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“I’m serious, Dave.” She sighed. “I didn’t even think you liked me. Now you want us to…”

“Explore.” I filled in the blank. “See where this takes us. Unless you really can’t stand the idea of my hands on you, then fine.” I shrugged, hoping like hell she wouldn’t call my bluff. “As far as me not liking you… We both know you’re full of shit saying that.” She opened and shut her mouth.

“You’re kind of a jerk sometimes.”

“You’re right.”

“I am?” Her eyes widened, and then she straightened. “That’s right, I am.”

“That’s just me.” I shrugged. “Kinda jerky and bossy. And you’re a bit of a smart mouth.” Roxie’s perfect lips twitched.

“Kind of?” she muttered, and I chuckled.

“Thanks for making my point,” I rumbled, leaning forward enough to wrap my hands back around her waist. She looked up at me with wide, uncertain eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked with a little gasp.

“I want to kiss you, brat,” I mumbled, unable to keep the truth from slipping past my lips.

“Brat,” she muttered. “That’s a sweet nickname,” she huffed with annoyance, but it was the way her eyes locked on mine before moving down and how the tips of her ears turned pink that told me she didn’t really mind me calling her my brat. If anything, I’d be willing to bet money she fucking loved it. Got off on it.

“How about honey bun?” I asked. She might have rolled her eyes, but her gaze didn’t move from my mouth.

“Hmm,” she sighed, swaying closer to me. “Are you going to?”

“Going to what, baby?”

“Kiss me.”

“Hmm, you want that?” I was an asshole. Prolonging the inevitable all while pushing her buttons and getting deeper under her skin. Good. That’s where I want to be. Lodged so deep she wouldn’t know what it was like to ever be without me.

“Dave!” She frowned.

“Daddy,” I countered in the tone that didn’t leave much room for argument.

Not that she realized that. I was pretty sure Rox could argue with anyone about anything. And I fucking loved it. Loved her. Loved her.

Shit. I hadn’t even kissed her, fucked her, but I knew. She was mine. I was hers. She was it. I was head over ass in love with Roxanne Marquez.

“You’re so annoying. You know? If you’re just going to toy with me and mess with my head—“ She started to turn out of my grasp, but I spun her back. Without thinking or saying a word, I closed the space between us and pressed my lips to hers. She stilled. Frozen and maybe a little shocked, but I didn’t let that deter me. My lips slid against hers. Slowly. Tentatively. Until she relaxed and started to kiss me, too.

And when she did? Fucking hell, her sweet delicate, lithe body melted against mine, and I felt like I’d just conquered the goddamn world.

Our kiss quickly ramped up to something heavier. Heated with pent-up passion that we’d both been trying to ignore for way too long. My tongue swiped her lower lip and, like my good girl, she opened for me, letting me plunge into the sweetness of her mouth. Roxanne tasted like mint and chocolate and mine. All mine, that thing inside me growled.

I lifted her up, and her legs wrapped around my middle. She purred beautifully the moment my lips moved from hers and traveled down her chin to her jaw, not stopping until they found their way to her neck.

“You taste better than I imagined, baby,” I rumbled against her skin, not missing the way she shifted to give me more access to her skin.

“You thought of this?” she gasped, rolling her little hips against me.

“Thought of everything with you, Roxie.”

“Shit,” she cursed. I squeezed her ass cheek.

“Language,” I warned. “Be a good girl for daddy.”

“What if I’m not? What if the last thing I want to be with you is good, Daddy?” My body stood still as I placed her on the kitchen table.