Tame Me If You Can

Chapter 23

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Chapter 23

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"Pretty sure my neighbors heard me."

"No... you think?" he drawls sarcastically, squeezing my butt.

I giggle and smash the mochi ice cream on his mouth. He takes a playful bite out of my hand and bites my finger, making me laugh harder.

We're on my kitchen floor, well he's on my kitchen floor. I'm straddling him.

After that blissful domination, your girl had to crawl for some frozen snacks and replenish the soul this man skillfully sucked out of me...again.

He traces a lazy finger over the teeth marks on my chest. I admire his silhouette in the blue moonlight. The wind shakes the jacaranda tree outside while the sound of crickets break the steady rise and fall of our breathing. His eyes look into mine, untiring.

"You're so beautiful," he murmurs and closes his eyes slightly, inky lashes draping.

I bite my lip to stop the idiotic smile creeping on my face and lick the mochi dust off his. The tasteless powder dissolves and he hums with a smirk before capturing my mouth. I giggle against him as he tightens his grip and deepens the kiss, tongue stroking and caressing mine with unhurried tenderness.

"Too soon..." I moan, pulling back. "I need time to recover."

"Want to bet?" He twists my hair and pulls me in again. His other hand trails between my legs. "I'll take my time, go real slow."

"I don't like slow." I gasp at the wicked way his finger teases and drop my head in the crook of his neck. "Slow makes my mind run..."

"What do you think about?" He stops when I put my hand on his wrist.

"Everything. It runs so fast I can't keep up with it." I sit up straight and look at him.

He studies me with a fixed gaze, no longer playful. "I heard you and Kayden. You gave up your interview to help me, didn't you?"

I stop breathing. "It wasn't a big deal."

He brushes his palms up and down my thighs. "It sounded like a really big deal, Mia."

"It wasn't." I shrug. "You're wrong."

He stares until I sigh and get off of him. I pull the robe around my body and throw the ice cream container away.

He stands up and holds my wrist. "Hey..."

"It wasn't a big deal," I snap. "Just let it go."

His eyebrows knit and lips press into a line. I glare, jaw clenched, hands fisted.

Fear inflates in my abdomen and sucks the air out of my lungs. I feel small. I want to hide.

But the lines on his face become smooth as he takes me in and pulls me to his chest. He wraps his arms around me in a strong embrace until the stiff line down my spine has no choice but to loosen.

I bury my face in my hands, press my forehead against his chest until the tension melts.

"Hey..." He murmurs, kissing the top of my head.

"Mm?"

He dips his mouth to my ear. "You know you're amazing, right?"

I shake my head and hit his chest, tense again, but he squeezes me harder.

"You are," he murmurs. "I'll never stop telling you that."

~

"What are we doing here, Professor?"