“Have we met somewhere before?” he asks, cutting through my scattered thoughts and making my pulse skyrocket.
He takes a step closer, and I can’t hold back the nervous giggle this time. I bite my lip to cut it short and swallow hard. Raf’s eyes drop to my mouth, the heat in his gaze igniting as he crowds me back against the elevator’s mirrored wall.
“I think I’d remember if we had,” I say, my heart fluttering anxiously.
Then he’s trapping my chin between his finger and thumb, and he tips it up as he leans in.
Placing a hand beside my head, his overwhelming presence surrounding me, he cages me in until I can’t breathe.
The rich scent of his cologne teases my nose with each shallow gasp I take—an enticing blend of amber, bergamot, and cedarwood.
It’s fresh, clean, sophisticated, and yet promises he’s capable of doing filthy things to me.
“So, then, you didn’t come looking for me tonight,dolce?”
That unquenchable spark of defiance that regularly gets me in trouble with my parents ignites at the suggestion, and though my brain is muddled with a blend of nerves and arousal, I huff.
“Wow, you’re rather full of yourself, aren’t you? What makes you so important that a girl would come here looking foryou?” Ichallenge, shoving against his chest, and I’m shocked to find just how strong and unyielding it is beneath my palms.
Could he be so good in bed that his reputation precedes him?
After the way Kelly and Hannah were talking about it, that wouldn’t entirely surprise me.
But I refuse to feed his ego.
Raf unleashes a dark chuckle that turns my insides to Jell-O, and he just crowds me further. “It never hurts to ask,” he purrs, his eyes searching mine once more.
Then they flick back down to my lips.
It’s the only warning I get before he closes the last few inches between us, and suddenly, his mouth is on mine, hot and demanding, yet silky soft.
A jolt of energy rushes through me like an electric shock, and my body hums with a tingling numbness that sets my nerves on fire.
I’ve never been kissed before, and the thrill of it alone is enough to blow my mind wide open.
I gasp as a flood of excitement rushes through me like liquid warmth.
Raf’s tongue delves between my teeth in response, taking my stunned reaction for eager acceptance.
And I couldn’t stop him now even if I wanted to because my body seems to have taken on a life of its own.
I’m on fire and prickling with goosebumps all at once.
My hands—still pressed against his chest as if to push him away—slide upward, feeling the iron strength of his lean muscles until my fingers are combing into the dark locks at the nape of his neck.
His hips press forward, pinning me against the elevator wall, and I can feel his hard length digging into my abdomen.
One knee presses between mine, urging my thighs open, and I tremble at the suddenly intoxicating sense of vulnerability this unleashes.
The utter sense of helplessness in the wake of his impressive size and strength.
He might not be brawny, but every inch of him feels like it’s made of cold, hard steel.
I’ve never been so turned on in my life, and I don’t quite know what to do with myself. What to do with the near stranger invading my space with intoxicating confidence.
I’m panting as I register the soft ding of the elevator but don’t realize the doors have opened until Raf pulls back, breaking our kiss to glance over his shoulder.
It would appear his “usual room” is more like a penthouse suite. With floor-to-ceiling windows that look out at the surrounding buildings of Chicago’s downtown, the glass enclosure will put us on full display.