Page 70 of Guarded Deputy
“If I don’t stop, I’m going to embarrass myself.” His voice is hoarse.
I giggle, pushing myself into him, and he grunts.
“I may, too,” I whisper, angling his head toward me so I can kiss him softly.
Nate opens his eyes, and I see hunger swirling in his gaze. A hunger that I feel in the pit of my stomach. Heated, desired, uncontrollable.
“I really like you, Lizzy, which means that I don’t want to act on impulse and ruin tonight.” His hand comes up my back, stopping in the middle to push me toward him. “We need to take our time. I want to get to know everything about you. I’ve never done the whole serious relationship thing with someone, but I want to with you. That means, being patient, even if it pains me.” His lips are a breadth away.
I brush my fingers across his face and smile when his eyes shut. His chest rises and falls rhythmically as I trace each inch. I brush my lips against his and then drop a kiss on his cheek before moving to his ear.
“Who knew you were such a gentleman.” I smile as I tease him, carefully moving off his lap and fixing my dress.
Nate’s eyes burn into mine with desire. “I’m not usually this well-behaved, but you deserve it.”
If they paid me a million dollars to frown, I still wouldn’t be able to wipe the smile off my face. I’d live poor if it meant having Nate tell me all these sweet things. The tough guy I met doesn’t fit in with the gooey center I’m discovering, and I love that there are so many layers of him to explore.
It’s like the old Tootsie Pop commercial—how many licks does it take to get to the chewy center?
Chapter 20
Nate
IgrabLizzy’sarmas she walks past me and drag her into the hidden corner where I was just talking on the phone. I have her pinned against the wall in a split second.
“Whaa…” Her eyes widen as the word gets stuck in her throat, and I throw my head back and laugh at her terrified expression.
“Nate!” she hisses. “You scared the shit out of me.” She slaps my chest as laughter rumbles out of me.
I drop a hard kiss on her lips, stealing her complaints.
“Sorry, but I had to see you and say hi.” I haven’t had a chance to talk to her at all today. “It was necessary for my health.”
“Really?” She lifts a brow. “You know, I’m not a doctor.”
“No, but you can be my nurse.” I waggle my eyebrows. “Besides, your kisses are all I need to be cured.”
“Are you calling yourselfSleeping Beauty?“ She fights back a smile.
“Hell, I’ll be every Disney princess if it means waking up to your kiss.”
“You’re funny.” She relaxes and beams a smile. “It was quite a hello.”
“Yeah?” I press against her, trailing my nose along her cheek.
Lizzy sighs, bringing her hands around my back, and I smile. Her touch is my kryptonite. She could weaken me with a single stroke, and I wouldn’t even complain.
“We shouldn’t be doing this here.” She drops her hands from me, and I frown, staring into her eyes. “Don’t look at me like that.” She laughs. “I teach kids. I’m very familiar with the puppy-dog face.”
Instead of responding, I deepen my pout, which causes her smile to break free.
“You, sir, are trouble.” She points at me.
I push off the wall and put some space between us. It’s a feat since I want to feel each curve of hers against mine for an indefinite amount of time, but she has a point.
Footsteps echo nearby, and Lizzy tenses. I hate that she reacts that way, but I can understand that she may want to keep our relationship out of school gossip. I wink and walk away from our hiding spot with my phone in my hand.
“Oh, Deputy, I hadn’t seen you there.” Ellen practically purrs, and I cringe but keep my smile in place.