Page 139 of The Exit Strategy
As if he followed my voice to my mouth, he leans in and swipes his nose against mine with a sigh that feels like forever.
“No,” he rumbles. “I didn’t.”
“On purpose?”
He nods.
“Why?”
“Because I wanted to know what it felt like.”
“Whatwhatfelt like?”
“This.” He pulls me flush against him. “Waking up with you without the pressure of everything coming at us.”
His hand slides down my spine, landing on my ass, but he doesn’t do more.
I want him to do more.
So. Much. More.
And I’ve never been very good about waiting.
With surprising speed, I sit upright and climb onto his lap.
His eyes are open now. Open and hungry. Flames dance in his irises as I lift my dress over my head.
“Juniper.”
I can almost feel the growl in my core.
“Shh.” I toss my dress to the side and unclasp my bra, allowing the straps to slip down my arms, but I don’t remove it completely. It just…dangles there.
“You don’t know what you look like.” Cole’s breathing is shallow, and the muscles in his chest and arms strain to be set free. I like that he’s having a hard time controlling himself.
Cole Whittaker unleashed is a powerful thing—and disastrous for my ovaries.
“I don’t. But I know what you look like staring at me right now. Trust me, that’s a much better view.”
His mouth curves, barely, before he clamps his lips. For a man whose whole identity is built on saying too little, he’s uniquely capable of saying everything without uttering a single word when the moment calls for it.
His silence now is an entire thesaurus of kinky endeavors.
I lean in. His lips are warm. His hand at my back iswarm. The whole damn room is warm, and it has nothing to do with the temperature of the air.
It’s the fire that ignites between us—unburdened and unrivaled, destined for destruction and rebirth.
His free hand twitches at his side, and I lift it with mine. While his gaze tracks my every move, I press his hand to my body.
Exactly where I want it.
No guessing.
No question.
Just right.
His breath breaks against my collarbone as he sits up, pressing my chest to his, and his body is harder than I’ve ever felt it.
