Page 53 of Within Striking Distance
“I should go,” he says, but he makes no attempt to move.
“Or you could stay?” I say, my fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.
He squeezes his eyes shut, a pained expression twisting his face. “If I do that, it defeats the whole taking it slow thing.”
A fluttering sensation stirs in my stomach at the thought. “You’re right, but I selfishly don’t want you to leave. We don’t know when we’ll have a chance to see each other.”
When he doesn’t say anything, I brush my lips over his jaw.
“I’m okay with you spending the night, Blake.”
His breath hitches, and his steel-blue eyes finally meet mine. “I’m trying to be the good guy, Juliet.”
The way he says my name causes my heart to stutter.
“Youarea good guy,” I assure him. “The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”
“I don’t want you thinking I only came here for that.”
My heart swells at how sweet he’s being. That he’s even thinking that tells me what kind of guy he is. “I know you didn’t. This doesn’t have to be a big deal. We don’t even have to do anything?—”
The way his heated gaze travels over my body before he raises his brow makes me laugh and swat at him. He captures my hand in his and brings it to his mouth, his kisses grazing my knuckles.
“If you want to go, I won’t force you to stay. I’m just saying I want you to?—”
My words cut off with a yelp when Blake pulls me to straddle his lap, crushing his lips to mine. I moan into his mouth, my fingers tangling in his hair. His hands hook my thighs, and when he gets to his feet, my legs instinctively wrap around his waist.
“Bedroom?” he murmurs against my lips.
“Down the hall from Tinsley’s,” I pant before his mouth is back on mine, his tongue plunging inside.
I don’t even stop to marvel at his strength as he carries me to my bedroom, too lost in his kisses. It’s dark, with only the light from the living room spilling down the long hallway, and when he lays me on my bed and pulls back to remove his shirt, I reach over to switch on my bedside lamp, bathing the room in a warm glow.
When I look back at him, my mouth waters at the intricate tattoos decorating his sculpted muscles. His body is incredible.
“You like what you see, pixie?” His lips curl into a smirk, and he runs a hand through his hair.
I swallow and nod, unable to find words.
He chuckles as he crawls onto the bedand settles on his side, his head resting on his hand as his hungry gaze washes over me, heating me from the inside out.
“Hi,” he murmurs.
He presses a kiss to my mouth as his fingers trail across my jaw and down my sternum, through the valley of my breasts. Goosebumps chase his touch under the t-shirt I’m wearing, and I shiver when he circles my belly button over the material.
“Hi,” I breathe.
His tongue swipes across his lips. “Are you sure you want this? We can just sleep.”
I lean in and kiss him. “You’re sweet for checking. But I want you, Blake. I want this.”
He grins. “I want you, too, Juliet, and I really,reallywant this.”
My heart stutters at his confession.
Before I can overthink the overwhelming ramifications of what this means, Blake’s lips are on mine.
His fingers trail lower until they reach the button on my jeans. He quickly discards them, along with my panties, then settles between my legs, running his tongue up the inside of my thigh.
