Page 44 of One Bossy Date

Then, finding her balance, she smiled gratefully. “Thank you for a nice evening, Anders.”

With that, she let go of my hand, ready to leave, but I stopped her.

“Not so fast,” I rumbled, cupping her chin. “You owe me a kiss.”

“Oh! Yes…right…totally slipped my mind…” She pretended to remember, but I knew from the nervous way she was holding her clutch, and from the way she had been staring at my lips all evening, that she had anticipated this. “You didn’t forget.”

I brushed my thumb over her cheek, and I felt her gasp under my touch. “I didn’t forget.”

The street was quiet under the warm glow of the streetlights.

Standing in front of the Purrfect Boutique was bittersweet, reminding me of the moment we had met—the moment I’d written her off as not my type.

Yet, here I stood, pulling her closer, ready to claim my kiss from her, because of the way the light reflected off her smooth shoulders, and the way her shiny hair had loosened just enough to fall in small tendrils against her neck. Not to mention the way she was looking at me right now, hooded eyes watching me intently, almost nervously, lips slightly parted.

17

ZOE

Nerves bubbled through my entire being, making me hyperaware of how Anders was making me feel. Beautiful and special, protected and wanted. This end-of-the-night intimacy was something I hadn’t anticipated, and while I’d hoped he’d forget about the kiss deal—because, bad idea—now I wasn’t so sure. Now, it seemed like a perfect idea. Because now this gorgeous man stood, his shirt unbuttoned at the neck and rolled up at the sleeves, assessing me with those dark, seductive eyes.

In the limo, it had been a struggle to keep my eyes off him as he loosened his tie and undid those buttons. The rolling up of his sleeves had revealed his strong, muscled forearms—he’d never been sexier. Okay, well, maybe not compared to when he stood in front of me in a towel, but that was a different moment.

This moment was more personal.

Tonight, we’d been through something together, shared a secret, and it had brought us just a bit closer. Just enough for me to admit that I was dying for those manly hands to touch me again.

“Anders, can I ask you something?” There was one thing I needed to know.

“Sure.”

“Why the kiss deal?”

He narrowed his gaze at me. “Because you frustrate me.”

“What?” My instinct was to back away, but he held me there.

“Because your lips entice me,” he growled. I had to tip my head back to stare into his eyes, and he brought me even closer. “And because you’re just so damn beautiful.”

My heart was beating so fast I could hardly breathe.

His hands cradled my face tenderly, and he leaned in.

Just like the first time, his mouth stopped only an inch from mine. But then he bridged the gap. A small gasp escaped my mouth when our lips finally touched. A teeny, tiny brush against mine, teasing me, torturing me, causing my knees to buckle. I felt his hands slide up my back, pulling my body firmly against his.

The kiss started out softly, slowly, but soon enough, my eyes fluttered closed, and our lips and bodies pressed against each other with a needy force. I lifted my arms to rest them on his shoulders and opened my mouth for him. Immediately, I felt the teasing of his tongue against my bottom lip, not even asking permission to devour me. I gave it gladly, sliding my tongue across his and inviting him in. Breathy, helpless moans escaped my throat, and I delved my fingers into his hair, pulling myself closer to him until my breasts pressed against his torso, and I was tipping the balance. He used the opportunity to wrap his arms entirely around my waist and lift me until my toes nearly left the ground.

I could feel him between my legs.

It was thrilling. Exhilarating. Invigorating. It made me feel alive, more alive than I’d felt the past three months.

His tight grip on my body awoke deep desires within me, and I could feel everything. The way his hands explored my back, his formed chest against my breasts and sensitive nipples, his hard abs, and most importantly, that impressive steel-hard bulge. Its erect form teased me mercilessly the more we pressed together, and I would’ve given everything to wrap my legs around his hips and feel that hardness and that rhythmical tease right against my heated little clit.

We continued the gentle—yet not so gentle—kiss for an unimaginable amount of time before ending with a final tender kiss of our lips.

We parted slowly, opening our eyes as if from a deep sleep.

Wow.