Limitless Love (Lotus House #4)(25)

“You know what, beautiful?” His eyes were a bonfire of heat when he looked me up and down, taking in my loose pajamas, my disheveled hair, and finally my face. He seemed to zero in on my mouth.

“Misinterpret this!” he said on a growl before his face was in front of mine, his hand tunneled into my hair, and his lips slanted over mine.

“Oh!” I moaned a second before his tongue dipped in and tangled with mine. I couldn’t help but respond. His entire presence enveloped me in a cocoon of warmth and heat. He tasted of spice and mint and luscious man. I had absolutely no willpower with his lips on mine.

Clayton cocked his head to the side and eased my face up with his thumb at my jaw. He didn’t have to. I’d have gone like a horse to water. His lips were warm as they pressed against mine. For a moment, I allowed him to stun me with his kiss…until I’d had enough of sitting on the sidelines and I wanted more. So much more. With both hands, I cupped his cheeks and sucked on his bottom lip, taking control.

“Fuck,” he whispered, easing me forward until he was against the counter and I was pressing against the hard wall of muscles again. We were back in the position that had gotten us into our heavy discussion in the first place. What the hell was it between the two of us? I didn’t know, but with his mouth on mine, his tongue lapping and flicking against my teeth, I didn’t give a flying fig.

I moaned into his mouth until I twisted my upper body too far and a jolt of pain fired from every nerve ending.

“Oh God!” I cried out and backed away, pushing my hair from my face and gritting my teeth. The torment of each stitch pulling against one another throbbed and banged through my entire body. The kiss ended, and in its place a new sense of dread. Even a simple kiss hurt like hell. Kyle had done that to me. He’d taken my first kiss with Clayton Hart and made it painful. God this situation was torture, but the kiss…nothing but pure beauty.

“What’s the matter? Shit, Monet. I wasn’t thinking. I lost it the second I kissed you.” He held my biceps and craned his neck to look into my eyes.

I lifted my hand to my mouth, feeling the swollen flesh. Screw the pain. The kiss won out. I’d take the pain any day of the week to feel that bliss again. I peered over my shoulder to check on Lily. She was still watching cartoons, oblivious, but Atlas was openly gawking. Much to my dismay, he raised his hands and offered a slow clap for the show.

I closed my eyes and clenched my teeth. This was not happening. This could not happen. “Um…”

“You okay?” Clayton’s normally light-blue eyes had darkened with the shadow of worry. Again, all my fault. Usually when a man kissed a woman, the last thing he worried about was whether she was in pain.

Needing to brush it off and not take away from one of the loveliest moments between Clayton and myself, I fibbed. “I’m fine. I just twisted weird for a second.”

“You mean when you were trying to suck my tonsils out of my throat?” He cocked an eyebrow and smirked.

I narrowed my gaze, giving a death glare in reply as I backed away from his body a few steps.

He put a hand over his abdomen and laughed heartily. “Just kidding, beautiful. You need to lighten up. Besides, that kiss said everything you couldn’t.” He turned and placed a tortilla on the skillet to warm.

“Which is what, exactly?”

“That you think I’m hot.” His confidence was just barely this side of arrogant.

I rolled my eyes. How we went from he shouldn’t bother with me and my baggage to kissing to him knowing I thought he was hot was like a case of whiplash. My emotions and feelings were bouncing all over the place. Trying to take a note from his levity, I responded, “Everyone thinks you’re hot. The entire female population would admit that. It’s not a stretch.”

He smiled and winked over his shoulder.

“Annnndddd…” he drew out the word. “You like me,” he added, his voice laced with humor.

I cringed. “What is this? Seventh grade? Yes, I like you.” Easy enough to admit. He was a likable guy.

“That you liked kissing me,” he continued.

A wave of heat flashed over my cheeks. Uh-huh. I saw where he was going with his jabs, and I decided I’d play along. “Maybe.”

“That you felt the spark.”

I sighed. Infuriating man! “I will admit there were some definite sparks.”

“And we have chemistry.” He just blazed ahead, no stopping at Go, no collecting his two hundred dollars as though we were playing Monopoly.

“Clayton…” I warned. Why couldn’t he see I was all wrong for him? He deserved so much more than what I could offer him.

“What do you have to lose trying this out with me?” His voice was low enough that only I could hear him.

There was so much I could say to that loaded question. I could lose my sanity. I could fall in love and risk having my heart broken. My daughter could get used to him and have her heart broken. He could realize I was not worth the trouble. Kyle could hurt him, me, any of us, and he shouldn’t get involved. I was a divorced single mom who’d been cut mentally and physically. Besides all of that, it could all go to hell in a handbasket. Then Atlas would be angry with Clayton, and it would affect their friendship. Honestly, I could come up with far more reasons against this “thing” between us than I could for it.