Shut Up and Kiss Me (5 page)

Straightening, Nikki gave them both a lazy, half-lidded smile. “So I’ll see you later,” she said to Mila. Reaching for her purse, she spun around and started toward the stairs, her hips swinging with an exaggerated swagger. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she called out on a laugh, waving over her shoulder.

Will’s gaze collided with Mila’s and he winked. “Hungry?”

“
Very,” she whispered, breathless.

Will slipped his hand
into mine and gently led me down the stairs. I chewed on my bottom lip, half attempting to contain my grin and half trying to force back the blush I knew was working its way across my entire body. Several sets of eyes fell on us as we hit the bottom of the staircase, and something akin to shame hit me as several people looked me over, some seeming overly interested and some appearing skeptical. It was as if they knew what had just happened between us, that Will’s hand had just been so very close to a part of my body that hadn’t been touched in well over a year.

And yet, I’d loved it, loved how freeing it had felt to kiss a stranger, how erotic it had seemed, sitting in that booth, his hands on me, mine on him, not over-thinking anything for the first time in far too long, but just living my life in the moment. For once.

One night of freedom.

That’s what Nikki had whispered to me. And I’d known right away what she meant. One night free from the worry and the fear and the guilt that constantly plagued me. One night to be someone other than myself, to do something fun and entirely out of character, for once not fretting and panicking over every action and reaction.

Yes, I wanted this. I wanted to be someone different tonight. Will was unbelievably handsome, and an incredibly skilled kisser, whose hands… My God, his hands…

But it was more than just to do with Will. He might have started this fire inside me, but I wanted to keep it burning. I wanted to accept this challenge from Nikki, if for no other reason than to prove to myself that I could let go, even if for only a moment.

Once at the coat check, I quickly fumbled through my purse, searching out my ticket, and when I was once again in my borrowed jacket, Will and I were headed through the front doors, past the line of waiting people and in into the cool night air. As we were waiting just off the curb for a taxi, a rather large man in a simple black suit appeared on Will’s right, the two men’s gazes colliding for a fraction of a second. Will looked away first, and in turn the man walked off.

“
Do you know him?” I asked, curious.

“
Sort of,” he replied.

Another question on the tip of my tongue was stilled by the arrival of a taxi. Pulling the door open, Will gestured me in with a smile. Flushing, I slid quickly inside, my dress snagging on the torn leather of the seat and causing the fabric to inch up my thighs.

Will followed me in, his appraising gaze on my thighs, traveling up my midsection, blatantly pausing on my breasts, then my mouth, before finally coming to rest on my eyes. My stomach fluttered, the heady combination of lust and liquor warming me to near boiling. I wasn’t hungry at all—at least not for food.

"Where to?" The cab driver's deep voice sliced through my thoughts, his thick accent jarring me back to the present.

“
La Bella Luna,” Will answered, his gaze never leaving mine.

As the taxi pulled away from the curb, I broke away from Will’s stare and looked out into the bustling night. Nerves still fluttered inside me, but with each passing breath my confidence grew in leaps and bounds. This all felt so uncomplicated and so wonderfully out of character for me.

“
Mila?”

Like hot butter sliding along swaths of silk, his deep voice cascaded over me and a shiver spiraled down my spine. Turning, I found him smiling again, his stare—as I imagined it always was—bold and unwavering. Feeling bold myself, I looked him over, his perfectly sculpted features, the messy locks of his hair grabbing my attention. Suddenly I had the urge to lean over and run my fingers through the soft waves.

“
Yes?” I said, my voice surprisingly husky.

His smile grew. “I’d like to kiss you again.”

Not knowing how to respond, I pressed my lips together, arousal flooding me. A million different thoughts ran through me, the most predominant of which was
Kiss him. Kiss him first, dammit
.

His hand cupped my cheek, forcing our gazes together as he slid his fingers through my hair. Gripping the back of my neck, he gently pulled me toward him, me sliding along the worn leather until the gap between us was no more. Breathing hard, I looked up at him, feeling needy and wanting—the cab driver, the entirety of New York City…now all but forgotten.

Then he kissed me.

This wasn’t a soft kiss. He didn’t start out slow like he had at the club, but instead brought his mouth crashing down against mine, his lips urgent as his tongue delved instantly inside. One hand appeared on my ribcage, skimming the underside of my breast, while the other dropped from my neck to my thigh, immediately seeking the skin beneath my dress. My own hands lifted, gripping the front of his shirt, pressing my body as close to his as I could, kissing him back faster and harder, my insides and emotions tumbling and leaping until I felt as I was spinning in circles.

His fingertips grazed the apex of my thighs and I moaned into his mouth. He groaned in response, a soft, throaty growl that had my legs clenching together, forcing his hand even higher. Then the taxi came to an abrupt stop, all at once breaking our kiss and shocking me out of the moment. I glanced forward, seeing the taxi driver watching us in the rearview mirror, his expression a cross between annoyed and expectant.

“
I’m not hungry,” I whispered.

The hand between my thighs twitched while his blue eyes glittered liquid fire.

“
Where do you live, Mila?”

My thoughts momentarily faltered. Where did I live? Somewhat confused, I simply stared at him until realization finally hit me. He wanted to come home with me. Of course he did—I was all over him, panting for more. And once he did, it would culminate—what we’d been doing back at the club, inside the taxi—it would conclude once we were behind closed doors. Is that what I wanted? To have sex with this man? This stranger who I knew nothing about other than how badly my body was burning for him?

I breathed out a shuddered breath. Yes. This was exactly what I wanted.

Whispering my address to him, he turned away and repeated my words to the driver. When he’d turned back to me, I lifted my chin, parting my lips, wanting to pick up where we’d left off.

Pulling his hand from between my legs, Will shook his head. “Not yet,” he murmured, sliding his arm across my shoulders. He pulled me against him and I settled into the crook of his body, my heart racing, my stomach somersaulting. Crossing one leg over the other, I squeezed my thighs together, a lame attempt at stopping the throbbing ache between them. The taxi suddenly wasn’t going fast enough, the thirty-minute drive to my apartment seeming excruciatingly long.

The feeling never abated. When the taxi finally came to standstill in front of my apartment building, although I’d spent the past half an hour encased in Will’s warm embrace and my nerves considerably eased, I was still reeling with desire.

Standing on the sidewalk, I waited as Will paid the driver. The next several minutes rushed by in a haze. Fumbling with my keys, hurrying up four flights of stairs, finding my door…

The lock clicked open, and the moment we stepped inside the dark apartment Will’s hands were on me, sliding my jacket down my arms and tossing it away. I stood there, my eyes squeezed shut, my lips parted, my chest heaving as I breathed through several steadying breaths. His hands found my back, running his palms from my shoulders to my backside and back up again. The sound of my zipper splitting apart echoed in my ears, and the feel of his breath hitting my bare back sent delicious shivers racing down my spine.

My dress fell away from my body, Will helping it down past my hips, leaving me standing there in only my heels and a pair of black cotton briefs. Releasing another shuddered breath, I dropped my purse on the floor and moved to turn, facing Will.

He stood there, shrouded in near darkness, his blue eyes soaking up the moonlight streaming in through windows, glittering as he looked me over. It should have been unnerving, being nearly naked in front of a near stranger. But it wasn’t. I’d surpassed any last vestiges of doubt I’d had while snuggled against him in the taxi.

He moved first, closing the short distance between us, wrapping his hands around my waist, dipping his head to my neck, his tongue darting out and licking its way across my throat. I gripped his arms, my fingernails digging into his muscled biceps, my head lolling backwards, a soft moan escaping me as he continued his exploration of my neck.

Then my breasts were in his hands and he was kneading them softly at first, his movements growing in enthusiasm when his mouth reached mine. Our tongues tangled, our bodies melted against one another, and then I felt him, hard and ready through the stiff material of his jeans, pressing up against my stomach. Inadvertently I cried out, feeling all-consumed by this moment, by this man, by the way my body was responding to his, and wanting—no, needing—more.

“
Bedroom?” he asked, breaking our kiss, his voice a mere rasp.

“
End of the hallway,” I breathed.

Grabbing my hand in his, he pulled me forward, walking quickly down the hallway with me hurrying after him, my heels clicking hastily against the hardwood floor.

“
This one?” he asked, pushing open Nikki’s door.

“
This one,” I said, pulling him forward.

Inside my bedroom, I barely had time to slide off my shoes before I was falling backwards onto my bed. The familiar touch of my thick cotton comforter and the smell of my laundry detergent enveloped me in feelings of comfort and safety.

Will followed me over, his bigger body kneeling between my legs as he began tugging his shirt up and over his head, revealing perfectly sculpted abs and a toned chest. Smirking down at me, he bent forward, and I finally did what I’d been wanting to. Reaching for him, I laced my fingers through the thick of his hair, watching as he closed his eyes, a groan escaping him.

Arching my neck, I pressed my lips to his, only meaning to give him a single, soft kiss while I continued my exploration of him. His eyes opened, our gazes colliding, and another throaty noise burst free from his throat.

Holding my gaze, he worked the buttons on his jeans open between us, expertly freeing himself. Then he was covering my body with his, his mouth once again fused with mine, his kisses more frantic, heavy with urgency. His hands freely roamed my body, skimming, grabbing, kneading, while I fought to catch my breath, trying to breathe through the numerous sensations erupting from every inch of my body, sizzling through my skin.

He suddenly stopped, pushing himself off of me and into a kneeling position. Reaching for his discarded jeans, he pulled something from his pocket. I watched him, swallowing hard, as he divested himself of his boxers, ripped open the condom, and slowly rolled it on. Finished, his attention once again on me, his hands found my hips and his fingers hooked into the waistband of my briefs, slipping them down my legs.

Again he looked me over, and even in the darkness I could make out the appreciation of his gaze.

“
You’re beautiful,” I said, my eyes widening the moment the words slipped free. It was what I’d been thinking while watching him undress, while he’d slid the condom over himself, his jutting length, long and thick. Only I hadn’t meant to say it aloud.

He laughed softly, a deep rumbling that caused gooseflesh to pebble over every inch of my skin. Unconsciously I squirmed beneath his gaze, helpless to stop the following blush that spread across my cheeks, and grateful that was it was too dark for him to notice.

“
You’re
beautiful,” he said, his hand now pressed flat against the space between my hipbones. Sliding it across my stomach, he moved up toward my breast and took a nipple between his fingers. Leaning down, he took my other nipple into his mouth and began to suck, teasing me with his teeth and making me groan with pleasure. Between us, his hand moved from my breast down to my stomach and then further, dipping between my thighs, to the place that was most desperate for his attention. My back arched, my body leaving the bed as his finger teased its way inside of me.

My eyelids fluttered closed just as his mouth met mine, our movements frenzied and our bodies mere tangled bursts of energy, desperate to find purchase in one another. I bucked and moaned, forcing him to grip my hip to keep me still as he continued his skillful manipulation inside of me. Two fingers replaced the one and then I was crying out, trembling beneath him.

I was still reeling when he lowered himself, bringing my chest flush with his, and nudged against my entrance. Breathing in short, staccato breaths, I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist and then, not breathing at all, I waited for him to enter me.