Page 127 of Naughty November

“Iggy.” I slowly approached him, forcing him to look at me.

“Y-yes?”

“How many countries are in the European Union?”

Iggy’s transformation was instant. His face scrunched up into a scowl. “You can do better than that.”

“Or is it that you don’t know the answer?” I teased.

“Now you’re insulting a trivia aficionado.”

“You still haven’t given me an answer.”

“Twenty-seven.”

I smiled. My plan worked. He was too focused on the trivia to be nervous about our first night. I’d given him two days to think about it and back out if he wanted. His time was up.

“Who invented the World Wide Web?” I took his hand and pulled him to his feet.

“Another easy one. Tim Berners-Lee. These are questions for beginners.”

“What’s the world’s largest flower?”

“Hmm.” He cocked his head. “That’s a good one. I know it’s called corpse flower.”

“The scientific name.”

“Touché. It’s Rafflesia arnoldii.”

I cupped his chin and placed my mouth on his. Iggy parted his lips, allowing me entry so I could taste the mintiness of his tongue. He was still for a moment but then responded, molding his lips to mine. He closed his eyes, his eyelashes fluttering against his cheeks. The tension that had been in the room moments ago dissipated.

“Which animal has the longest gestation period?” I whispered against his mouth.

“The elephant.” He brushed his lips over mine. “Twenty-two months.”

I traced my thumb along his lower lip, and a shiver ran through me. “How do you feel? Are you sure you?—”

Iggy twined his arms around my neck and kissed me hard, rubbinghis body against mine. With a groan, I grabbed him by the back of his thighs and lifted him. He latched his legs around my waist. His frame fit against me as if he were made for me. The little moans, the whimpers, the way he fisted his hands into my hair sent my heart racing.

The bed behind us beckoned me. It would be so easy to lay him down on the mattress and do the bare minimum to prep him. It would be so easy to fold his legs back and enter his body. It would be so easy to lose myself in his body and come undone.

But I couldn’t.

I tore my lips away from his. “We’re moving too fast.”

“I doubt it. My body’s all hot, Kieran.”

“And this is just the beginning.”

I marched with Iggy in my arms to the en suite bathroom. The soft, flickering glow of candlelight bathed the room in a warm, golden hue, casting dancing shadows on the walls. I’d placed candles everywhere: clustered around the edges of the deep, clawfoot bathtub, arranged atop the marble sink, and lined up on the floating shelves. The air was pregnant with the subtle, intoxicating scent of vanilla and lavender.

A delicate layer of rose petals floated gently on the steaming water. Plush, fluffy towels in a rich burgundy were neatly folded on a nearby stool.

“Wow.” Iggy craned his neck and looked around. “You did this for me?”

I let him slide down my body to the floor. “Yes.”

“But I don’t see the camera.”