Page 53 of A Winter Wish

“Last time we kissed you shoved me inside my room afterward to get me away from you.”

He laughed, low and dark-sounding, and her stomach flipped. “Lexie, I was about a second away from tearing off your clothes in the goddamn corridor. Getting you away from me seemed like the safest thing to do.”

God, she knew that feeling, and a thrill ran through her that it wasn’t one-sided. His mouth caught hers again roughly while his fingers ran up her thighs, bunching her dress at her waist. She moved her hands around him, up under his shirt, and felt him shudder slightly at the feeling of her fingers against his stomach.

“And in case you don’t remember,” he continued, his mouth quirking up at one side, “it was you who said we shouldn’t.”

He started walking her backward, his eyes level on hers the whole time. The backs of her knees brushed the edge of the sofa, just as he turned her and pulled her down so she was sitting on top of him, her thighs straddling his. His hands skimmed up under her dress, his thumbs catching on the curves of her hips, and she saw his breath stutter, felt her own do the same. She ran her hands up under his T-shirt, then helped him tug it off.

“Wouldn’t want you to catch a cold,” she said, and was answered with a grin.

“Could say the same about you,” he said, his hands running up under her dress. She bent toward him to kiss him again, felt his fingers dig into her thighs. Then he flipped her in one smooth motion so she was lying back on the sofa, and half a laugh escaped her before he was there on top of her and the pressure of it made her let out a soft groan. His teeth skated lightly down her neck, and she let out a low hum of pleasure. His hands came up to push the straps of her dress down, and he pressed his lips against her bare shoulder. She could feel his erection digging into her and her hips moved of their own accord, demanding some kind of friction. His breath hissed out between his teeth.

“Theo.” His name was half a plea and his mouth came back to hers, teeth catching her bottom lip, making her arc against him. Her nails were in his back, urging him closer, and his hands skimmed between her thighs, where she was desperate for him to touch.

But somewhere inside her, there was some logic breaking through. It was you who said we shouldn’t. She had. She’d said that. And there was a reason for that, she was sure.

She just about managed to get out the “Wait,” even as her hips rolled against his. He backed away, pushing himself up on his hands on the sofa and looking down at her. Her thighs were still around his waist, holding him there, at odds with her words.

“You don’t want this?”

“No, I do.” She swallowed. “I really do.”

His brow furrowed.

“It’s just…This is…” She had to close her eyes to get it out. “Maybe it’s not a good idea.”

“Seems like a great idea to me right now.” He kissed the nape of her neck again and a shiver ran down her back, her mind getting stuck for a moment.

“Seriously,” she managed to say, her voice more of a gasp than anything else. “We work together.”

“Yes.”

“And we have to…We’re going to have to figure out what to do, at the end of the year.”

He looked at her for a long moment, both of them holding themselves still, their breathing slowing a little. And right then, she hated herself. Why did she have to bring it up? Now, of all times?

“I just…I don’t want it to be awkward. I want to be clear that it’s…that it’s a one-time thing.” She felt hot around her collarbone for saying it, was briefly pleased that she was still half covered, less exposed—especially given the way he was looking at her right now. Maybe she hadn’t needed to say that—maybe that had already been a given for him.

“A one-time thing?” She could feel his erection, still pressing against her, and felt her confidence grow as she lifted her hips to press against him and was rewarded by a sharp intake of breath.

“Yes. What happens in Madrid stays in Madrid.” She ran her hands down his bare back again, reached up to kiss him. He kissed her back, but it was softer than before. His mouth skimmed over the corner of her mouth, his warm breath moving to her shoulder, then to where her pulse was hammering in her throat.

“Fuck,” he hissed, his hands briefly tightening their hold on her thighs. “I’m so going to regret this, but…”

It was her turn to frown at him, as she brought her hands to rest on his neck.

“I think you’re right. I think we should stop.”

“What? Why?”

“Because I can literally see you overthinking it.”

“Trust me, the way this is going, soon I won’t be thinking at all.”

A smile pulled at his mouth. “As much as that does my ego a world of good, I don’t want you regretting this in the morning.”

She opened her mouth to protest, to say again that they could just have tonight—it would be easier, surely, to get all this tension out of the way so that they could move past it.