Page 38 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
“It’s killing me not to kiss you,” he said.
“It is?”
He gave me a single nod, his eyes dropping to study my lips.
My tongue darted out, wetting the bottom lip, and he groaned, the hand on my cheek flexing.
“Right now, we can say we’re just friends. If I do this, you could lose your job.”
“Are we just friends?”
“Fuck no.”
Two words, so crude and romantic, I nearly wept. “They can fire me.”
The corner of his mouth quirked up. “Only if they catch us.”
His lips smashed down on mine and my breath vanished as the sparks enveloped us. I parted my mouth, letting his tongue sweep in and explore the contours of my mouth. The salt from dinner lingered, mixing with the sweet taste of his kiss.
He angled his head and then mine, his hand drifting into my hair. The moment his fingers threaded through the silky strands, he moaned.
I’d worn my hair down tonight. I’d left everything the same after work, my scrubs, thermal undershirt and tennis shoes, so I could hurry to get our dinner. But I’d taken five minutes to comb out my hair.
I loved that he liked it. I loved that he toyed with it while his tongue dueled with mine.
“Sara,” he panted against my lips. “God, Sara.”
I angled my hips toward his, wanting to get closer. I so badly wanted to snuggle into his chest, to press us together, but with his burns, I stayed away, making sure not to hurt him.
The kiss lasted for what felt like hours. It was wet and hot. My lips were swollen and raw. Milo would kiss me fast, then slow it down until I was practically vibrating on the bed, aching to get closer but knowing I had to stay away.
Beneath the thin blanket, there was no hiding his arousal. I caught t
he bulge from the corner of my eye and nearly pulled my lips away to get a better look.
Milo was not a small man. He was tall and, though lean, had a large presence. And clearly, things were proportional. Long legs. Big feet. Strong hands.
He broke away first, yanking his mouth from mine. “We’d better slow down.”
“Right,” I panted. “Okay. Good idea. I don’t want to hurt you.”
I’d been moments away from saying to hell with it all and climbing on his lap. At the very least, I’d been about to strip off that blanket, yank down his boxers and give him a full-body inspection.
I wiped my mouth dry, but Milo kept his hand in my hair, he kept me close. Then his other hand dove into my locks too, threading it between his fingers. “Your hair is like silk. I’ve never felt anything so soft.”
“It’s my conditioner.”
“It’s you.” He locked his eyes with mine, then dropped his forehead to mine. “I’m going to kiss you again. As soon as I get out of this hospital bed.”
“Good.” I smiled. “Unless they catch us and fire me.”
He chuckled. “Unless they fire you.”
At the moment, that didn’t sound all that bad.
Seven
“Sara?” Kym poked her head into the patient room where I was washing my hands.
