liquid heat as two fingers traced my clit. They were barely there. He brushed me. Then he danced about in a slow stroke.
I slacked against the wall, panting.
He slapped my clit, tearing a groan from me.
“You knew what you were doing when you wore this fucking thing. You flaunted that asshole in front of me, knowing I’d fly into a rage.” His growl darkened as his hold bit into my hips. “You’ve blown the lid off my self-restraint.”
His hands were harsh, but they gave me a sense of protection. His raking gaze made me clench everywhere. I struggled to stay calm. My determination collapsed like a crumbling rock inside me.
I couldn’t take this anymore.
I lurched toward the door.
He yanked me back. “You’re not going anywhere.”
I’d dreamed of being trapped in his arms. It didn’t help that I fit perfectly in the crook of his head and shoulder. A thrill shot into my battered heart as I scrambled for an exit strategy.
“Vinn, you’re not doing yourself any favors.” I forced my lips into a stiff grin, cobbling together words that’d stop him. “Michael’s outside.”
“We’ve already talked. He won’t be a problem.”
“You told him we were together?”
“I said what I needed to get him out of my way.”
He turned me around and thrust me against the wall. Vinn’s mouth brushed the pulsing hollow at the base of my throat. It triggered a wild swirl in the pit of my stomach.
“Vinn, I want you to let me go.” I raised my voice to a shout. “Vinny!”
“Thought that was the other guy’s name.”
My whirlwind thoughts couldn’t make sense of anything.
Oh, yes…I’d taunted him with that, days ago.
“Wonder where he’s from,” Vinn mused as he leaned in, smiling. “Allston. Hyde Park. Dorchester.”
The neighborhood he grew up in.
“He’s not you.”
He patted my cheek. “Sure he’s not, honey.”
“I feel nothing for you.”
“Liar. You went out with that jamook just to piss me off.” He jerked toward the door. “The college boy with a major crush on you.”
“What right do you have to be jealous?”
A war of emotions raged within me as he dragged my hair behind an ear.
“The fact that you want me means I own a piece of you.”
“Vinn, that’s not true.” The words were weak, even to my ears. “Please leave me alone.”
“Not a chance in hell.”
He moved in, angling his head. His full mouth molded to mine. He was like crushed velvet, so soft and sensual that my skin burst into flames. It was tentative, a kiss worthy of a Hallmark romance, and my mind reeled.
Heat fanned my cheeks. This was like a daydream, so euphoric it couldn’t be real. I swam through a haze of desire and confusion.
Would I kiss him back?
I hesitated, my insides tearing apart.
Then I slid my hands up his chest. I anchored on his shoulders, lifted on my toes, and pressed my lips into his. It was like dipping into a spa after a long, cold night. Sweet and clean, like mint. Hot. Dangerously silken. My nerves buzzed with need. It was so right to be held by him. I wanted to offer him all of me, my neck, my hardening nipples. He indulged, nipping under my jaw before a wet heat soothed the sting.
The stars had aligned.
Vinn Costa was kissing me.
His mouth returned, crushing me with harder strokes. He cupped my face as I released tortured sighs. Perfect. Better than my imagination.
I couldn’t believe it.
The teenage-girl crush I’d buried alive clawed to the surface, bursting forth like champagne bubbles. We exchanged slow, drugging kisses, and then Vinn’s forehead rolled over mine. His luminous eyes flicked open. A burn settled into his tan, spreading to his chest.
I’d seen him make out with countless models, but none of them had seemed to give him pleasure. I thought he was dead inside—the fact he wasn’t sent a shockwave through me.
We separated as though struck by the same lightning.
He definitely wasn’t dead. The proof thudded against my hand and slicked my palm where I held his neck. He stared at me with a silent question. He was a man who’d finally noticed me.
He grasped my chin. Then he fused his lips with mine. He seized my hips, shoving me backward.
A wall hit my back.
I gasped at the impact, forgetting the shock as he crushed me over and over. He smothered the sounds I made, even the pathetic, small moans when his tongue dove in. He slipped down my waist and cupped my bare ass. A groan broke from his lips.
Jesus.
This wasn’t the