bout of shyness overtook me. Nolan was sharing a part of his life that few got to see. I didn’t want to say or do the wrong thing that’d make him uncomfortable in his own home, because god knew, I tended to screw up.
So I sort of froze when I looked at him.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m nervous.”
“Because you think I’ll pounce on you the second you walk into my house?”
“I wish you would. I can handle the ‘I want to fuck you now’ side of you. But this? God, Nolan, it sounds stupid, but I don’t feel worthy of being here. Like you’ll realize it’s a mistake and send me packing. That scares the crap out of me.”
He took my bag and tossed it on the floor. Then he pushed me against the door and buried his face in my neck. Just breathing me in.
That’s when I realized his heart was racing too. A slight sheen of sweat dotted his forehead, leaving a dampness on my skin as he kissed my neck. He muttered, “Fucking cookies.”
My heart rate launched into quadruple time when he framed my face in his hands and kissed me, delicately, as if I was spun of glass. Sweet nibbles of his lips, a soft smooch at the corners of my smile, a glide back and forth of his parted lips across mine.
Then he stopped and stared into my eyes. “It’s sweet that you’re nervous, my Gabriella.”
Sweet?
“But you’re not nervous about being invited into my home. Your nerves are because you understand after you’ve been in this space I only share with the special people in my life that you’re special. And, Happy, this isn’t a mistake, because I’m done making mistakes with you.”
This man . . . when he went in, he went all in. I couldn’t believe my luck that he wanted to go all in with me.
I pressed my mouth to his. “So do something to calm my nerves.”
His answering growl sent my blood racing.
Gentle kisses vanished as he ate at my mouth. Forcing my lips open wider to take his ravenous kiss. His hands followed the contours of my body. Sliding his fingers around my hips, tucking his fingertips inside the waistband of my leggings and yanking the stretchy fabric down to the tops of my UGGs.
After he dropped to his knees, he only bothered to remove one of my boots, shoving my leggings to the side. Those rough palms were sliding up the outside of my bare legs as he left sucking kisses on the inside of my thigh.
My head fell back against the door at the first touch of his mouth to my core.
He was so so so good at this. And he loved winding me up to see how high he could make me fly.
When he started to use his tongue, I wondered if his door was electrified—my entire body buzzed like a live wire. My nerves jumped. My blood fizzed. My legs quaked.
He took me apart with precision and speed that left me gasping.
Then he did it again, just to prove he could.
Cocky man.
Nolan petted and nuzzled me as I regained my bearings.
“How are those nerves now?” he asked.
The smugness in his smile and his eyes; I just ate that up.
However, he’d awakened my competitive side. “Now that you took the edge off, let’s get started.” Balancing on my left foot, I kicked off the other boot and shed my leggings. “Which way to your bedroom?”
“We don’t have to . . .” His voice trailed off as I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and unhooked my sports bra, whipping it on top of my clothes.
“Oh, but yes we do.” I offered him my best attempt at sultry as I slowly ran my hands down my naked curves. “You really gonna turn this down?”
“Fuck. No.” Without taking his hungry gaze off my body, he pointed to the left. “My room is that way. Last door on the right.”
“Lead the way, Lund.”
“I’ll follow you and enjoy the view.”
Maybe I did a little more high-stepping, ass wiggling as I sashayed down the hall. I’d never had a man appreciate my body the way Nolan did.
We entered a cool, dark space. No natural or artificial light, just an odd arc of pale sunlight from the hallway that bounced off the door and across the carpet. I stopped so abruptly that Nolan ran into me inside the doorway.
“Sorry. Lemme turn on a light.”
Turning, I flattened my palm on his chest to keep him in place.