of the bowl as he got the last bits of pudding out. “This was even better than I remembered. I want to lick the bowl.”
“It’s your mom’s house, go ahead.”
“Are you trying to be a bad influence? Here, I’ll take your bowl to the dishwasher. Let’s go sit in the living room, it’s more comfortable.”
The old townhouse had been opened up at some point to create an airier floorplan than was originally built. I walked back to the cozy living room that joined the kitchen space on one side. The furniture looked showroom-new, as if no one ever sat on it. I settled back onto down pillows and soft fabric. Nicer than my futon, for sure.
Walker came in carrying the wine bottle. “Looks like there’s one more glass in here for you,” he said.
What the hell, right?
He emptied the bottle into my glass and set the bottle down before settling beside me on the couch.
“Look,” he said, uh-oh, serious tone. “I don’t have time to drag this part out, as fun as it is. I like you. I’m attracted to you. I’d like to get to know you better and not just as a fantastic cook. If I’m not your type, just tell me and I’ll back off. Reluctantly, but I’ll back off. Well, I’ll probably try to convince you first, which would totally win you over and then I wouldn’t have to back off…” He smiled and rubbed his chin as if in thought. “Well, I guess really, I just need to know if I need to block out some time to win you over or whether I can just kiss you now.”
Wow.
I took a swig from my glass. “I think I’m ready now,” I said, totally unsure if I really knew what it meant to be ready.
He gently took the glass from my hand and set it on the coffee table. No coaster. Rich boy. Putting his finger under my chin, he pulled me in and his lips met mine.
I’ve had a few first kisses. They’ve ranged from deeply awkward to pretty nice. But now I had something quite off the charts. His mouth was soft, but with an urgency. It wasn’t tender, it was insistent. It was the kiss version of that look he’d been giving me.
When my lips parted, his tongue found mine and claimed it. I couldn’t imagine the other guys I’d dated being able to kiss with such confidence. As I melted against him, he pulled me in closer still. My breasts were pressed against his chest, firm under that fine cotton. As I ran my hands over his back, I could feel the muscles outlined, feel the strength in his body.
He tasted of fine wine and homemade pudding, he smelled of spice and the outdoors. I didn’t give another thought to how little time I had for dating. I forgot all about Celia. I didn’t even think about how I still needed to finish packing for vacation. All my thoughts were of Walker, how it felt to be in his arms.
The hand on my back pulled my shirt out of the waistband of my skirt. I felt his hand on the bare skin of my back and sank more into his chest. My hand was in his hair, so thick and silky. With my other hand, I pulled his shirt up, too, let my hand search beneath the hem, find the hard muscles of his back.
I could hardly breathe. My heart was pounding. I’d never felt this desperate to have a man. To be thrown down on the sofa and taken. Without breaking away from the kiss, Walker pulled at the hem of my shirt, lifting it. I pulled away and lifted my arms to let it lift over my head.
Thank heaven I put on the pretty bra.
For a moment, he just looked at me, taking in what I can only call my heaving bosom. Then his eyes met mine. “Oh, Andrea, you’re so beautiful.”
He lowered his head and kissed the mounded tops of my breasts. It took all my control not to just unsnap that bra right there, move this along. But I wanted to savor it, to enjoy how it felt to be an object of desire. He scooped one hand into the demi-cup of my bra and lifted up my breast. My nipple was completely firm and when he sucked it into his mouth, I moaned out loud. He pulled hard with his tongue and then kissed gently all around