this?”
I nod my head. “I’m okay. That doesn’t mean I don’t have some work to do on my side of things. I mean, it does kind of feel like I’ve been broken up with even though that’s not the case. I just need a little time to clear my head and get over him. I’m not in any hurry to start anything serious. I just need to be me for a while.”
He nods his head as he listens. “So the two of you aren’t going to start something up?” His brows are pulled together and his jaw is flexed with tension.
I shake my head. “No, not now, not ever. We mean too much to each other to let that happen. I only wish I would’ve realized it sooner. And honestly, now that I know it, I feel so stupid for not knowing it before. I mean, what would I do if my best friend became my husband, then things went south? Who would I talk to? I wouldn’t have my best friend anymore.”
He lets out a long, drawn-out breath and seems to be relieved. He’s no longer looking sick or nervous. “Good,” he breathes out.
Confusion settles over me. “I don’t understand.” I look up to study his expression.
His icy eyes are trained on mine. His sharp jaw is tightening like he’s trying to hold something back, and his back is straight, muscles flexing. “Piper . . . I . . .” He breathes out as he pinches the bridge of his nose and clamps his eyes shut. “Oh, fuck it.”
The next thing I know, his mouth is against mine. His tongue comes out and demands entrance. Every inch of my body has hardened with confusion, but that tingle in my stomach begins to form. His lips are soft and warm, and they feel amazing against my own. I don’t know what this is. The other night, it was a drunken kiss that was brought on by feeling safe from realizing he’s always been there for me. But here he is again, rushing to my side when he thought I might be hurt.
As my brain realizes something my heart has always known, my body relaxes and I pull him closer as I begin to kiss him back. All this time, I’ve been blinded by Preston. How could I miss Calvin? Something tells me he refuses to let me overlook him any longer. My arms wrap around his neck and his snake around my waist as he lays me back against the couch. His hips make their way between my legs as he covers my body with his without breaking our kiss.
His weight pressing down on me feels right. His hands touring my body feel even better. As his lips kiss their way down my jaw to my neck, his hands begin pushing my shirt up my stomach. Suddenly, his lips are no longer on my neck. Now they’re on my stomach, kissing his way up toward my breasts. I know I should stop this. I don’t even know what this is. Does Calvin have feelings for me, or is this just a one-time thing? I don’t have an answer, but right now, I don’t care. His hands, his mouth, his body—it all feels too good to stop.
I haven’t been with a man in over a year, and God, do I miss it. I lose all train of thought when his mouth closes around my nipple. He sucks it into his mouth and makes it tingle with excitement. My stomach muscles tighten with anticipation as a flood of want washes over me.
My nails scratch up and down his back before moving between us to unbutton his dress shirt. My hands are nearly shaking, but I manage to get all the buttons undone before loosening his tie. He quickly pulls away and rips the shirt off his arms and the tie over his head. One second later, his mouth is back on mine as he pulls me against him by my waist.
To my surprise, he picks me up against him. “Where’s your bedroom?” he asks against my lips, pressing my back to the wall, waiting for me to direct him.
“Through there,” I breathe out, nodding toward the hallway that leads to my room.
He jerks me away from the wall and carries me through the hallway and into my bedroom. His hands are supporting my weight by my ass and his mouth never stops moving with mine as he finds my bed and lays