I licked my lips as his blunt words rolled through me making my nipples harden and arousal flood my system. He followed the movement of my tongue with his steely gaze. “That is quite the predicament,” I barely whispered.
He stepped off the couch and shook his arms and shoulders and tipped his neck from side to side as if relieving tension. He was mumbling something under his breath that I could just barely hear. It sounded like, “Get it together, Fitz. Do not put your hands or mouth on her.”
“Who asked you not to put your hands or mouth on me?” I lifted my chin in affront and put my hands to my hips.
He closed his eyes and dropped his head shaking it steadily. “Addy, you know I want you. I’ve made that perfectly clear. What you haven’t said is whether or not you want me too. You’ve tossed a few teasing innuendos but I need to hear those exact words…”
Before he continued, I said what he wanted to hear.
“I want you too.”
He lifted a hand as though he were going to ward me off. “What?” He frowned.
I smiled. “I want you too. But I’m not the kind of girl that bangs a guy she barely knows.”
“Does she kiss a guy she barely knows?” His teeth sunk into his plump bottom lip.
I ginned, lifted my hand, and crooked a finger for him to come to me.
“Oh yeah. I’m absolutely that kind of girl.”
CHAPTER SIX
The man moved as though he were gliding. His frame powerful and flickering with energy, filling the air around us in a magnetism I couldn’t deny. Didn’t want to.
He made it to me. Stood with only an inch between our bodies.
I tried not to squirm. Tried not to be the first one to reach out and take hold.
One of his sandy blond eyebrows rose up his forehead. “I’m here. Kiss me.”
A dare.
I licked my lips and his nostrils flared.
Ever so slowly I cupped his furry jaw and traced his top and bottom lip with my thumb in a similar gesture to the one he did with me earlier. He put his hands to my hips, bracketing them and easing me toward him until our bodies were pressed together. I could feel the heat of his breath against my face.
I dipped forward, letting just my lips graze his. He opened his mouth slightly. I flicked out my tongue and it touched the very tip of his. I pulled back at the tiny sizzle of arousal that slid through my form. With my other hand I tunneled my fingers through his glorious hair and cupped the back of his nape. The hair around his mouth tickled my lips and I went to press deeper. Our lips just touched when Brutus barked wildly and barreled our way. He jumped and crashed into us with his mighty paws, both of us tumbling down onto the couch.
“Nien, Brutus! What is the matter with you? You have lost your mind, boy!” Killian scolded.
Brutus jumped over our legs and up onto the other side of the couch where I sat panting. He pressed his wiggling body against my side and licked my chin, then the side of my cheek. Laughter rumbled up my chest and I fell into belly-shaking guffaws as Brutus continued to bark excitedly and give me kisses. My neck, my shoulder. Whatever the sweet baby boy could reach.
“Guess we have someone else who plans to claim you.” Killian ruffled his dog’s head and accepted the lick to his hand. “Your timing could have been better, buddy,” he admonished.
A hard knock pounded on the door and the dog instantly went from sweet puppy to vicious killer in two point five seconds. He leapt off the couch and raced to the door barking like mad. He jumped against the wooden surface in a ferocious manner that actually stole the laughter from my lungs and made my hair rise. Brutus snarled and barked as though he would destroy whatever was on the other side that dared knock on his door.
“Sitz,” Killian commanded, and the dog abruptly sat near the door, growling.
Wow. Apparently, Brutus liking me was a serious fluke. Killian was right. Perhaps I needed to be a bit more careful.
Killian made it across the loft pulling his phone out of his pocket. He walked to a spot further from the door and pointed. “Hier, sitz.” He used the same forceful tone and the dog moved to exactly where he pointed and then sat, his body facing the door, ever alert.
“Yeah, I’m coming,” he said into the phone then pushed the thing into his back pocket again before opening the door.
Mr. Holt stood with his gun out and at his side. “I heard the dog barking, wanted to check in.” He gazed at the dog sitting still as a statue then his gaze lifted and came to me. “You good?”
I nodded and grabbed the robe I’d left on the couch earlier and shoved it on.
“I know you’re working and Ms. Jones-Kerrighan did not specify the hours, but it’s coming up on six p.m. Omar and Lance have already taken the ladies to Kerrighan House and are now waiting downstairs to take you home.”
“Oh, wow. Time really flies. I’ll just be a minute!” I called out and dashed to the bathroom, quickly dressing in my jeans, shirt, and flip-flops once more.
I carried the lingerie out and went to the clothing racks and rehung the items. Really, they needed to be washed, especially after things got a little heated during our session, but these would end up being mine to keep. Another thing about having an insanely talented fashion designer sister was I got to keep the clothes I modeled for her. Not usually the case with the other designers I did shoots for.
“I’m ready, I’m ready.” I flip-flopped my way to the guys and skipped them all together and went over to Brutus and crouched down, putting my arms around his solid form. His tail started to flap against the wood floors. “Okay, you be a good baby for your daddy.” I kissed his snout a few times and petted his head. “I’ll see you soon. Maybe I can bring you a treat?” I lifted my gaze to Killian who had his arms crossed over his beautiful chest and was shaking his head with a wicked grin plastered across his handsome face.
“He’s not allowed to eat people food unless it’s meat or veggies. Healthy stuff.”
“Ah, does he get to have dog treats?” I asked.
His lips twitched. “Yeah, if they’re organic.”
“You give your dog organic food? Mama Kerri is going to love you.” I grinned.
“If that’s your mother, I look forward to meeting her,” he commented brazenly, insinuating that he’d be all for a meeting with the parents even though we’d just met ourselves.
A niggle of fear mixed with excitement alongside anticipation blasted through me. Meeting the parents was a big deal. I’d know since there’d never been a man I found worthy enough to meet the woman who raised me. My sisters at bars and events, sure. Not Mama Kerri. For some reason me and the rest of my foster sisters treated Kerrighan House and our foster mother as our sacred haven. Only boyfriends, or girlfriends in Charlie’s case, were invited over after a good period of dating had been completed. We weren’t going to bring guys that we simply dated in and out of each other’s lives. Which is why Jonah’s pretty much the only man seen regularly around our family. Except of course Ryan has been tagging along quite a lot, but I attributed that to him being so closely connected to Jonah.
“Um…I don’t know about that,” I murmured and stood.
“Can we have a minute alone?” Killian asked my bodyguard.