Page 66

When my brother frowns and opens his mouth to say something, I stiffen as I gear up to physically remove him from my apartment. But before I need to do that, Scarlett grabs his hand and tugs him toward the door.

“Well, we don’t want to bother you then,” she says with a polite smile over her shoulder. “Just make sure to give that lasagna to Sean, okay?”

Nico’s still frowning as he follows his girlfriend out the front door. “But⁠—”

“We’ll talk to you later!” she calls out in a high-pitched voice from the hallway. Then, as she closes the door behind them, I can hear her aggressively whisper, “Were you this oblivious when you were trying to date me?”

This time, Charli doesn’t try to hide her snort.

I turn back toward her with a wince. “So…you’ve met my brother.”

She grins as she leans back against the counter. “Apparently.”

And just like that, every thought eddies from my mind that isn’t Charli.

Her grin fades as I take three big steps forward until I can cage her against the counter. Her throat works on a swallow, giving away her nerves.

I take my time checking her out, my gaze dripping with promise as it slides over her. She’s wearing her usual fishnets today. I’ve seen her wear them before, of course, but they’re usually peeking out of her ripped pants. Today, the weather was warmer, so she’s paired them with jean shorts. Meaning, I can essentially see the entire length of her leg. She’s also removed the sweatshirt she originally walked in here with, leaving only a thin tank top between my tongue and her skin.

The entire look is intoxicating.

“Did you stop half of Philadelphia traffic with how hot you look in these tights?” I find myself growling.

When her face flames with a blush, I think, she definitely doesn’t know how hot she is.

Dropping one hand to her belt loops, I pull her into me until there’s no space between our hips. Even just seeing that she lets me lead is a turn-on, but coupled with her pupils growing and the pulse in her neck accelerating, I’m already halfway to hard.

Finally looking up to meet her eyes, I crowd her against the counter until there’s barely an inch between our lips. “I’m going to be thinking about this outfit all day tomorrow.”

Her hands land on my stomach between us. “Seriously?” she breathes. “But it’s…nothing special.”

I let out another growl, this one a sound of disagreement. “Are you kidding me? I could write a dissertation about this outfit.”

She lets out a breathless laugh. “Something tells me you could write a dissertation about anything.”

I grow distracted by her bare shoulder that’s so close to my lips. “Only when properly motivated,” I hum. Then I drop my lips to her skin. And fucking revel in how she shivers.

Brushing her hair behind her, I press another kiss on her shoulder. “Do you know that every time you wore a flannel to the office, and it would slip off your shoulder when you would get distracted, I would completely lose my train of thought?”

Charli stretches her neck, giving me more access. “What?” she asks distractedly.

“Every time, I’d hyper fixate on this one spot, right here.” I move my lips to her neck, to that spot right at the base of it. “All I could think about was what your reaction would be if I did this.” This time when I kiss her, I suck hard before brushing my tongue over the spot.

“Oh my God,” she gasps, her knees buckling. It gives me an excuse to reach under her thighs and lift her onto the counter.

Which puts her at the perfect height and the perfect position. I straighten, my hands still on her hips, and I step between her thighs. I don’t completely close the distance between us, but I move close enough that I can feel the heat of her.

Our lips are only a breath apart when I let my hands start to wander. My fingers brush down her sides, passing over denim and reaching skin quickly.

“These fucking tights,” I growl. The holes are big enough for two of my fingers to slide in. “You have no idea the thoughts I have about these tights.”

You’d think I slid my fingers in her with how hard Charli starts to breathe. And she’s as breathless as I’ve ever heard her when she asks, “What thoughts?”

My lips brush along her jaw. “I think about what kind of underwear you’re wearing under them.” My fingers slide deeper under the tights, under her shorts now. “I think about what you’d look like in only these.” I press my lips to her ear. “I think about ripping a hole in them. A hole big enough for my mouth, but ideally big enough for my cock, too.” I bring my mouth back to hers. “And then I wonder if the sight of your pussy would make me simply shred them from your body.”

I feel Charli’s gasp against my lips. It’s followed by the surprising feeling of her hand coming up to cover my mouth.

“Lucas,” she gasps, her chest heaving. “Your mouth.”