He saw her shoulders tense a little. “Craig . . . we should take this slow.”
“Of course,” he agreed, even though he already had visions of them playing house. “As long as we agree that we’re taking it slow with the understanding that we are taking it somewhere serious. I can’t promise what will happen in the future; no one can. But I can promise that I want to be with you.”
Her eyes shone in the candlelight. “Okay. Me too. But we’re taking it slow.”
He grinned triumphantly. “We’re taking it slow.”
* * *
“The best I’ve ever had. I promise you that.”
Rain’s words hadn’t stopped echoing in Craig’s head for the last week. He hated having to leave her to go to work, and that was a first. The truth was he’d had to physically drag himself away from her. And while his body was at work, his head was still in bed with Rain. Jo slyly commented on his absentmindedness, as if she knew the cause, and he was pretty sure that gossip would make its way to Joss’s ears and he’d never hear the end of it.
But he didn’t care. All he could think about was Rain’s mouth, her skin, the feel of her hair sliding through his fingers, her perfume, and how goddamn amazing it felt to be inside of her.
He was quite possibly addicted to this woman.
When customers flirted with him at work he automatically flirted back for tips, but it lacked his usual sincerity because there was only one woman in the world he found truly fucking beautiful, and none of these women were Rain.
The thought of going home to his empty bed in his flat filled him with dread. Salvation from the strange and unusual loneliness he felt at the thought came when his phone vibrated in his pocket an hour before closing.
I’m still up if you want to come to mine after your shift. Rain xo
Craig grinned at the text, filled with anticipation just at the thought.
I’ll be there, darlin’. Can’t wait to see you.
He saw no sense in being cool with her. He didn’t feel cool about her. He felt like his blood was on fire and there was no point in pretending otherwise.
Me too xo
He chuckled at the smiley face, discovering he found everything about her an enticing mix of sexy and adorable.
* * *
Something came over him as he climbed the stairs up to Rain’s flat a little over an hour later. It was something primal and desperate and while it excited the hell out of him, it also made him a little uneasy that one woman could make him feel this way.
Any uneasiness disappeared, however, as soon as she opened the door.
She was wearing a dark blue silk-and-lace nightie that heated his blood and sent a jolt straight to his dick.
She really was sincerely the sexiest, most beautiful woman he’d ever met.
“Hey, I—”
Craig cut off whatever she was going to say when he stepped inside the door and grabbed her wrist to wrench her hard against his body. His lips slammed down on her lush mouth and satisfaction flared when she instantly wrapped her arms around him, curling her fingers in the hair at the back of his neck. He wanted to devour her, his tongue moving in a deep dance with hers, tasting her, mimicking what their bodies would soon be doing. The door to the flat suddenly crashed shut and Craig broke the kiss to pull back and look at her.
Her breasts were framed perfectly by the low-cut nightdress, and it skimmed her curves before stopping short at the top of her slim thighs. Her skin was perfectly and naturally golden thanks, Rain had told him, to some Puerto Rican blood on her mother’s side.
“So fucking gorgeous,” he said hoarsely, drinking in his fill. “I love the nightie, darlin’. Much appreciated—” his hands reached for the hem—“but you don’t need it.”
Rain’s eyes glimmered in the low light of the hall and he saw the invitation and need in them. She only emphasized that need by lifting her arms willingly.
Craig flashed her a wicked grin and whipped the nightie up and over her head, letting the light fabric flutter to the floor at their feet. His gaze roamed her stunning body, his eyes feasting on her breasts. They were swollen, the nipples dark, tight little buds that he itched to suck.
Her chest rose and fell in fast breaths. “Craig . . .” She whispered his name urgently, her hand sliding up under the hem of his tee. His stomach muscles rippled at the teasing exploration, his dick straining painfully against his jeans.
He couldn’t wait to get her to the bedroom. He needed her. Now.