I lean forward so my face is only a few inches from hers. “Did you like it?”

She lifts her chin. “What?”

“Did you like it? Did it feel good?”

She opens and closes her mouth several times, just like she does whenever I tell her something she might not want to hear. She then glances around to see who’s listening before hunkering in close. “What does that have to do with anything?” she whispers, tightly.

I give her a one-shoulder shrug. “Just answer the question.”

Tess presses her full lips together, and for a second, I’m sure she’s going to lie and say no. Then I see it, that spark in her eyes that tells me she’s remembering what I did, and maybe how I held her hair when she fell to her knees and pulled me into her mouth. “Yes,” she answers. “I did like it.”

I latch on to her gaze and hold it. It’s only for a moment, but it’s long enough to show her that I know she’s thinking about us, and what we did. I take a sip of my water. “Then what’s to regret?” I lean back, pretending not to care, and that the conversation is over. But I’m a man, after all, and now I can’t shake the image of her riding me hard.

Shit.

“Did you like it?” she asks, barely above a whisper.

I pause before reaching for my water glass again. Yeah, the old jeans aren’t as loose as when I first sat down. “Sure.” Another sip, another stretch against the denim.

“That’s it?” she asks. “That’s all you’re going to say.”

I grin then. “Were you expecting something else?”

She adjusts her glasses. Aw, hell, did I mention she does naughty librarian well? “I just thought you’d elaborate,” she stammers. “You always have a lot to say.”

I laugh. “You saying I run my mouth?”

Her voice quiets. “Not when it matters, Curran.”

Ouch.

Considering she called me out, I don’t say anything right away. My eyes travel to her neckline. It’s high enough to be respectable, but low enough to give me a peek at the swells of her breasts. My jeans tighten further when I think how good it’d feel to give those nipples a flick. “You want me to elaborate?” I ask, my voice deepening.

“No.”

“No?”

She plays with her hands, growing flustered. “I just assumed you would.”

I think back to that night, how we couldn’t stop touching each other or driving each other wild. And yeah, maybe I also think about how those doe eyes watched me when she swallowed before I threw her on the bed and returned the favor tenfold.

Maybe that’s why I shoot off my mouth before I can stop myself. “I like the way you tasted,” I admit.

Her fingers tighten around her glass. “Tasted?” she squeaks.

“That’s right.” I finish my water, slowly, as if my comment’s no big deal. As if I’m not popping enough wood to shame a forest.

I fix my attention on the giant flat screen, where the 76ers are trying to keep the Bulls from scoring. It looks like a good game, but all I see is Tess and her spread legs, begging me for it.

I’m hard as a bowling pin and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. Not here, and not with Tess.

As the game progresses, I settle enough to stand, but not enough to walk straight.

I can’t forget my time with Tess.

Or that she’s close enough to touch.

“Come on,” I tell her. “I’ll take you home.”

We reach the car as the first few snowflakes break through the clouds. She slips inside quietly when I open her door, keeping her face away from mine. It’s just as well. Declan would beat my ass if he knew I crossed a line. For all the ball-busting I do, the job means everything to me. I can’t jeopardize it for a skirt.

No matter how pretty that skirt is.

The flakes morph from the thick ones that don’t quite stick to the little bastard ones that do. This is the type of snow that causes roads to ice over and businesses to shut down. Already a good chunk of it is accumulating on the wipers. I adjust their speed as we draw closer to Tess’s place, but by the time I pull into the lot, they’re on their highest setting.

I park as close as I can to the door and cut the engine, snagging her arm when she opens the door. “Wait. Don’t get out without me. You’re gonna kill yourself in those shoes.”

I walk around and help her out. She wraps her arms around mine. “Is this okay?” she asks carefully, motioning to the way she’s holding me.

And damn it all, her doe eyes are looking up at me again. “Yeah. Sure,” I say, leading her forward, my voice gruff.

Her arms slide away from mine as we wait for the elevator. Neither of us speaks. Maybe it’s better this way, I tell myself.

I step through when the doors open on her floor, making sure everything’s clear before allowing her into the hall. It’s too cold to wait in my car. I’ll probably have to keep watch from the chair at the end of the hall until Lu arrives.

It’s going to be a long few hours. Not just because of my stakeout point, but because of all my thoughts revolving around Tess’s panties hitting the floor.

Sports. Think sports, asshole.

I press my back against the wall as I wait for her to unlock her apartment. She fumbles with her keys, appearing to struggle with the one to her deadbolt. Her hands are shaking; she’s probably cold.

“Here. I got it,” I say, lifting the keys from her hand.

I unlock the door and push it open before dropping her keys into her open palm. “Thank you,” she says, noticing that I’m doing my best not to touch her.

Without another word, I proceed ahead and do a full sweep of her apartment. When I’m done, I notice she’s still waiting by the door. She hung up her coat and placed her purse on the antique table, but that shouldn’t have taken her long. Why is she still standing there?

She inches forward so she’s just in front of that hall table, her hands folded over her flat stomach. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” I say, wondering why she seems on edge. I prowl forward when she doesn’t move and stop directly in front of her. “What’s up?”

“When you said—” She clears her throat and looks around. But there’s not much there.

It’s just me and her.

“Just say it,” I tell her, my voice unusually tight.

Again, she clears her throat, this time meeting me square in the face. “When you said you liked how I tasted, you weren’t talking about the way we kissed, were you?”

It’s as if every shred of body heat heads south and straight into my erection. “No,” I bite out.

I’m not sure who leans in first, and I don’t care. Our lips smash into each other and our bodies collide.

My hands immediately grab her hips, smoothing down to palm her ass. I back her into the table, barely managing to flip the deadbolt while she yanks off my jacket.

We’re all over each other. My fingers, they can’t keep still. They rake up her body, tangling in her hair as I pull her closer and deepen our kiss. My opposite hand trails from the nape of her neck to her breasts and back up, teasing her as it slides along the silky fabric. She moans. She likes it. Maybe she’ll like this, too.

I curl my body to shove my hand beneath her long skirt. She breaks our kiss, groaning when I rub my fingers along the crotch of her panties. “Do you want me to stop?” I rasp against her ear.

“No,” she whimpers. “Please don’t stop.”

It’s all I need to hear. I tear off her panties and hoist her onto the small table. “Open your legs for me, beautiful.”

Her head falls against the wall as she complies, pulling her skirt up and dropping her knees open. She gasps when I part her folds, my tongue immediately finding the spot I need.

I don’t just lick, or suck, or nibble. I devour her soft flesh, pulling it into my hot mouth.

Tess cries out, her pelvis tilting back and forth against my face, her movements fast and forcing the table to slam in a perfect beat against the wall. “Curran,” she gasps. “God, Curran.”