Of course you had to. My fans only care about my makeup routine or what ab exercises I do. They don’t care about family unless my dad’s a big producer or rock-star.”
He saw that well enough—tabloids never discussed stars’ siblings or parents, and something like a father selling a daughter off to be married got buried.
Silence descended between them, and he began to wonder if she was finally growing sleepy. But then the soft pads of her fingers soothed over his lower abs. He stopped breathing. When she skimmed over his love trail, he clamped down on his control. The urge to flip this woman over and plunge balls deep between her sweet thighs had him more on edge than ever.
Then she looked up into his eyes.
One time while volunteering at the shelter, an older dog broke his damn heart by giving him the same pleading look. Walking away from that dog still haunted him…but he knew he did what was best at the time for the animal.
Now, he needed to do the same with Sloane. But she’s shredding my damn control.
“North…Bodhi…” She slicked her tongue across her plump lips, and his guts clenched. “Would you touch me?”
His stomach hit ground zero. Christ, was she asking for what he thought she was?
Holding her gaze, he felt his hand move on its own to cup her face. Damn if she didn’t lean into his caress. A soft noise broke from her, and he lost his grip entirely.
He drew her down, watching her eyes shutter closed as he pressed his lips over hers in the scantest of brushes.
A quiver surged through her, and beneath his fingers wrapped around her upper arm, he felt the gooseflesh coating her skin.
She tasted sweet and felt sweeter. When she skimmed her hand down his chest again, he felt his breath catch.
He deepened the kiss, flattening a hand on her lower back, and she molded to every dip and rise of his fingerprints. A groan lodged in his throat.
Breaking the kiss, she stared down into his eyes. How did the woman have his guts in her grip?
“Touch me more, Bodhi.” The whisper fanned across his lips.
Surging upward, he caught her mouth under his. She melted into his hold, and he rolled her down into the sheets. With her tucked close, he was pretty damn sure he’d never known a better fit.
He skimmed a hand down her side, and her breathing grew ragged. One stroke of his hand from ribs to hip and he found she wore a tank top and cotton shorts.
And he hoped to hell he found nothing underneath. The fewer reasons to pause before he made the biggest mistake of his career the better.
What am I doing?
He barely registered the question from the analytical sector of his mind, because she spread her hands across his shoulders and pulled him against her in a way that could not be construed as anything other than determination. One thing about Sloane—the woman knew how to get what she wanted.
When he felt the tip of her tongue stroke over his lower lip, a growl erupted from him. He latched on to her hip. She ground upward into his straining cock.
There’s still time to stop this.
Not with her looking at him that way, there wasn’t. Eyes glowing through the darkness and her body so ripe and ready to accept him. Begging, even.
She stroked a feathery-light touch down his spine. “I was drawn to you the minute I saw you. Don’t you want me too?”
He hesitated at her admission. She’s my ward. Off-limits.
No matter how many times he repeated that in his mind, his desire for the strong and beautiful woman didn’t fade. She lifted a hand to tangle in his hair. For a heavy, throbbing heartbeat, their gazes locked, and he gave up the fight.
* * * * *
He kissed her.
The scruff of his unshaven jaw prickled Sloane’s skin, and she sucked in sharply at the first real taste of Bodhi North.
His tongue stroked against hers, lighting fires inside her that she hadn’t experienced in far too long. The timing couldn’t be worse to want such a thing—people were after her, wanted her dead—but was there ever a better time to seek out the comfort only a beautiful man could offer?
With a slow flip of his tongue, he unhinged her in so many ways. Her insides jolted with electric desire, and warmth flowed low through her belly. She curled her fingers into his broad shoulders and clung on while he