compared to what he was feeling now with her back in his arms. The detective in him wanted to know what she was finding out at her workplace while the protector in him wanted to rail against her foolish decision to walk unprotected into the lion’s den. And the man who was interested in her found her a fascinating woman, one with many layers that he wanted to discover. But, for the moment, he settled on just holding her in his embrace, grateful he had found her again.
She tilted her head back and whispered, “What now?”
Staring into her beautiful green eyes and the feel of her body flush against his, he smiled. “Now, this.” Bending, he took her lips in a kiss that started gentle and slow but soon filled with all the emotion and desire that had snapped around like electricity.
He battled to keep the kiss light, but she lifted on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Closer was a relative word because, with his cock pressed against her stomach and her breasts pressed against his chest, he couldn't imagine less space between them. All thoughts left his mind as his entire being focused on the moans coming from deep inside, uncertain if they were hers or his.
Drinking each other in, they kissed in an almost desperate attempt to become one. He’d discovered the first night they met that he enjoyed kissing her, which had been a surprise. It was nothing like anything he’d ever experienced. Far beyond the innocent fumblings of youth. Far beyond the seductive precursor to casual sex. Far beyond anything he’d felt in a previous relationship.
This kiss was pulling at his soul as much as his body.
He bent and, with one hand under her knees, scooped her into his arms and stalked back to the sofa. He maneuvered them both onto the cushions, miraculously never losing her mouth. He ran his hand down her torso, and her breasts were full against his palm and the heat from her core burned against his thigh as he nudged her legs apart.
His body cried out for him to strip off their clothing and plunge himself into her warmth. But, instead, he lifted his head away from hers, gasping in a ragged breath.
“Why did you stop?” she moaned as her fingers clutched his neck, pulling him back down.
Swallowing deeply, doubting his sanity at that moment, he replied, “Because we need to stop.”
Her body stiffened as her eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“Because I want this.”
“I think you’ve muddled my mind with kisses because that doesn’t make sense.”
A smile slipped across his face, and he leaned down to kiss her lightly again. “It’s true that I want your body. I want more mind-blowing, forget-the-world, nothing-exists-except-you-and-me kind of sex.”
“Yes!” she groaned, pressing her hips upward against his aching cock.
“But I’m going to say no.”
Now it was her turn to suck in a ragged breath and it was warm against his face when she blew it out in a huff.
“I want you, Kimberly. I want whatever’s happening between us. What I don’t want is to fuck it up.”
“Can’t I talk you into just fucking and not fuck it up?”
Laughter erupted from deep within and he shook his head. “Jesus, girl, you’re killing me.”
“I don’t want to kill you, I just want you to f—”
“I want to do this right. So, I’m going to call my partner to come to get me. While I’m waiting on him, we’re going to plan a date for tomorrow night. I’d make it tonight, but you’re exhausted and need to rest. I’m also going to get your promise that you won’t do anything else on your own.”
“We’re going to go on a date?”
Barking out another laugh, he said, “That’s what you pulled out of everything I said?”
“Yeah. Everything else we can deal with, but I want to know again that you want to go on a date with me.”
He stared at her eyes for a moment, the green reminding him of a pair of jade earrings that his mother got for Christmas one year. Kimberly’s eyes were that exact color. Before he gave into temptation, he slid his phone from his pocket. With a few punches of his thumb, he held the phone to his ear. “I need you to come to get me. Colbert Street. 1722. Thanks.”
“I take it that was your partner.”
Nodding, he kissed her again. He hefted his body off the sofa and gently pulled her to stand next to