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  I drop my hand, but he catches my wrist. “However I need you?”

  The attraction we’ve been flirting with flares with his gritty tone. Somewhere in my head I acknowledge that this could be a very complicated situation, considering my role. Unfortunately or not, my body doesn’t really seem to care that giving in to this chemistry would be a bad idea.

  Lincoln is rough around the edges, moody and gruff and cynical. But he’s also incredibly sweet and genuine and honest to a fault. And he’s gorgeous, which really doesn’t hurt. Also, that damn chin dimple is winking at me, again.

  So I nod and whisper, “I’m here for you, Lincoln, not because of a contract, but because I want to be.”

  He exhales a long breath that sounds a lot like a groan. I settle my palm against the side of his neck, and Lincoln’s fingers drift along the length of my arm. I notice—stupidly—that his nails are jagged again, and I probably should’ve scheduled him a manicure.

  The minor distraction doesn’t last long. I lean in closer, breathing in his cologne.

  “Wren?” It’s a question and a plea, as his hot eyes roam my face and land on my mouth.

  “You almost kissed me in your office.” I caress the edge of his jaw, seeking confirmation that I’m not misinterpreting signals.

  “Almost,” he agrees.

  “If we hadn’t been interrupted, I’d know what your mouth tastes like.” I run a finger along the contour of his bottom lip.

  “Is that what you want?” His voice is low and rough like his stubbled cheek.

  “Yes. What about you?”

  “I’ve been thinking about your mouth obsessively since then, before then, even.”

  I almost want to laugh because of course we can’t just kiss; we have to talk it through first. “Obsessively, huh?”

  “Very obsessively.”

  I brush my lips over his, a whisper of connection, and then wait, albeit impatiently, for him to continue.

  “I kept second-guessing myself, wondering if I’d read the situation wrong.” He speaks against the corner of my mouth. “But here we are again.”

  “Here we are.” I wet my bottom lip, the tip of my tongue touches the corner of his mouth, and I taste the bitter tang of aftershave. “No second-guessing this time.”

  We turn into each other, and his fingers curve along my neck as he sucks my bottom lip aggressively, teeth skimming the sensitive skin. He releases it only to flick his tongue along the underside of my top lip before sucking that one too.

  Well … this is a weird first kiss.

  Before I can decide whether or not I like it, he pulls back, wearing an oddly smirky grin, which very quickly turns into a frown. “What the…” He doesn’t bother to finish. Instead, his expression shifts to determination, and he dives back in, this time stroking along the seam of my mouth.

  I open, somewhat hesitantly, because I’m worried now that the idea of this kiss is going to be a lot different than the reality, and potentially a disappointment.

  Thankfully, he doesn’t start tongue-thrusting into my mouth. Instead, he sweeps inside, slowly, softly, tongue sliding against mine. Okay, this is nice. I can get into this. Especially when Lincoln groans into my mouth, and his fingers slip into my hair and wrap around the strands, tightening just enough to send a shock of heat through my body.

  Untwining our still clasped hands, Lincoln wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me closer, which isn’t easy since we’re sitting beside each other on the couch. I kick off my heels and pull my knees up under me so I don’t have to twist awkwardly to maintain the kiss, which goes from sweet exploration to a full-on mouth battle in the span of seconds.

  I run my fingers through his hair, gripping the strands tightly as weeks of pent-up sexual tension unravel civility. Lincoln’s fingers tighten on my waist, and he lifts me so I’m straddling his thick, muscular thighs.

  Any thoughts of why this might not be the best idea disappear as I yank his hair, tipping his head to the right while I angle my own in the opposite direction. I bite his tongue when it slides into my mouth, and his fingers dig into my ass.

  We keep going after each other’s tongues, sucking, biting, stroking. It’s aggressive and fun and hot, and sweet Jesus, I bet this man’s tongue skills are beyond incredible in every capacity.

  He uses my hair to pull me back—not in a forceful, potentially painful way, just firmly. His top lip is curled in the sexiest sneer for all of half a second before his brow pulls into his customary furrow, again. “What the—”

  He’s still gripping my hair in his fist, so when he comes back in and sucks my bottom lip roughly between his, all I can do is yelp. He backs off again, still wearing that furrowed brow as he rubs over my lips with his thumb. It’s tender from all the kissing, so I whimper.

  “How is that lipstick still on?” He swipes the back of his hand across his mouth and checks for marks. “It should be smeared all over your damn face.”

  I bark out an incredulous laugh. “It’s a stain. It doesn’t come off.”

  “What?”

  “It’s a lip stain; it’s not supposed to come off. I can eat a burger, and it doesn’t go anywhere.”

  “Well … damn.” Lincoln is still frowning. “How do you get it off?”

  “I have a special remover.”

  “Oh. Huh.” He’s still staring at my mouth, still holding my hair while I straddle his lap. “So, kissing you isn’t going to make it come off?”

  “No.”

  “Not even if we kissed for, like, the next six hours?”

  “I’m sure it would wear off by then, but then, so would my lips. Any other questions?” I’m snarky because this is a bit awkward.

  He shakes his head. “No. Uh, actually, yeah.” He moves his hand around to cup my ass through my skirt and pulls me in tight against him. “What do you think about taking this to the bedroom?”

  CHAPTER 14

  FIRECRACKER

  LINCOLN

  Any concerns I may have had about Wren’s lipstick evaporate the second she settles over my erection. It doesn’t matter that there are several layers of fabric between us. I’m still painfully hard, and every single muscle in my body responds by trying to contract at the same time.

  Then she has to go and roll her hips. I drop my head against the back of the couch, watching her through half-closed eyes. I try to remember the last time I had sex. It’s been a while. An embarrassingly long while. But then, when your accommodations lack privacy and hot showers are a rarity, sex really isn’t on the brain. Well, that’s not true; it’s definitely on the brain, but it’s not so much a viable option.

  Wren makes another slow circle with her hips. I bet she’s a good dancer. I bet she’s going to be incredible in bed. At least I’m hoping that’s where this is headed.

  She slides her warm, soft palm—her hand is going to feel so good wrapped around me—up the side of my neck. Her fingernails drag along the edge of my jaw, and she presses her thumb against the center of my chin, right over the divot.

  Wren rises, taking away the friction I’ve been enjoying. “Do you think this is a good idea?”

  I know what she’s asking. It’s the reason I haven’t given in to the urge to lock her in my office again and see if we could get that almost-kiss moment back. “I think it’s probably the best idea I’ve ever had.” I bite the end of her finger when she skims my lip. “Don’t overthink it, Wren. We’re already here. If we give in to it, I bet we’ll both feel better.”

  As I say it, I realize it’s actually quite true. We’ve been fighting against the draw pretty much from day one, even when I was being an unbearable, antagonistic ass.

  She bites that sexy bottom lip with that stupid lipstick that never comes off and nods once. “Let the record show that I tried to be the logical one for five seconds here, and you had zero interest in listening to reason.”

  “It wasn’t much of an argument, but if that makes you feel better, I’ll let you believe you thought about sayin
g no.”

  Wren shrieks as I grab her ass, slide to the edge of the couch and stand with her wrapped around me. She nibbles along my jaw as I walk us down the hall to the bedroom.

  We kiss as clothes come off and drop to the floor. I’d like to say I take my time undressing her, but we’re both fairly frantic, stripping the other down as fast as we can to get to bare skin. In all fairness, I’m not wearing much. I take a moment when I get her down to her panties to appreciate what I’m about to unveil, though.

  I cup her delicate face between my hands and kiss her again, slow this time, with the intention to savor her and not make her lipstick disappear. She tastes like white wine.

  I pull back and run my palms down the sides of her neck, allowing them to roam over the contours of her body, memorizing her softness and this first unveiling. I dip a finger into the waistband of her gray satin panties with red lace accents, and she sucks in a breath as I drag them down over her hips. She steps out of them when they pool at her feet on the floor.

  She’s tall and curvy and acutely feminine. “You’re stunning.”

  “So are you.” She runs her hand down my chest, fingers gliding along the waistband of my briefs. “You should lose these, though.”

  “In a minute. I want to enjoy you first.” Mostly I’m worried that the second she puts her hand on me, I’m going to lose what’s left of my control.

  She pulls herself up onto the edge of the mattress. Keeping her legs closed, she moves up until she’s at the headboard and I prowl after her. I smooth my hands along her shins, over her knees and all the way up her thighs. Instead of parting them, I straddle her and cup her face in my palms again.

  “I love touching you.” I drop my mouth to hers. “And kissing you.”

  I don’t give her a chance to put her hands on me, though. Instead, I pull back with a grin. “I hope you’re ready, Wren. I’m about to make it feel like an apocalypse is taking over your body.”

  She throws her head back and laughs, a deep throaty sound that turns into a sigh when I kiss my way down her neck. “Pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you?”

  “I’ve had weeks to create an elaborate fantasy, and I can’t wait to make every dirty thought I’ve had a reality.” I edge a knee between her thighs and kiss my way over her breasts, stopping to tongue her nipple.

  “Oh God.” She arches and slides her fingers into my hair, so I do it again. When I get another moan from her, I decide I’m not in the big rush I was originally and settle myself between her thighs so I can spend a little time driving her as crazy as she’s made me since she came steamrolling into my life and started bossing me around.

  I trail a path over her body until I can press a kiss above her slit, then look up at her. I don’t dive right in, and Wren doesn’t try to shove my face into her crotch, although based on her expression I’m pretty sure she’d like to. Her nipples are still wet from my mouth, and her chest heaves with each expectant breath.

  I nuzzle into the juncture of her thigh, breathing her in.

  Wren spreads her legs wider, some silent encouragement to keep going. And I plan to, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been this up close and personal with a woman, especially one as feisty as Wren, so I’m happy to hang out right here for a while.

  I kiss the inside of her thigh and suck on the skin there, watching it blush pink. Then I go ahead a give it a little bite.

  “Linc?”

  “Mmm.” I move up an inch and nibble again.

  She caresses my temple drawing my attention to her face. She’s propped up on one elbow, cheeks flushed and eyes hazy, but lit up with mirth. “I think the spot you’re looking for is right here.” She taps her clit with a manicured nail and bites her lip, possibly to keep her grin contained.

  I arch a brow. “I was making my way there. Am I not moving fast enough for you?”

  “Just making sure. You said it had been a long time. I thought maybe you needed a refresher.”

  I grin and slide my palms up her thighs, framing her sex with my hands. “Why don’t you show me what you like, Wren? What makes you feel good?”

  “You know what would make me feel really good?” she murmurs.

  “What’s that?”

  She touches herself where she wants me. “Your tongue, right here.”

  “Here?” I stroke over her fingers, tasting her for the first time.

  “Right there,” she breathes.

  “Again?”

  “Yes, please.” Her eyes are locked on my mouth, as I caress her a second time and wait.

  “And again.”

  Wet stroke.

  “And again.”

  Long lick.

  “And again and again and again,” she murmurs, hips rolling, eyes half-closed, lips parted, tongue sweeping across that infuriatingly red lipstick.

  She threads her fingers through my hair. “Suck.” A half smile pulls at her lips, and she tightens her grip when my eyes flip up to hers. “Please.”

  I push her fingers out of the way and cover her with my mouth, circling with my tongue before I give her the sweetest little nibble.

  She gasps, and then I latch on, sucking hard, causing Wren’s hips to lift.

  “Again?” I ask against her.

  “Please, yes. And if you could keep it up until I come, that would be great.”

  I chuckle, but do exactly as she asks. Wren is no passive recipient, and I imagine how amazing it would be to have her ride my face—something I plan on trying out another time because this definitely isn’t going to be a one-time deal. She grinds against my mouth, body bowing off the bed when the first orgasm hits.

  She’s glorious when she comes, my name a hoarse cry tumbling from her lips. I have to say I’m pretty pleased with myself that I’ve already gotten her off, and just with my mouth. I won’t feel as bad if I don’t have the longevity I’d like.

  A lazy grin breaks across her face as I crawl up her body. “That was exceptional.” She takes my face between her hands and bites my chin. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you without a beard.”

  “Bite me after I’ve gone down on you?”

  “I was referring to the biting part, but the orgasm-by-mouth part has definitely been high on the fantasy list.”

  “I would really like to hear about that, in detail, later.”

  “I can do that. It’ll be your reward after you practice your speech.”

  “I love rewards.”

  “Fantastic, now do me a favor and get on your back.” Wren pushes on my chest.

  “You’re very demanding, you know that?”

  “You should be used to it by now. Now roll over, Mr. Moorehead, I want access to what’s in those old-man underwear you’re so fond of.”

  I scoff, but flip onto my back. “They’re not old-man underwear.”

  “They are, and they hide almost nothing.” She straddles my legs, exhaling a long sigh. “God, you’re magnificent, you know that? I was sad that we had to take off all that hair and your beard, because it was kind of sexy in an ‘I fight bears with my fists’ kind of way, but your face, and this body … I spent half of every day worried I was going to soak through my panties when you walked in the room.”

  “And did you?” I run my hands up the outside of her thighs.

  She shrugs and drags her nails over my abs, past the waistband of my briefs. She traces the ridge through the fabric, then wraps her hand around me, giving me a slow stroke before she finally tugs my briefs down, exposing my erection.

  “Hmm.”

  “Hmm? That’s all you have to say?” Talk about deflating an ego.

  She runs her fingertip along the underside of the head, and I shudder. That smirk of hers appears again. “You’re actually quite spectacular everywhere, aren’t you?”

  “Thanks.” I tuck an arm behind my head. “What’re you going to do now that you have me naked?”

  She taps her lip. “Well, there are just so many options.” She takes my erection in her hand
. “I should probably offer to blow you, since it’s only fair and equitable, but what I really want to do is ride you.”

  “We can worry about fairness and equity later, if that’s what you’d prefer.”

  “You think? I don’t know. It’s selfish not to give if you receive.”

  “You can have a free pass this time.” I grab my wallet from the nightstand. I’m pretty sure I have at least one condom in there somewhere. I hope. I riffle around, distracted by Wren’s constant slow stroking, and finally find what I’m looking for. I check the expiration date before I hand it over; it’s been that long.

  Wren plucks it from my fingers, tears it open, and rolls it on. I have to take several deep, slow breaths to manage my level of excitement, which is pretty damn high right now.

  Wren grips the shaft and rises, positioning the head at her entrance when she pauses. “Lincoln.”

  I drag my gaze away from where I’m about to disappear inside her. “Yeah?”

  She gives me one of her saucy grins. “Are you ready for the ride of your life?”

  I run my hands up her thighs and settle them on her hips. “So damn ready.”

  “Why can’t you be this appeasing all the time?”

  “Offer to sit on my cock, and maybe I will be.”

  “Only if I can sit on your face first.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  The head slips in, and I’m pretty sure my eyes want to roll up into the back of my head and stay there for the rest of my life. I fight to open them, though, because I don’t want to miss this.

  “I bet I could get you to promise me almost anything right now.”

  “Probably.” I agree as she sinks down, slowly taking me inside.

  When her ass rests on my thighs, she rolls her hips, which is just … more than I can handle.

  I tighten my grip and give her a warning headshake. “Stay like this, please.”

  She tips her head to the side and circles her hips again, of course, because she likes to give direction, not take it.

  “Don’t, Wren.”