advances and kisses me back.
When his hand moves to my face, it pulls me in deeper. I rest a hand on his leg for balance and feel the hardness of his thigh beneath his pants. Something flinches not too far away, and it doesn’t take a scientist to know it’s his cock, pushing against the fabric.
It should embarrass me—frighten me even—that this man is being turned on from my kiss and the simple touch of my hand on his thigh.
Instead of being turned off, I’m empowered by it. I never thought of myself as a sexual being, and just knowing I’m affecting this man makes me feel like a goddess, a temptress, a wanton woman in need of taking.
And I take him.
He slants his mouth down to mine and envelops me. I squeeze his thigh and lean further into the kiss. Our bodies are a tangle of lust and attraction, lips sucking and tongues dancing.
His lips are soft, and I can taste the whiskey on them and feel the scrape of whiskers against my face. The arm he has around me moves me even closer until our chests are pressed against each other. We’re fully clothed and seated side by side, but from the way we’re clinging to each other, we might as well be naked under the sheets.
“That’ll be a hundred bucks,” the driver says, taking our attention away from one another, and I notice that we’re back in front of the restaurant.
I swallow as I settle back against the bench seat and compose myself. My lips are swollen and bruised. My body is full of tingles and built-up energy. Beside me, Hunter puts a hand under the blanket and shifts his weight. The action makes me shiver.
I stand and hand the driver money.
“I got this,” Hunter says, but I’m already climbing down the carriage and standing on the blacktop with my knees wobbly from the ride … and that kiss.
“Already taken care of.” I start to walk out of the park and toward Sixty-Seventh Street, where taxis are driving down Columbus Avenue. “You paid for dinner tonight and drinks last night. Besides, my dad always told me to keep a hundred tucked away in my wallet for emergencies.”
Okay, so it’s not an emergency, but it certainly seems like money well spent. Especially since I need to get away from Hunter and his intoxicating mouth.
I stand on the corner and raise a hand to hail a cab.
“Katie,” Hunter says, walking up to me.
I don’t turn around. I just look for a taxi with its lights on, signaling it doesn’t have a passenger.
“Katie,” he says again, placing a hand on my waist and swinging me around to face him.
When he does, I’m staring at his chest. It’s safer to look here because when I stare too deeply into his eyes, I do foolish things, like kiss him.
“I know. I shouldn’t have done that back there—again.”
“Pay for the ride?” His confused tone makes me glance up into his unfairly handsome face, and I see he’s not annoyed by me at all.
“Kiss you,” I explain. “It was out of line. I just got carried away. I’m a starry-eyed romantic, as you know. And the Christmas spirit makes me do crazy things.”
“I liked our kiss.” He takes a step forward and grabs my face by my cheeks, making me focus on him. “I love all of our kisses.”
And there it is. Those caramel eyes that become an abyss to me. I want to turn away, but when I’m standing this close to him, I fall into the magic and wonderment that is Hunter Johnstone.
“Do you regret kissing me?” he asks, his lips just a touch away from mine.
“Yes,” I breathe, begging for his regret. “Don’t you?”
His brows curve as he explores my eyes. His pupils dilate as they take in my face, looking for something, searching for any hidden meaning laced in my words.
“I don’t do anything unless it’s with intention.” His head is still, and his eyes are wide, making sure there’s no misunderstanding.
“You can’t say things like that.” I try to move out of his embrace.
“Why not?” He pulls me in closer.
“That’s how girls fall in love,” I whisper.
His hands fall from my face like a star from the sky. I scared him, and it’s not surprising.
“It’s okay, Hunter. I won’t fall in love with you.”
He tucks his hands in his pockets, trying his best not to touch me the way he was only moments ago. “That would be a horrible