Read Wicked Lovers 06.5 Wicked All The Way for Free Online

away long ago.”
    “Nope. I haven’t been all that interested.” He dipped his
head, his lips brushing her ear. “Until now. Do you have any idea how badly I
want to kiss you?”
    His words went straight to that place that no man had
touched in years. Her womb clenched. She gasped, and a little smile fluttered
over his face. “Caleb…”
    His lips fluttered up her neck, a brushing tease. In the
middle of a weekday, the store was virtually deserted. The employee from the
paint department wasn’t even facing them. There would be no one to see if she
closed her eyes, puckered her lips, and lost herself in his sinful kiss that
had once made her dizzy and flushed and wrought endless speculation about how
skilled he would be in bed.
    It was neither cautious nor smart, but Carlotta couldn’t
stop herself from tilting her face to his and letting her eyes slide shut. His
lips didn’t cover hers. Instead, a growl filled her ear as he plunged his
fingers into her hair and tugged just forcefully enough that she couldn’t call
his grip gentle.
    “You’re tempting me, Lottie. Not here. Because once I start,
I don’t know when or if I’ll stop. Think long and hard about that before you
offer me your mouth again.”
    Then suddenly, he was gone—his fingers in her hair, his body
heat against hers, that deep voice that made her shiver. She opened her eyes
with fluttering lashes, then caught sight of his taut profile. Every muscle in
his body looked tense, poised for battle…or sex. Her gaze flitted down. The
front of his jeans protruded, looking even harder than the rest of him.
    Instead of being scared as she’d been the last time he had
kissed her, she felt herself tremble with excitement. Her belly flipped. Parts
of her that she had barely thought of in years suddenly turned slick.
    Goodness.
    She turned away as Caleb took the cans of paint from the
store’s employee and loaded them on the flatbed. He rounded the square counter
of the paint department, gathering tarps and paintbrushes, painter’s tape and a
bit of sandpaper. Caleb did not once look at her as he dragged the cart behind
him, but her intuition told her that he was not angry. Rather, he was
restraining himself. For her.
    His actions were commendable and sweet. Still, she hoped
that he would not remain too sweet.
    Carlotta had never imagined that anyone—much less a hunk
like Caleb—would find her attractive at this stage of her life. She felt a bit
like pinching herself. Of course, his behavior suggested that he had always
been attracted to her. Shortly after her divorce, however, she had been too
anxious and shell-shocked to handle Caleb. She had wondered if he merely pitied
her or thought she would be an easy mark to ply into bed. Over time and through
Hunter, she had come to know Caleb much better and realized that he was exactly
as he seemed: honest to a fault, steady, sexy. A protector. A provider.
    A lover.
    “Come with me, Lottie.” His voice rumbled as he nearly sprinted
to the checkout counter at the front of the store.
    She rushed on her high heels to keep up and chastised
herself for not wearing more practical shoes in a store this huge.
    As they reached the register, Caleb threw everything on the
counter that would fit and jogged to find another cart, shoving every item in
the moment the cashier scanned it. Hunter had paid for the flooring in advance,
so Caleb left that on the flatbed. He barely listened to the total the cashier
rattled off, but swiped the debit card, checked his phone for the PIN, and
punched it in. The second the machine spit out a receipt, he grabbed the scrap
of paper and tore it free, tossed it in one of the bags, then ushered her to
the cart. He took the flatbed with the flooring and jerked it behind him as he
all but ran out of the store. He had the truck half loaded before she reached
the parking lot.
    Carlotta suppressed a smile. If he was half as aroused by
the idea of a long, wet, hungry kiss as she was…then, yes,