Actual Stop (Agent O’Connor #1)(64)

A warning sounded in the back of my head, faint, but not faint enough for me to ignore. Then it came again. Breathlessly, I wrenched my lips away. It was too hard to think and kiss her at the same time. My head was spinning and not just from the alcohol. No, I was drunk on desire. I wanted her in a way I’d forgotten I could want anyone, and it would’ve been so easy to get swept away on the torrent of perfectly mind-blowing sensations that her kiss sparked. But I didn’t feel right about the situation. We were both more than a little tipsy, and things were wretchedly complicated for me. I was positive I’d never be able to forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to talk to her before we gave into our obviously mutual desire.

“Allison, wait,” I gasped, turning my head when she leaned back in to kiss me.

A rumble emanated from deep within her chest, and she ignored my protests and immediately started exploring the skin of my now-bared neck with her lips. I shivered and tightened my grip on her, moaning a little as I did. Dear God. Was there anything about this woman that didn’t completely short-circuit my brain?

Allison worked one hand beneath the fabric of my shirt and started stroking my skin with her fingernails. Goose bumps broke out over my entire body, and I covered her hand with one of my own. It was an effort, and the part of me drowning in the need for her to touch me howled loudly in protest.

“Allison, please, just wait.”

She pulled back a bit and eyed me with a borderline-hostile expression. “What?”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, don’t you think maybe we’ve had a little bit too much to drink?”

She scoffed. “Honey, we’ve never been too drunk for this.”

She leaned in to kiss me again, and I cuffed her on the shoulder, trying not to laugh. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

She nodded slowly. “On a scale of church sober to that weekend in New Orleans, how drunk are you?”

“Um…I’d say I’m Superbowl Party tipsy. You?”

“Desjardin’s retirement, maybe edging toward New Year’s Eve.”

“Oh.”

“Okay?”

I frowned. “Sure.” I was glad this wasn’t all a booze-fueled hook up, but there was still the matter of…well, everything else.

She regarded me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. And then, inexplicably, she smiled. “Are you married?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

I made a face. “Of course not!”

“Seeing someone?”

I grimaced at the reminder of my recently failed relationship. That was actually a huge part of the reason I’d stopped this. What the hell had I been thinking, coming up here to her room with her? This was—

“Are you really a man?” Allison rushed on before I could fall too far back into my self-loathing or varying degrees of guilt.

I blinked, and it finally hit me what she was doing. She and I’d had an eerily similar conversation the very first time we’d slept together, only then our positions had been reversed. She’d been the one who’d been a touch unsure, and I’d attempted to lighten the mood with inane queries.

Allison brushed some stray wisps of bang off my forehead and tucked them back behind my ear, smiling broadly now that she seemed positive I recalled the exchange. “Whatever it is, it doesn’t matter. Okay?”

I bit my lower lip and nodded, not completely reassured but feeling at least a little better.

“Do you want me to stop? Because if you don’t want to do this…”

The mere suggestion was like fingernails on the chalkboard of my mind, and I shook my head. “No. Don’t stop.”

Allison cupped my jaw with her fingertips and scoured my eyes again. She waited a long moment as though to give me time to pull away, if that was what I really wanted, like she doubted my words. And then she leaned in slowly to kiss me again. It seemed to take forever for her lips to finally brush mine, but when they did, I sighed. I could easily have spent the rest of my life just kissing her.

Allison deepened our kiss, easing her tongue into my mouth and stroking mine. It almost tickled in a wonderful way, and I whimpered. Allison’s lips curved into a smile, and I pulled back just enough to nip at her bottom lip. She slid her hands around my neck and pulled me tighter against her as she moaned. The sound sparked something primal inside me, and I knew I was seconds away from letting her take me against the hotel room door. As hot as that would’ve been, it wasn’t what I wanted right now.

Using a technique we’d learned in training, I dropped my hands so the heels rested against the front of her pelvis and pushed, tucking my elbows in close to my body and creating a little distance between us. Allison growled and tried to press her body back against mine as she increased the intensity of her kiss. I waited, thoroughly enjoying the pressure of her hips against my hands, and when I thought she was pushing as hard as she could, I released my grip and swiftly wrapped my arms around her to cup her ass. I used her forward momentum to scoop her up into my arms. It was a bold move, tipsy as I was, but she instantly locked her legs around my waist, grinding against my belt buckle. She cried out, but the press of my lips muffled her moans.

Praying she hadn’t left anything on the floor for me to trip over and I could pull this off without injuring both of us, I walked us farther into the room and dropped her on the bed. Passion flared even hotter in her dark eyes, and she scooted back, kicking off her boots. I took the opportunity to lose my own shoes as well.