One Night On The Virgin's Terms - Melanie Milburne Page 0,11

suppressed his own despair in order to cope with his father’s. When his mother had finally come home, his father had grovelled, begged, over-adapted and promised things he could never deliver.

That was forever love? Louis wanted nothing to do with it.

‘I sometimes wish I could keep my feelings in check...’ Ivy’s tone contained a self-deprecating note. ‘Ronan’s always telling me I wear my heart on my sleeve. Both sleeves, actually.’

Louis glanced at her. ‘Have you heard from your father lately?’

She sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. ‘No. I think he’s blocked me on his phone. It’s much worse for Ronan. The things Dad said to him were unforgiveable. I was really worried about him there for a bit.’

‘Yeah, so was I.’ Louis pulled into a parking spot near the restaurant and turned off the engine. ‘But he seems happy now with Ricky.’

She swivelled in her seat to look at him. ‘Louis?’

‘Yes?’

Her eyes went to his mouth and a small frown settled on her forehead. The tip of her tongue came out and licked her lips, and scorching heat flooded his groin. The air tightened and the space between them shrank, his self-control wavering like a slab of concrete on a building site held by a gossamer thread. It would be so easy to reach for her hand, to stroke the creamy curve of her cheek, to lean forward and press his lips against the plump ripeness of hers. He could feel the magnetic pull of attraction drawing him closer, every cell in his body poised, primed for contact. In his mind he was already doing it—kissing her until they were both breathless, his tongue tangling with hers, his blood pounding like a tribal drum.

Go on, do it. You know you want to.

Her gaze met his and she gave one of her dazzling, dimpled smiles. ‘Hey, for a moment there I thought you were going to kiss me.’

Louis traced the curve of her mouth with a lazy finger, fizzing sensations shooting through him. ‘I was definitely thinking about it.’ His voice was so rough it sounded as if he’d been snacking on gravel.

‘Then why don’t you do it?’ Her voice was not much more than a breathy whisper that sent a wave of hot tingles across his scalp and down his spine.

He leaned across the gear shift and lowered his head until his mouth was barely an inch from hers. Her breath was milk and honey with a dash of cinnamon-sweetness, innocent, addictive. ‘Once I kiss you, I can’t un-kiss you.’

Her fan-like eyelashes came down over her eyes and her right hand came up and slid along the side of his face, the soft skin of her palm and fingers catching on his light stubble like fine silk on sandpaper. ‘You worry too much.’ She closed the distance between their mouths and touched his lips with the rose-petal softness of hers. It was the barest of touchdowns, but an explosion of sensation erupted in his lips. She eased back to look at him, her eyes dark and luminous. ‘See? No harm done. It was just a kiss.’

Just a kiss? Her lips were a drug he hadn’t known he had a weakness for until now. Before he could stop himself, Louis put a hand behind her head, splaying his fingers through the wild curls of her hair. Her mouth opened on a soft little gasp, as if his touch electrified her the same as hers did him.

He lowered his mouth to hers in achingly slow motion, drawn by a force as old as time. An irresistible force that sent his blood roaring through his veins and his willpower flying out the window. His lips finally met hers and incendiary heat charged from her mouth to his. He gave a low, deep groan and increased the pressure of his lips on hers, fuelled by an uncontrollable need for closer, firmer contact. Her mouth opened beneath the insistent pressure of his, her tongue brushing shyly against his. He cradled one side of her face, the other hand still buried in the red-gold tresses of her fragrant hair, his kiss deepening, his desire rising, his self-control wavering.

Ivy whimpered against his mouth, her hands coming up around his neck, her fingers playing with his short-cropped hair.

Every hair on his head tingled at the roots, every nerve in his body was on high alert, every reason for not sleeping with her retreating to the back of his mind. He breathed in the scent