Downfall(32)

He chuckled and I was suddenly surrounded by his heat as he pressed close enough to touch his lips against my temple. “Good, my plan worked. I like that I can distract you, that I can take you out of your own head where all those secrets live, for a little while.” His hand lowered to my jaw and his fingers brushed lightly over my lips. “I like that I can see how quickly you react to my touch and how you aren’t hiding from me.”

The thin cotton of my tank clearly showed the outline of my tightened nipples and couldn’t hide the flush steadily crawling up my chest. Maybe I’d dressed so carelessly on purpose. It was possible I wanted to distract him from the questions as much as he wanted to distract me from the things I was running from. I had to admit I loved the dark heat in his eyes when he looked at me and the impatient vibration in his touch. His mouth was a millimeter away from mine. All it would take was the slightest move of my head to press my lips against his for a second time. I waited breathlessly for Solo to close the infinitesimal distance, and realized after a moment he wasn’t going to do it. If I wanted something more, wanted him, I was going to have to take it. I was going to have to be the one who moved toward him… so I did.





Solo



I wasn’t sure Orley was ready to come to me.

Sure, she had started to rely on me, to lean on me, but she still didn’t trust me with the secrets from her past. I wanted to be bothered by her continued evasion and secrecy, but it was hard to feel anything but affection because she trusted me with her kid, and now, apparently, her body.

When she closed the slight distance between us, I expected her lips on mine. I waited for her to kiss me so I couldn’t give into the curiosity that hounded me every single time she looked at me with those innocent blue eyes. She had so many hidden layers, so many facets to her, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that at her core, she was as hard as a diamond and just as precious. I watched with hooded eyes as she shifted closer, lips grazing mine in a feather-light caress. They skipped over the sharp breath which escaped and ghosted over my chin. My fingers tightened on her jaw and my free hand caught in the wet silk of her long ponytail. When her warm breath hit the base of my throat, my pulse started to hammer so hard I was sure she could hear the rumble of my heart inside my chest. Her soft lips touched the very spot where her breath had just caressed the base of my throat and slowly, achingly she kissed her way up the ink decorating my neck. Her teeth paused to nip at my Adam’s apple and her tongue flicked delicately along the curved line of my jaw.

I heard my breath change to something harsh and rapid as her fingers reached out to trace the wet pattern she left on my skin. Her eyes were wide and guileless when she lifted her head and met my questioning gaze.

“I’ve never been around anyone like you, Solomon. Never known anyone who looks like you, who acts like you. You’re so brave and badass. You’re also brilliant and effortlessly caring. So many contradictions. So many surprises. I’m not sure I know what to do with you.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her she knew more about me than she thought, but the words were stolen away when she shifted again, practically climbing in my lap as she wrapped one arm around my shoulders and used her other hand to trace the outline of my lips. “I know what I want to do with you, though. I’ve been thinking about it since the first time I saw you jogging with your shirt off when you offered to fix my car.”

“Tell me…” I remembered how lost and alone she looked that day. How afraid of everything she seemed. That young woman was nowhere to be found at the moment. The woman in my lap was confident, sure, and bold. I liked both of them. I was pulled toward the timid, single mother by a need to protect and shelter her. I was entranced by the subtle seductress, the Orley who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to call the shots.

The hand she wasn’t using to clutch the back of my neck dropped to my shoulder and slowly started to slide across my pecs. “I want to put my mouth on each and every single one of these tattoos. I want to know if your skin tastes different, better than boring, plain skin.”

She paused in her gentle exploration when she reached the spot on my chest where my heart was racing behind my ribs. Her dark eyebrows lifted a fraction and her lips parted on a sigh. I reached up and caught her wrist, feeling her pulse race in time with mine under her velvety skin. “There are a lot of them and that’s a lot of territory to cover. That task might take a while.”

Her eyes flashed at the challenge, blue bleeding into something bright and hot. The tip of her tongue shot out and slicked across the curve of her lower lip, leaving a shiny, wet trail I wanted to follow so badly I could taste it.

“Guess I should get started as soon as possible, then.” Her voice was breathy and low. I liked the way it sounded. There was no fear, no hesitation.

“Sounds like a plan.” I grinned at her and didn’t complain when she snatched the hat off my head and tossed it in the general direction of my coffee table.

Once the bill was out of her way, Orley leaned fully into me, chest to chest, softness against unyielding hardness, and sealed her mouth over mine. There was no gratitude or apology in this kiss. No, it was all exploding heat and unabashed passion. It was wet and messy. Lips slid against lips and teeth clashed with unchecked eagerness. Breath mingled and was stolen, only to be given back as the kiss deepened.

Her hand tugged at my short hair and her legs shifted with impatience where they straddled the outside of mine. Since I didn’t have a shirt on and her tank top was as thin as paper, I could clearly make out the way her nipples tightened and pressed into me. We both shivered when she moved and the peaks dragged across my skin. It was nice to know she was as out of her mind as I was. Sometimes I felt like I was chasing after her with no hope of catching her. She was running so fast, one eye always looking behind her, but not tonight. Tonight, the only thing she was looking at was me, and she was trying to get closer to me with every second that passed.