Page 79 of Perfect Distraction
Chapter Fifteen
For once, Lauren didn’t think about all the reasons this was a bad idea. Or at least she ignored them, pushing them deep down. Instead, she thought about how much she loved being this close to Andrew and how she wanted him closer.
He spread one hand across her upper back, his fingers spanning the width between her shoulder blades. His other hand brushed the hair away from her face, starting ever so gently at her forehead, leaving a trail of fire across her skin as he smoothed it back.
His proximity was dizzying, and her heart was like a drum in her chest, vibrating through her ribcage. Her breath came quickly, her breasts brushing his hard chest with each upward movement.
He towered over her, his eyes locked on hers, and it might have been uncomfortable if it wasn’t so intense. She couldn’t form a coherent thought to save her life.
“Andrew…” she whispered. She wasn’t telling him to stop, that was for sure. Her fingers gripped his arms tighter, her action completing the thought she couldn’t seem to say.
He closed his eyes.
“I have to.” His breath caressed her cheek as he spoke, and a shiver ran through her, down her spine and to the tips of her toes. He touched his forehead to hers. “I have to.” His lower lip pressed upward against her top one. It wasn’t a kiss, exactly…his mouth was open slightly and so was hers, and they weren’t properly aligned. But the feeling of him against her, his nose brushing hers as he shifted to slide both of his lips fully across hers, was earth-shattering. It seared her soul, burning her inhibitions to ash.
She leaned in to him, molding her mouth to his, their lips becoming the single most important connection between them, despite his arms crushing her body close. A kiss could say so many things, and these words had been denied far too long.
I think about you always.
I care about you.
I’ve been wanting you.
I adore you.
She lost herself in his kiss, his smell, his breath. His tongue swept into her mouth and she moaned, letting him in completely. He released a low growl from deep within his throat, and suddenly his hands gripped her hips and she felt herself being lifted into the air. Her butt hit the granite, and he moved between her legs, putting her at the perfect height. Face-to-face, she tilted her head and kissed him deeply.
He pulled her to the edge of the countertop and their hips came together, her legs wrapping around his waist. She arched herself against his broad torso as they kissed feverishly, stopping only for brief seconds to take in ragged breaths.
Andrew’s hands were everywhere and nowhere at once; the second she sensed his touch in one place he moved to another. Her face, her hair, her waist. A few times his lips dipped to her neck or collarbone, only to return to her lips within seconds.
“Never stop kissing me,” he breathed into her mouth. “Never.”
She didn’t stop. Not for a long, long time.
Finally, she mustered the resolve to pull back, but she left her hands where they gripped Andrew’s waist. That part of him was as hard and muscled as she’d imagined. Damn him and his healthy eating habits.
His warm brown eyes were full of passion and affection. She blinked, taking in the gravity of what she’d done.
She tucked her lips between her teeth and furrowed her brow. “Oops.”
He stared at her for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.
She couldn’t help but start giggling, too.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had that response after kissing a woman.”
“What’s the standard one? They probably rip off all of their clothes, don’t they? Wait,” she quickly added. “Don’t answer that. I don’t want to know.”
Andrew’s laughter came to an abrupt halt and his eyes met hers, his gaze smoldering.
“You know, it’s weird.” He traced her cheekbone with his thumb. “I know I’ve kissed other women before you, but I can’t seem to remember a single thing about them.”
She leaned in to his caress.
“You’re all I think about,” he said.
“It’s the same for me,” she admitted. “No matter how hard I try to stop it.”
