Third Chances (Men Of Manhattan #2) - Ivy Smoak Page 0,46

and over again. Especially now that she was making me work for it. Torturing me, teasing me. I needed to forget about the envious feeling in my chest. I just wanted to forget everything that talking to her made me think about. And if her pussy was as sweet and her lips, I'd be able to forget. Even if just for awhile. Help me forget.

I ran my fingers through her long hair, gripping the tendrils and pulling her head back, exposing the flesh of her neck. I wasn't a crocodile, but I certainly had the urge to leave a mark on her.

Chapter 17

Daphne

Oh God, what am I doing? But even as I thought it, my fingers just gripped his shoulders tighter. He gently kissed my neck, his tongue tracing my skin. And all I could think about was how amazing that tongue would feel between my thighs. He had taken sex off the table and now I wanted it more than ever.

My friends were swimming just on the other side of the waterfall, but I was seconds away from begging him for more. How could he be doing this to me? How could I have this reaction to him?

He was right, I was scared. I was so scared of him. Why was this fear so damn intriguing? It was like opening Pandora's box. He was going to ruin me. And a part of me wanted him to ruin me.

I spread my thighs a little farther apart. My body was uncontrollable. I was pretty sure I was losing my mind. I was definitely losing my last ounce of restraint.

And it wasn't just physical. I liked talking to him. There were so many layers that he seemed to be hiding. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything. Oh God. I moaned as his lips moved to my collarbone.

"Whoa," Kristen said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Rob laughed. His warm breath against my skin made me tingle. "That's okay," he said. "I'm just trying to prove to your friend that she wants to do more than just kiss me."

"Oh, she definitely wants more," Kristen said.

"Kristen!" I hissed. "That's not true."

Rob let go of my waist and my feet sunk to the muddy bottom. It felt like my heart sunk too. Had I just hurt his feelings by denying that I wanted more? And not just denying, but lying about it. I rolled my eyes at myself. Why do I even care if I hurt his feelings? Absolutely nothing is going to happen between us.

"Of course not, Momma Bear. Our tour guide said he has a schedule to keep. But if you'd like to stay with Rob..."

"Momma bear?" Rob said with a laugh.

I was so glad I couldn't see his face. Was he going to call me that now too? I was mortified. "It's a long story," I mumbled. "And no, I'm coming with you guys." I started to swim away from both of them.

"I'll see you tonight," Rob said from behind me. "Try not to run into any crocodiles on the way back!" His voice disappeared as I swam underneath the waterfall.

***

I ran my hand through the fog on the bathroom mirror and stared at my reflection. My thoughts had been consumed by Rob the rest of the afternoon. I couldn't explain it. I couldn't stop thinking about him when I told myself I should. And I still couldn't believe that he had noticed me. Not just here, but back on campus. He remembered me reading in the grass. Of course I had wanted to talk to him back then, but I wasn't in a good place. I had sat there reading every afternoon to escape. Maybe I had been focusing on the wrong thing, though. Maybe he could help me escape.

I sighed and stared at my reflection. I was pretty in a high school teacher kind of way. I wasn't beautiful. It was unnerving that Rob kept calling me that. It wasn't that I wasn't confident. I was. I took care of myself. I was independent. I had my shit together. Kind of.

So why can't I stop thinking about Rob? I looked away from the mirror and twisted my hair into a bun to dry. There was no use combating the Costa Rican humidity. Loose waves were the only style this climate could handle.

I was the last one to take a shower, which meant my friends would all be ready and eager to go. I quickly applied some foundation,