His silence stretched out so long, I finally had to look over at him. In the dark, his expression was hard to read, so his next words shocked me. “I promise you, Claire, what you almost did on the dance floor was nothing compared to what I want to do to you right now.”
My jaw dropped. “What?”
“But Claire.” Whatever he said next was swallowed by the thunderous pounding of my heart.
“Wait a minute. Wait a minute.” I held up one hand. “What do you want to do to me right now?”
His jaw twitched. “It’s a long list.”
“Start at the top.”
“No.”
“Please, Theo.” My heart hadn’t slowed down one bit. In fact, it was galloping wildly out of control, and taking my imagination with it.
“No. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
He laughed grimly. “That list is almost as long.”
“Is it because of the Promise?”
“There’s that.”
“And what else?”
He ran a hand over his stubble, and my stomach flipped as I wondered what it would feel like on my skin. “Theo, you have no idea how bad I feel about myself tonight. Just tell me I’m not crazy. Tell me it wasn’t all pretend.”
“You’re not crazy.”
“Tell me something else,” I whispered. “Please.” His words were like a drug—I needed more. Even if the high was only temporary. Even if the crash would hurt.
He looked at me. “I’ve never met anyone as beautiful as you.”
My toes tingled, and it wasn’t the cold. “Really?”
“Really. And I’ve never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as I wanted to kiss you on that dance floor.”
The tingle moved up my legs. Was he leaning closer to me? “Really?”
“Really. And I’ve never wanted to taste someone the way I want to taste you.”
The tingle nestled between my thighs. He was slowly closing the distance between us, his eyes on my lips.
“But it’s a bad idea,” he said, his mouth so near mine I could almost feel his breath. He took my face in his hands. “Such a fucking bad idea.”
“And you’re scared,” I whispered. “You don’t know what will happen.”
“Actually, I do know what will happen.” He rubbed his lips against mine, so gently I wanted to scream. “Because I’m not good at stopping.”
A little sound of want and frustration escaped the back of my throat. “Theo,” I begged. “Jump.”
Strong hands angled my head as his mouth closed over mine, wide and full and warm. His tongue stroked between my lips, setting my entire body on fire. He tasted like winter, and I could smell the season on his skin—something woodsy and smoky and sweet. His kiss was powerful and deep, and it stirred something inside me that I hadn’t felt in forever—desire.
I clung to it, let it build, pulled my gloves off to thread my fingers through his hair, breathed him in. I struggled to get closer despite all the barriers between us—clothing and coat and seat belts. I needed more. I needed skin.
I surprised myself by asking for it. “Do you want to come inside?”
He groaned and rested his forehead against mine. “You know I do. But I shouldn’t.”
“Listen. I’m usually the first person to do what I should, but tonight, I want to do something else.” I remembered his words from earlier. “I want to test my limits a little. You can test yours.”
He groaned again, louder this time. “You’re killing me. I’m usually the first person to take a dare, but I’m trying to do the right thing here.”
“What’s the worst that could happen?” To help persuade him, I let one hand wander up the top of his thigh. When he didn’t stop me, I moved it between his legs, and my thumb brushed over the tip of his erection. I kept it there, rubbing my thumb back and forth over the ridge pushing against his pants. I don’t know where I found the nerve, but I was damn glad I had.
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
He fisted his hands in my hair so hard and fast I gasped. “Good. Because I have no limits to test, but I’ll be damn happy to test yours.”
My heart raced as we bolted from the car to the house. While I struggled to unlock the front door, Theo reached beneath my coat and dress, sliding his bare hands up the sides of my thighs. His mouth descended on my neck, his tongue hot on my skin. My fumbling fingers finally managed to get the key in the lock, turn it, and push open the door.
We moved inside the house with Theo pressed against my back, his hands already moving to the buttons on my coat. Tilting my head to one side, I reached up and grabbed a handful of his hair. His tongue was doing things to my throat that made my legs wobble. Somehow we made it into the living room, which was lit only by the colored lights on my Christmas tree.
When my coat was unbuttoned, he pushed it down my arms and tossed it aside. Immediately his hands returned to my thighs, yanking up the bottom of my dress and taking my shapewear with it. One hand moved between my legs, his fingertips touching me intimately.
He went still. “You’re not wearing underwear?”
“No. That dress is too tight.”
“Fuuuuuck,” he said, dragging the word out. “Good thing I didn’t know this sooner. It was hard enough to keep my hands off you all night.” He slid one long finger along the soft, slick seam, making my breath catch. I angled my head so I could kiss him, and his tongue slipped into my mouth just as his finger slid inside me. My knees trembled—it had been so long since anyone had touched me this way.