All or Nothing(10)

Honestly, I wasn’t picky when it came to pizza, but I blurted, “Sausage and extra onions.” That would ensure I wouldn’t be tempted to kiss him again later. I’d have breath from hell, thanks to those toppings. Genius, Ellie. I gave myself a mental pat on the back.

He shot me a curious glance.

While Braydon called in our order, I sat on the edge of the bed, trying not to feel too out of place, alone with a man I’d unabashedly got it on with last weekend, sitting on my friend’s bed in their dark, utterly silent apartment.

He kept our wineglasses filled and thankfully the conversation flowed as well. We sat cross-legged on the bed, sharing an entire large pizza and two bottles of wine. And he was right. Ben had the best wine.

“So . . . do you like being a model?”

He nodded, taking another bite of the pie. He hadn’t complained once about my choice in toppings. Smart man. “Yeah, it’s not bad.”

“Do you travel a lot?”

He shook his head. “New York’s my biggest market. I tend to do a lot of print work and not as much of the international stuff, like Ben does.”

Good to know. I could never handle being with a man who traveled that much. Not that I should even be entertaining such thoughts. Braydon was never going to be mine. I blamed the errant thought on the wine.

Once I was thoroughly full and tipsy, I fell back against the mountain of pillows piled at the headboard. I was full and nicely buzzed—an altogether pleasant combination. “I could stay here forever.” Oops. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

Braydon lay down next to me, bringing his palm to my cheek, his thumb gliding along my cheekbone. “You’re awesome, you know that?”

“How so?” I mumbled.

“You’re so chill, so easy to be around. You’re not afraid to be yourself. Fuck, you’re not afraid to eat more pizza than I did.”

I slugged his shoulder lazily. “Hey! Way to make me feel self-conscious.”

“I’m just impressed, that’s all.” He grinned his beautiful lopsided grin, which lit up his whole face. The one that I was powerless against. Dammit.

“Don’t do that.” I squished his cheeks between my thumb and forefinger.

“What?”

“Flash that panty-dropping grin at me.”

He chuckled, low and deep in his throat. “Most girls like that, kitten.”

“I’m not most girls.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“Oh yeah? What else did you notice?”

“Hmm.” His thumb stroked my jawline softly. It felt incredible. “How good you taste. Your scent. The way your body feels when you come. How it felt when you dug your hands into my hair.”

My body responded to his voice by breaking out in chill bumps, my heart thumping quickly in my chest. His way with words was too much. He was too bold. Too confident. My poor libido couldn’t take it.

“What do you remember?” he whispered softly.

A thousand images flashed through my brain. Braydon’s hands skimming up my thighs. My panties dropping to the floor. His hands on my hips as he guided me into the stall. His tongue sliding against mine. The way his stiff tuxedo felt against my hands, and his soft hair between my fingers. “Your, um, pretty blue eyes and messy hair,” I croaked.

He smiled widely. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

He leaned toward me slowly, giving me the chance to pull away. Only I didn’t. I wanted to feel his mouth on mine again. I let my eyes drop closed and awaited contact. He didn’t disappoint. His soft, full mouth pressed slowly to mine, his lips damp and parted. Our tongues touched once, twice, as he kissed me slowly. It made me want more. Pushing my hands into his hair, I angled my mouth closer, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His tongue swept against mine, dancing so knowledgeably and intimately that I was lost to him.

He pressed down on me, guiding me to the mattress so he could move on top of me. Suddenly realizing whose bed we were on, I pushed against him. This was wrong. “Stop, we can’t.”

“What’s wrong, kitten?” he murmured against my neck, pressing damp kisses along the column of my throat.

“This is Ben and Emmy’s bed.” I pressed a palm flat against his chest, putting some distance between us.

He looked around like he was noticing our surroundings for the first time. Then he rolled off me and we lay side by side. “Let me take you home then.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry. This just isn’t me.”

He pressed a palm to my cheek, giving it a careful pat.

“I didn’t mean to lead you on. I just can’t do this.”

His thumb lightly rubbed my cheek and his other settled against my hip. “You had fun the other night, right?”