emit from between my lips.
Finally, he spoke. “Violet, I want nothing more in this world than to worship your body with mine.”
His words were perfect. My hand fluttered to my throat as I thought about him following through on his suggestion. My voice sounded lust-filled when I said, “Okay…”
My head reared back on my neck when he added, “But it wouldn’t be right. I can’t take advantage of you or this situation.”
The hurt feelings bubbled up in my belly and threatened to upheave, but I forced myself to maintain his gaze. “I’m telling you I want this, but you’re making me feel like a villain trying to steal your virtue.”
“That ship sailed long ago,” he said in a flat tone.
I tried not to cringe at the implication of his statement. This would go much more smoothly if I could manage not to think about how many women he’d bedded before me.
Grasping on to the only excuse I could think of for his reluctance to do me, I asked, “Are you worried that I’ll get too emotionally attached?”
When he didn’t immediately respond, I tried not to sound desperate when I added, “Because I promise I won’t. It can be a purely physical fling, and afterwards I’ll let you go––no questions asked.”
His voice was filled with sincerity and his gaze was unflinching when he asked, “What if I’m not able to let you go?”
“Yeah, right,” I muttered, shaking my head at his preposterous insinuation.
“I’m serious,” he said, reaching out to brush the back of his index finger along my jawline.
It took all of my strength not to lean into his reassuring touch. I couldn’t allow myself to believe him, if I had any hope of remaining emotionally aloof.
Trying to convince myself as much as dispute him, I said, “It isn’t possible for you to be tied to just one woman.”
“I think with you, it just might be,” he answered before stepping forward and crushing his lips to mine.
26
Oliver
Despite my extensive practice in the delights of the bedroom, I was as anxious as a virgin when I pulled Violet into my arms. Something about her was different. With her, every tender touch and soft kiss delivered extra pleasure and meaning.
She was tentative at first, but quickly began opening up to me. I shoved the guilt down by reminding myself that she wanted this. I couldn’t deny her anything she wanted––especially not something that I craved with every fiber of my being.
After a long moment, I forced myself to pull away from her and said, “Violet, I need you to know that I’m not the man-whore that the internet believes me to be.”
“It’s okay,” she murmured, before tipping those delectable, pliable lips up towards mine.
It took every bit of restraint I could muster to hold back from accepting their implied offer of sweet oblivion. “No, I need to say this. I’m no angel, but much of what played out on television was creatively edited to make the showmances seem more dramatic.”
“Showmances?” She angled her head to the side as she pondered the made-up word.
“Yes, and that is all that most of them were––fake romances while the cameras were rolling that were created just to boost ratings for the show. Viewers didn’t see that, though. They thought it was all real, and they hate me for it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Vi cooed as she lifted up onto her toes to brush her lips across mine.
“It matters to me,” I answered vehemently with my mouth a fraction of an inch from hers. “I want you to know that’s not me. I need you to believe me.”
When she whispered, “I believe you,” the last strand of my willpower broke. I kissed her with all of the passion and longing that was surging through my limbs. When she moaned into my open mouth and reached back to cup my ass cheeks and pull me closer, all rational thought left my mind. There was only Violet and her perfect lips and tongue. I could spend days kissing her, but my lower half craved more.
I needed to see her––all of her. I slid her tee-shirt and fleece pullover up together. She held her arms up, making the job of removing them easy. Once I tossed her tops aside, she lowered her arms, and I reached back with one hand to flick her bra unfastened. Reverently, I slid the straps off her shoulders and down her arms. The tiny hairs on her arms stood at attention from the light touch.
Her pale, full