Big Shot(15)
But the second he lowered his head and his lips touched hers, his reasons for being contrite no longer mattered.
Chapter Six
As Wes selfishly took what he wanted, what he suddenly desperately needed, he fully expected Natalie to come to her senses and jerk away from him, to end the kiss with an indignant comment that would remind him what a f*cking bad idea this was—and that he had no business putting his lips anywhere on Natalie’s body.
It’s what she should have done, because he lacked the power to do it himself.
Instead, she placed her hands on his hips and leaned into him, flattening her breasts against his chest and making him wish she was completely naked so he could feel those gorgeous tits against his bare skin. Her mouth was so soft and yielding, her perfectly shaped lips molding to his as if they’d been designed solely for his pleasure. And when they parted and she made that cock-squeezing sound in the back of her throat, he was helpless to resist the invitation to deepen the kiss, to sweep his tongue inside and explore.
Jesus . . . how could a mouth that was so full of fire and sass taste as sweet as cotton candy? The question seeped through Wes’s mind as he released his hold on her face and slid his hands into her thick, luxurious hair, gripped the strands in his fingers, and tilted her head to the side so that he could slant his mouth across hers in another slow, hot, tempting kiss that had her hands gripping him tighter and her hips moving provocatively against his rock-hard erection.
He shuddered and groaned and with all the friction the two of them generated whenever they were together and the years of sexual tension always simmering beneath the surface between them, he always imagined that kissing Natalie would be equivalent of being swept up into a tornado. Hard and fast, wildly intense, and reckless.
Oh, he definitely had the urge to pick up the pace, to unleash all the lust he was deliberately holding back, but this unhurried seduction was equally potent on a whole different level. This brief moment of indulgence was also all he’d allow himself to enjoy, because anything more with this woman was pure wishful thinking, or fantasizing, for numerous reasons.
One of them being her brother, Connor. Messing around with his best friend’s little sister was like committing friendship suicide, not to mention putting a strain on their working relationship. Those pertinent thoughts prompted Connor’s fierce, I’m going to f*cking kill you for touching my sister expression to flash in Wes’s mind, and it was just what he needed to put a damper on his cock’s overly eager hopes for some kind of happy ending.
Wasn’t going to happen. Not now. Not ever, with Natalie.
The depth of his regret and disappointment was startling.
He loosened his hold on her hair, and with one last pass of his tongue against hers, he ended the kiss and lifted his head. Her lashes fluttered back open, the dazed look in her eyes and the dreamy expression on her flushed face dissipating as she gradually remembered where she was and realized who she’d been kissing.
Her hands instantly dropped from his hips when it dawned on her how intimately she’d been touching him . . . as well as rubbing up against him, not that he was going to point that out to her when she seemed so stunned and confused by her response to him.
She tipped her chin up, her gaze narrowed warily on his face. “Why did you do that?”
“You mean kiss you?” he asked, wanting to be sure that’s what she was questioning.
She nodded. “Yes.”
He opted for the simple, easy answer. “Because you were panicking and I was trying to distract you from the ride.” He slid his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and gave her a playful grin. “Did it work?”
“Yes,” she admitted, albeit reluctantly. “Just don’t do it again.”
Before he could say anything more—not that there was anything else to say—the ride came to an end. As soon as the doors slid open, Natalie darted around him and rushed off the gondola as if her sexy heels were on fire. He followed her onto the platform, came up beside her, and lightly grabbed her elbow to guide her back out to the main area of the pier.
“Where are you parked?” he asked, fairly certain that she was ready to call it a night. “I’ll walk you to your car.”
“You don’t need to do that,” she said, rejecting his offer. “I’ll be fine.”
“It wasn’t optional, Natalie. Where are you parked?” he asked again, this time in a tone of voice that brooked no argument.
With a slight huff, she relented and gave him the section number, which was close to where he’d parked, as well. They walked to her vehicle in silence, and when her MINI Cooper came into sight, she disengaged her alarm and unlocked the car with her remote.
Wes opened the driver’s-side door for her but stopped her before she could slide inside. She glanced up at him, that wariness back again, which he knew he deserved after tonight’s stupid idea but he hated anyway.
Maybe what he was about to say would help them get back on track. “I just wanted to tell you that did great with the Magnolia listing today,” he said, meaning every word. “Your offers were strong, and you handled the bidding really well. You’re a good, solid Realtor.”
Her gaze softened at his compliment, but he didn’t miss the flash of disappointment in the depths of her eyes. “I’m a good Realtor . . . just not good enough to work for Premier Realty.”