“Did you think about me after you left the Split Rock today?”
“I’ve thought of little else.”
“Did you think”—he ran his nose up the side of her neck from the curve of her shoulder to the underside of her chin—“‘wasn’t it nice of my friend Tobin to show me around’?”
That threw her. Despite the heady distraction of the heat of his breath washing over her skin, she managed, “Is that what we are? Friends?”
“No.” Tobin braced both his hands above her head on the wall. “The last fucking thing I want to be is your goddamned friend, Jade.”
When had all the oxygen left the room? Her gaze zoomed from the glint in his eyes, to the sensual curve of his mouth, to the pulse thumping in his throat.
“Know what I want?” he said huskily. “To blatantly break the ‘no contact’ rule.”
She licked her lips. His mouth was right there.
“Say yes.” He brushed his lips across hers. Just once. “Admit you want to be a dirty little rule breaker too.”
“I do,” she said breathlessly. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”
His teeth gleamed.
Then she found her back against the wall and Tobin’s mouth fastened to hers in a scorching kiss.
A blistering kiss.
A dirty, wet, rule-breaking kiss that felt fantastic.
Jade twined her arms around his neck, trying to get as close to him as possible.
Tobin groaned in her mouth and effortlessly lifted her up higher to better align their upper bodies, never relinquishing the kiss.
She loved his show of strength and the way he used it to get what he needed, which was more of her. Digging her fingers into the back of his neck, she held on.
He hadn’t let up on the kiss from the first touch of their lips.
Every stroke of his tongue, every stuttered breath, every groan that reverberated down her throat caused her body to become wet and pliant, readying herself for more of him.
His taste, his touch, his scent . . . she was drowning in him.
From just a kiss.
An epic kiss given all the back and forth between them. The heated words. The molten looks. The knowledge that they couldn’t have stopped this combustion even if they’d wanted, even if it hadn’t been against the blasted rules—not that either one had tried.
Then he dragged his damp lips across her jawline, sending goose bumps from her scalp to her toes.
She sucked in a breath when he sank his teeth into the hollow beneath her jaw.
“Fuck. I wanted you before,” he murmured, “but nothin’ like the way I want you now.” He brushed his lips across the shell of her ear. “Don’t retreat after this, Jade. Don’t tell me this was a mistake.”
“It’s not. It’s . . .” She moaned when he blew in her ear and she arched into him hard.
“Thank fuck.” Tobin made a growling noise and devoured her again in a messy kiss that was ten times hotter because he’d lost control of his lust for her.
After hoisting her up, he’d kept his hands on her behind, kneading and squeezing, never venturing beyond the small of her back.
She wanted those rough-skinned hands all over her. Just when she reached down to bring one of his hands up, he eased back to rest his forehead to hers.
“Why’d you stop kissing me?”
“Because your grandma will be up here at any moment. I’d rather not get caught grinding on you with my tongue in your mouth.”
Jade gave him a playful Eskimo kiss. “What are you saying?”
“Now that we’ve started this, darlin’, there ain’t no stopping it. But we keep it between us.”
“It’s better to sneak around and lie about what’s going on?” She deserved a pat on the back for keeping her response from sounding bitchy.
“I won’t put you in a difficult position with her.” He touched his mouth to hers. “And we’ve been sneaking around since the moment you arrived.”
“So this changes nothing.”
He pulled back. The intent look in those mesmerizing eyes brought a flush to her entire body. “Wrong. This has changed everything.”
The bottom stair creaked.
They didn’t break apart guiltily. He let her slide down his body slowly, letting her feel the hard ridge of his cock.
“What are you two doing up there?” GG yelled from halfway up the stairs. “It’s too gol-durn quiet.”
Tobin leaned over the railing. “We were havin’ a staring contest. I’m pretty sure I won.”
“You wish,” Jade retorted, hoping her voice didn’t sound shaky. Or breathy.
GG squinted at Jade. “I thought you were coming down for some champagne?”