Next, I went into the bathroom and got to work freshening my makeup, lining my eyes with super dark kohl liner, and sweeping on an extra coat of mascara. I dug through my makeup case and pulled out the softest shade of pinkish-red I owned—no fire-engine red lips here—and then found myself waiting not so patiently. I put a few extra curls in my hair, fanning them out so they fell around my shoulders in soft waves.
This would have to be good enough.
It wasn’t too flashy—me, but a little enhanced.
I headed out to my kitchen, ready to catch a cab back to Langevin and meet Bryce, when a loud knock echoed through my apartment.
I rushed to the door, pressing my eye to the peephole to find who I now knew to be Locke, Bryce’s top security guy.
“Hi.” I flung the door open. “Is something wrong?”
“PM is ready for you,” he said simply.
“Oh.” I swiped up my purse. “I thought I was meeting up with him, but okay.”
“He finished early.” Locke held the door while I passed him, then spun and turned the lock. He walked outside with me silently, opening the door to an SUV with tinted windows.
I slid across the leather seat, surprised to find Bryce waiting, a bouquet of blush pink roses in hand.
“Feels like an eternity since I last laid eyes on you.” His whisper was rough at my neck, sending sensation spiraling through my veins. “I need to taste you.”
FOUR
Bryce
I dropped the dozen roses on the floor at my feet and pulled her to me, my hands cupping the creamy flesh of her cheeks as my tongue split the seam of her delicate mouth. Her chest heaved in uneven little breaths as her fingers wove into my hair, tugging softly at the nape and causing a low growl to tumble from my lips.
“I’m already addicted.”
Her sweet smile turned up at me, warm eyes hovering on mine and holding my heart captive.
“Addicted to what?” The na?ve tone in her voice made my dick pound.
“You.” I breathed at her neck. “Your skin, your lips, your scent.” I ran my nose along the shell of her ear, loving the shudder that pulsed through her. “And look at your reaction to my touch.” I slid a fingertip down her bare arm. “That may be my favorite thing.”
Her throat contracted as she swallowed quickly, eyes averting when Locke slid into the front seat, whisking us off down the street.
“I hope you don’t mind what I’ve got planned. It’s tough to have dinner at just any old place with a security detail following you at all times.”
“Whatever works best for you works for me.” She smiled.
“What works best for me is you, much closer.” I pulled her a little tighter against my hard body, already anxious to run my hands along all of her curves and dips.
“I can catch a cab home too. I don’t want to put you out. I know you’re so busy, and even making time for this dinner—”
“Date,” I interjected, a little ruffled that she wasn’t quite getting it. I wanted her, period. This wasn’t something I’d penciled in. I had enough casual acquaintances and business contacts to last a lifetime. What I wanted was something real.
What I wanted was sitting right across the seat from me.
“Not if I have any say in it, you won’t,” I finally spat out.
“What?” she asked, seemingly startled by my gruff tone.
I softened my voice an octave, still letting her know I meant what I said—and I did what I said too. “You’re stuck with me all night. If you go home, I’ll take you there.”
“Really? But I just thought—”
“Seems to me you’re doing a little too much thinking, Juliette. My grand-m?re always said ‘Tu te prends la t?te.’ Whenever I was upset over a political science essay or exam, she’d say ‘Tu te prends la t?te.’ You spend too much time worrying and not enough time doing.”
Juliette’s grin turned up. “She sounds wise.”
“She was. Her name was Juliette too. That’s what first struck me, your name. You don’t hear it so much anymore. It’s beautiful.” I traced the edge of her mouth with one finger, noticing the way her thighs shifted back and forth in the seat, her hands fidgeting as she tried to look anywhere but at me.
“I aim to take care of you, Juliette. You should know that.” I looped her fingers with my own, stressing the importance of my feelings. “I don’t let people in for obvious reasons, but at some point over the last few weeks, I couldn’t keep you out anymore. So we’re here. And now that we’re here, you’ve gotta know… I put my lips on you, and that’s it for us. My lips on your skin are like a brand, and I don’t share.”