left home, I was young. I felt lost without . . . well, I wanted to take charge of my life and where I wanted it to go.”
“The animal itself and the location are symbolic?”
“Yes. The solar plexus is a chakra that represents self-esteem, willpower, and personal responsibility.”
“I know,” I said, smiling at the memory. “My father was into Eastern philosophy.”
Apparently, my dad’s interest had resonated and remained with Storm. Had his affection for me remained too?
“It also represents pleasure,” he said, his gaze intense with maybe more than merely affection.
My skin tingled, and so did other parts of me, just from the eye contact. It had been that way since our eyes had first connected in LA.
“Journey . . .” I breathed out his name longingly, almost calling him by the wrong one.
I had my best friend back. Maybe not for as long as I wanted, as in forever, but I had him now, and I didn’t want to just sit on the couch and stare at the television. I wanted to be with him.
Peeking at him through my lashes, I said, “Can we go downstairs to your place?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Giving me a heated look, he took my plate and his to the kitchen. Staring at his tight ass in his board shorts, I swallowed to moisten my dry throat.
When he returned from the kitchen, I licked my lips. I couldn’t fail to notice that the idea of being with me had a notable effect. His cock was hard and thick, and merely noticing it made desire pool hot and heavy between my legs.
“Come here, Lotus.”
He offered me his hand, and without hesitation, I placed mine in his. He tugged, pulling me off the couch and directly into his waiting arms.
My palms landed on his hard chest. I could feel the incredible heat of him, even through the cotton of his gray tank. He put his large masculine hand over my smaller feminine ones. So many times as a teenager, I’d stared at his hands, imagining him touching me. The reality of it, of him, far surpassed my wildest dreams.
Clutching both my hands in one of his, he lowered his head. “I have to kiss you now,” he said, his voice low and rough. “I can’t wait any longer.”
And I didn’t want him to wait.
His mustache brushed my skin first, making it tingle with anticipation. Then his lips touched mine. I closed my eyes, abandoning myself to the dream. His mouth was urgent on mine, his tongue insistent. When he slipped it between my lips, his breath became my breath, and my breath became his. His body, his scent, he was my everything.
Breaking the kiss, he stared down at me, looking like a man possessed and at the end of his control.
“Fucking hell, you are everything I want, everything I need.” He rocked his erection against me. “Can you feel how badly I want you?”
“Take me downstairs,” I said, feeling bolder than I ever had before. “And I’ll show you how badly I want you.”
His answer was to sweep me off my feet.
I twined my arms around Storm’s strong neck, my lips curving as he strode, carrying me like a bride. Only there was no threshold, no commitment—not on his side, not yet. Just passion, but our passion was pure, even with his secret remaining between us.
Balancing me in one strong arm, he unlocked his door and stepped inside his apartment, then slammed the door shut with one solid kick. He released me, and my body slid slowly down his.
His chest was solid muscle. His abs were contoured ridges. My hands glided along the slabs of strength on his back. When my toes hit the carpet, his hard cock was exactly where I wanted it to be.
Almost.
“I want you. I need you,” I said, giving him his words back. They were my words too, plus a little more. “I’ve got it so bad for you.”
This time, I rocked against him.
“Lotus, my Lotus,” he said softly. “I never could have dreamed anyone more wonderful than you.”
When he lowered his head, his curls—ones I’d never dreamed he’d have when his hair had been shorn short—fell over his eyes. He unlatched one side of my overalls and then the other, flipping the loosened straps over my shoulders. I stepped back to wiggle out of the rest. He groaned like he did the first time when I stood before him in only a tube top and my panties.
“You . . .