I See London 1 by Chanel Cleeton Page A

naive, but the desire I felt pressing against me was enough to erase any doubts. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him.
    I moved against him, emboldened now, deepening the kiss, throwing whatever inhibitions I had out the window. His body moved over mine, covering me, pushing me back until I was lying down on the sofa. I felt the worn cushions hit my back, shifting slightly until he was directly settled between my legs. I hooked my right leg over his back, putting our bodies in closer contact.
    Samir reached down between us, lifting up my shirt, barring my skin to his eyes. The cool air hit me with a blast, my skin pebbling with goose bumps. It was too much, too fast, too intense, too out of control. I broke away, my face flushed, lips puffy. We were wading deeper and deeper into uncharted territory.
    “Stop.” I tugged down on my shirt, running a nervous hand through my hair. It was a tangled mess. “Just stop.” I scooted up to a seated position, hugging my knees to my chest. “I need a moment.”
    Samir moved off of me, pushing back to sit on the couch opposite mine. When my breathing stilled, I lifted my head and met his gaze. The heat in his eyes was enough to send a shock through me.
    What had we done?
    “That was better,” Samir acknowledged with a tilt of his head. A self-satisfied smirk crossed his face. I would have thought he was totally unaffected… if I hadn’t noticed how quickly his chest rose and fell.
    “Thanks for the compliment.”
    “Your kissing is fine. As much as the idea of kissing practice sounds good, you don’t need it. Your lips—and tongue—are perfect just as they are. Your body is even better.”
    I didn’t even know how to answer that. I was a mess—
    I wanted to run. I wanted to stay. I wanted him between my legs, easing the ache inside me.
    “I should go to bed.”
    Samir leaned forward, closing the space between us. I was riveted to the sight of his lips. I wanted them again. Badly. There was something about him, some temptation I was finding difficult to resist. I just wasn’t sure why. My body’s response confused me, tied me up in knots, had me searching for answers when I feared there were none. Only want and need and lust.
    I wasn’t thinking as I reached out, my fingers tracing his lips, much the same as he had done to me. His eyes darkened, his gaze smoky as my fingers stroked him, his lips swollen from my kisses. I was mesmerized by him, mesmerized by the feelings he evoked within me.
    I burned for him.
    As my fingers pressed down on his lips, feeling the weight of them, his tongue darted out, licking my skin before taking my finger into his mouth, sucking on it.
    Desire flooded me.
    My finger slid from his mouth. His expression was hooded, his chest heaving as though he had just run a race. It seemed to be the same pattern as my own pounding heart. We hovered there, indecision flaring between us. Inches separated us. If I moved forward, we would kiss again. And if I stayed where I was…
    His breath mingled with mine before his lips swooped down on me again.
    Later I would blame the alcohol and the late hour and the fact that Hugh was making me crazy. In the moment, though, it came down to one thing. Samir was there, kissing me. So I kissed him back.
    From the start this kiss was different. We knew each other now—I knew the weight of his body on top of mine, the touch of his lips, the feel of his tongue. I knew that he liked to nibble on my skin, his teeth just barely grazing my flesh. I recognized the groan that escaped from his lips.
    Our bodies remembered each other. I would never forget this kiss.
    He took me somewhere I’d never been before—a kind of pleasure I’d only read about, only ever imagined. It was just a kiss and at the same time, it was anything but.
    I kissed him back, met him stroke for stroke, until his hands skimmed under my shirt, until I felt his hand brush my bra, his fingers whispering along the skin there, inches from my