Keeping Pace Read Online Free Page B

me, and I knew very little about him still.
    I rose on unsteady legs, unprepared for when they refused to support me. Josh jumped to his feet, obviously in a much better state than I, and wrapped his arm around my waist. Without his support, I would have hit the floor hard. “Whoa. Steady there.”
    My breasts pressed against his chest, our faces only inches apart. I smelled the remnants of the gourmet delivery surrounded by subtle hints of alcohol. Desire swelled within me, and I weakly fought it into submission, though it would not die without a struggle. I saw a hint of lust reflecting in his eyes and prayed I didn’t imagine it.
    Josh’s gaze dropped to my lips before travelling to meet my eyes again.
    No. Not imagined at all.
    “You’re so young,” I said softly.
    “Twenty-six. Not that young.”
    Fifteen years my junior. A full generation between us. The realization didn’t stop me from wanting him to lower his face to mine and devour my mouth in a kiss.
    He brought his mouth to mine, brushing it with the gentlest caress that sent a shiver rippling through me instead. I ached for more and released a soft whimper of protest when he didn’t give in to my wants. Intense green eyes searched mine before he said, “Not like this, Regina.”
    The use of my first name brought the reality of this evening crashing into me. He didn’t understand. This was exactly how I needed it. How I wanted it. With this lonely life, I’d earned the right to throw responsibility out the window and let my id run rampant. I’d promised Patrick I would live. And I wanted to do so now.
    I threaded my fingers into Josh’s short brown hair and brought his lips to mine. I opened my mouth against his, the urgency of connecting to him on a physical level driving me until I knew nothing else. It crossed my mind only seconds after our tongues connected that he might reject me. When he breathed into me, tasted me, that thought shattered.
    Finding his unoccupied hand, I brought it to my breast, offering more than just a kiss to him.
    “You’re tempting,” Josh muttered after breaking away. “So very tempting…but you’ve also been drinking.”
    I licked his bottom lip. “I’m fully aware of what I’m doing.”
    “I need you to be able to say that in the morning.” He kissed me again. “I won’t be satisfied with just one night.”
    Guiding his hand beneath my shirt, I let him touch my bare skin. “But what an amazing one night it could be.”
    “Gina…”
    I shivered at the way he said my name with such longing. That he’d dropped the first syllable before surrendering himself to another kiss bolstered my ego. Apparently he’d had more of the wine than I’d previously suspected.
    I maneuvered my back to the table, still unsure as to whether my legs would support me, and rested on its edge. Josh kissed me as if a hunger had awakened in him and only delving into my mouth would satisfy it. I thrived on that power. He leaned into me, and soon the table supported our combined weight. The bulge in his jeans pressed into me, but I didn’t need the physical evidence of his arousal. Josh explored my lips and tongue as an expert.
    His hand moved to the top of my thigh. Stroking. Kneading. Perhaps doing only as much as he would allow himself but plenty to fuel my ardor. Moaning, I lifted the edge of my skirt, gave Josh access to the tops of my stockings. He trailed over the lace edges before lowering his touch to safer areas.
    “More, Josh. Give me more…” Yes, I was drunk on the wine, but his kissing, his touching, potentiated the drink’s effects ten-fold.
    “Just this—”
    I swallowed his words, for I did not want them to become a promise. He held his passion back with more restraint than men I’d known twice his age. Tonight I needed him to unleash it.
    His fingers slid up again, moving over the lace, and then higher. Josh stroked over the material covering my sex, and then with a groan moved it aside. His touch on my bare