Into the Fire (Bridge Book 2) by Meredith Wild Page B

loosened his tie, and I fanned myself.
    “You’re quite the dancer, Darren Bridge.” The cool water slid down my parched throat.
    “What can I say? You inspire me.”
    I laughed, unable to keep from smiling like a fool.
    “You do. You’re an amazing woman, Vanessa.” He reached up, softly touching the flowers in my hair. Emotion flickered behind his light brown eyes. “I don’t want this trip to end.”
    I closed my eyes because I didn’t want him to know how true that was for me too. I took a snapshot in my mind. The music, the noise of people laughing and talking, the periodic whoosh and clinks of the bartender filling drinks behind us. I wanted to stop time. Make this day last forever. Make the trip last long enough to know if this fling with Darren was just that, a fling, or something that could take root.
    “And I hate that I lost your trust last night. I want to show you that I can be better than that. I messed up. And I’ll spare you the suspense, I do that occasionally.”
    “And I’m supposed to…what? Forgive you every time you pull some douchebag move on me?” I joked, trying to keep the mood light. Last night seemed like a distant memory, and the more time we spent together, the more ready I felt to move on and try again.
    The light in his eyes darkened a bit. He lowered and took a less than chaste kiss. I sucked in a breath, and the cool scent of his cologne filled my lungs.
    “People are watching.”
    “You’re not my dirty little secret, red. I don’t care if the whole world knows you’re mine tonight.”
    “Who said I’m yours?” The challenge was baseless because I wanted nothing more than to be his. Claimed, possessed, if only for a night.
    He kissed me again, softer, his breath sweet like champagne against my lips. “I say. And I’m not taking no for answer.”
    “You asked for one night, Darren.”
    “And now I’m asking for another one.”
    Every night I spent in Darren’s bed was a night that brought me closer to falling for him. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to care enough to say no. “Then what?”
    “Then give me the next one,” he whispered. “And the next. Call me crazy, but right now I want them all.”
    Beautiful, intoxicating words. “I’m pretty sure that’s the champagne talking.”
    “No.” He shook his head, his gaze steady on me. “I can hardly believe it either, but I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before. I can’t promise you forever, but I can’t walk away from this either.”
    “I want to believe that’s true.”
    “I can try to tell you everything you want to hear right now. I could search for the right words and hope they’d be enough to convince you of how I feel, what this craving feels like gnawing inside of me. But I’m all through with words today. All I want to do is touch…and taste…” he whispered against my lips through another kiss. “I want to feel and fuck. And I’m ready to take you upstairs and show you what you do to me until the sun comes up.”
    The heated look in his eyes left no doubt.
    “Then take me upstairs.”

Chapter Seven
    DARREN
    I devoured her , and heaven help me, she tasted like apples and champagne. I kissed her until her lips were swollen. Until her nipples were so hard I felt them through her dress. I explored every sweet crevice of her mouth until my cock was ready to explode if it didn’t get some relief inside her.
    We were on the bed, necking like teenagers. I loved her taste. I sucked at her skin, restraining myself not to make marks. I wanted the whole goddamn hotel to know she was mine, but she probably didn’t. I trailed my mouth everywhere her dress didn’t cover. Over the graceful curve of her shoulder, to the tops of her breasts, to the tips of her fingertips.
    The little moans she offered up seem to short-circuit my brain every goddamn time, like I was wired in to her pleasure in a way I’d never experienced before. Suddenly nothing was more important than eliciting more