False Start - Jessica Ruddick Page 0,59

of me.

But I couldn’t think about that anymore. Hell, I couldn’t think at all, not while Becca was in my lap and writhing against me. Instinct took over.

Wrapping her arms around my neck, she arched her back, which pressed her perfect breasts against my chest. My hand snaked up under her shirt, wanting to feel her skin. Fuck that. I yanked her shirt up, startling her, but once she realized what I was doing, she took it off the rest of the way. I pulled my own shirt over my head.

Her bare skin against mine felt like a dream. Both of us were breathless as our eyes met. Then she cupped my face in her hands and assaulted my mouth with hers. My girl is hungry. If my lips weren’t otherwise occupied, I would have grinned. Becca was feisty—she always had been. But God, I’d had no idea how fucking awesome that was.

My hands traveled every inch of her exposed skin. But that wasn’t enough—I wanted to taste her. I pulled away from her mouth and trailed my lips along her jawline. She tilted her head, causing her hair to cascade over my face. The flowery smell of it was intoxicating. The last thing I’d expected was the damn scent of her shampoo to make me even harder, but there it was. My cock strained painfully against my pants.

When my tongue found the tender spot behind her ear, she shuddered and let out a little moan. Her hips rotated in my lap, causing her sweet ass to rub against me. Heat spread to every cell of my body. I gripped her ass to pull her closer.

Suddenly, her fingers dug into my shoulders, and she stilled. Her breath was shaky.

I paused. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I got dizzy. Give me a second.”

I pulled back and brushed her hair away from her face. Her eyes were closed, and she was taking deep breaths. “I’ve got you.”

She opened her eyes. “I’m good now.”

Instead of returning my attention to her throat, I shifted so that I could stretch out on the couch. I positioned her on top of me so that her head was nestled between my shoulder and neck. “Comfy?”

“But…” She seemed perplexed, something that didn’t happen often since she was so damn smart. “I was comfy before.”

I chuckled, and I could almost feel her cheeks redden against my chest. “You’re still dealing with the effects of the concussion. We’ll have plenty of time for other things.” Because now that you’re in my arms, I’m never letting you go. “I’m just happy to be close to you.”

No one was more surprised than me that that was true. I’d always been a love-’em-and-leave-’em guy. Cuddling wasn’t in my repertoire. But everything was different with Becca.

She was quiet for a moment, and because I knew her so well, I could tell she was trying to figure out how to say something. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was comfy before. Because now you’re kind of poking me.”

I frowned. What the hell? I wasn’t wearing a belt or anything. Maybe it was the remote. Then I laughed as I realized what she meant. I reached down and adjusted myself so my erection wasn’t pressing into her belly. “Better?”

“Yes. I would have fixed it myself, but…” She trailed off, and I had to squeeze my eyes shut as images of Becca “fixing” me filled my mind. My cock pulsed, and I managed to stifle a groan.

“Yeah,” I said wryly. “There’s only one way you’ll be able to fix that, and I don’t think you’re ready.”

She lifted her head up and propped herself up on her arms. “I am ready, Carson. I’ve been ready for years.” Her wide brown eyes combined with her trembling lower lip made her look so vulnerable. This was a confession she’d been holding in for a long time, and I’d had no idea. Years? I couldn’t believe she’d kept her feelings from me for so long. I tried to imagine how my life would have been different if I’d known sooner.

I tucked her hair behind her ear. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“Because I didn’t want to screw things up between us. You never gave me any indication you’d be open to the idea.”

I wouldn’t have been because Becca was Roman’s little sister, which meant she had always been off limits. I’d believed that for so long that it was just a fact of life, something I never questioned. Anything I’d felt for