Page 34 of Until Joy

“You didn’t get any fried rice! How can we have Chinese food without fried rice?” I wailed.

He looked like I had shot him. Panic-stricken, he looked around the table, then back in the bag. “Wait, they gave us some white rice. That’s good, right?”

My giggle soon turned into full-fledged laughter.

He looked at me, his eyes wide. “My God, woman, you mean you were joking?” He sounded appalled. He shook his head and eyed me up and down, his gaze changing to an assessing look. A look that made me shiver. Graham reached out, then grabbed my hips, his big hands sinking into my soft flesh. My shiver turned into a shudder as he pulled me in close. “You really are a smartass, aren’t you?”

I couldn’t respond. I was still laughing. The look on his face had been priceless. Yeah, there had been panic, but there also had been that part where he couldn’t believe I was such a picky little princess and wondered what in the hell he had gotten himself into.

Yep, priceless.

Then I looked into his eyes. His beautiful hazel eyes had turned mostly dark green with desire, and my laughter faded away as my breath caught in my throat and my mouth went dry. Graham pulled me closer until I found myself pressed up against his hard body. One strong arm looped around my waist while his other warm, calloused hand cupped the base of my skull.

“You know, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve panicked,” he drawled.

I gulped.

“There’s a price to pay for freaking me out.” His low voice sent shivers down my spine. He lowered his head even more. I could smell the mint of his toothpaste. I wanted a longer—deeper—taste.

“What’s the price, Graham?” My voice was barely a whisper.

“This.” His lips gently covered mine, and I jolted. It was just a whisper of a touch, but the electric charge I felt was like nothing I’d ever felt before. I pushed upward, trying to get a deeper caress.

Graham pulled back. “I’ve been wanting to do this since the first day I met you.”

“What?” He bent back down and slowly licked my bottom lip. I moaned at the decadent touch. It felt like he was teasing and teaching and tempting me all at the same time.

“More,” I breathed out.

“This is our first kiss. We have to savor it.” He smiled.

Savor it? I might be melting at his touch, but his words… they turned me to mush.

His fingers speared up into my hair, caressing my scalp. No, he was massaging all the tension of the day from me, and I pressed back against his magic fingers.

“Ahh, so good,” I moaned.

Graham took that moment to kiss my jaw, sucking lightly, his beard abrading my skin in such a good way. Sparks raced along my skin, causing my nipples to spike. I was sure he must be able to feel them through my t-shirt and his shirt, but with him, I wasn’t embarrassed. I was almost proud of the way my body responded to his.

He trailed kisses up my jaw, to the corner of my lips, then he coaxed them open. He slid his tongue inside my mouth. He was a marauder who took me over into a beautiful storm that I never wanted to leave.

I felt safe. Secure. Cared for.

How in the hell had this happened so quickly? But then again, hadn’t I watched the gentle care he’d shown Miss Laverne? The respect he’d always displayed toward me?

No wonder I felt so cherished.

Our tongues danced, and I nipped his, savoring the deep groan that rumbled from his chest. Encouraged, I did it again, earning another groan.

Soon I felt like I was flying, which only made sense because Graham’s kisses were taking me to the stars. I couldn’t get enough of him. We both had the same idea at the same time. Our hands creeping up one another’s t-shirts, touching each other’s skin. I scraped my nails lightly over his back and got another wonderful murmur from this man.

Meanwhile, he was pushing his hand up the front of my shirt, circling my bellybutton. Who knew that was an erogenous zone? Soon he was moving higher until he was cupping my right breast. I wiggled in pleasure, grinding myself down on his erection.

My eyes flew open.

“I’m on your lap.”

How the hell had that happened?