Page 63 of Timelessly Ours
Her eyes wander as she thinks, then lift to mine again. “I lied earlier. When I said I had a crush on you. Total lie.”
I nod slowly. “Is that so?”
She shrugs.
I hold the piece between us. “I call bullshit.” Then I place the bitter chocolate in her mouth, slipping my thumb in with it.
And she doesn’t miss a beat.
She sucks on my thumb, swirling her tongue around it, licking it clean of the sugar dust. I’m entranced by the way her lips move around me. I need to taste them.
I swipe my thumb along her lip. “Nicole.” It’s almost a question as I stare at her mouth.
She nods urgently. “Yes.”
I cover her mouth with mine in a fierce, hard kiss and she moans like she’d been dying for it all night. I rope my arm around her waist, pulling her on top of me. I take her kisses like she’s the only raindrop in the desert. My thumb strokes her jawline, reveling in the skin I finally get to touch, trace, taste. A groan escapes my throat and it's unfamiliar, feral, like we’re both in some sort of danger.
I taste it all. The sweet, the bitter, the hunger, the longing. And I can’t—no, I will never get enough of her.
I press my thumb back on her lips as I break our kiss but hold her jaw between my palms.
She’s breathing heavily, her eyes slowly lifting from my chest to my eyes.
“How did you like that one?”
She blinks in confusion. “The bitter one?”
I nod.
“Hmm,” she hums appreciatively, still straddling me. “It makes me want to be bad more often.”
I laugh and she breaks into a soft laugh with me, burying her head on my chest. “I’m sorry. I’m totally devirginizing your therapy game.”
“De-virginizing?”
“Or…deflowering?” She scrunches her nose, then swings her leg over me, awkwardly shifting back to her spot on the floor.
I’m left facing the fire again. “Are you warm now?”
She nods. “I think it’s safe to say I am very warm right now.”
A few minutes later, I take her upstairs and it feels a lot like I’m walking her home after a date. Seeing her to her door. She turns and looks up at me. “Better hide those chocolates now that I know where you keep your stash.”
I smile. “Good night, Nicole.”
She bites her lip. “Royce.” She pushes her hair behind her ear. “I wasn’t planning to…act on my…crush. I respect you and I care about Rory. I don’t want you to think I—”
“Nicole. I kissed you.”
“You never told me why.”
I grin. “Guess you’ll have to wait until we play again.”
The next morning I’m packing for an away game for the weekend when my phone buzzes.
Robbie: Good luck in Seattle.
Hastings isn’t getting to me today. I don’t have the time or patience for his taunting. I have more important things on my mind.