water running played in the background as I stared into his eyes.
On one hand, I wasn’t particularly eager to beg a man to kiss me.
On the other hand, he was giving me control and thus the safety that came with it.
I hated that he knew I needed that.
But I adored that he used what little he knew about me to make me comfortable rather than using it against me.
And, for that reason alone, I felt not one bit of shame as I whispered, “Kiss me, Penn.”
Penn
Drew had told me that I didn’t have to fall in love with her or even sleep with her.
But there were no two ways around it. I had to kiss her.
I had no concept of why Cora Guerrero wanted me.
I’d tried to push her away. Tried guiding her in Drew’s direction, despite it feeling like acid in my veins. He could have taken care of her. He had an end game.
I had a grave waiting for me.
But if this was what she wanted from me, I wasn’t going to deny her.
