Re/Paired (Doms of the FBI Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

until she explained. But she wasn’t his. She was so much more than something he could possess. He dropped his arms and stepped back far enough to give her space, but close enough that she wouldn’t think he was ending the conversation. “Care to explain that?”
    Now that he wasn’t so close, she relaxed a bit. Her shoulders moved. She drummed her nails against the countertop. “I was… I mean… It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was the best kiss. I’ve spent the last ten years comparing every first kiss to that one, and they all fall short. But I don’t know if that’s because it was really so good or because I’ve idealized it in my head. You kinda ruined other men for me.”
     
    What the hell was wrong with her? She should have come up with another explanation, something plausible that didn’t make him stare at her in shock. Why did she have to be honest with him? Just because she’d never lied to him in the past didn’t mean she had to always tell the truth, especially not when the only thing that would come from this was more awkward silence.
    He massaged his jaw and regarded her somberly. She couldn’t think of anything to say to mitigate the damage. Give her an hour or two without him around, and her brain might remember how to process rational thoughts again.
    “Do you want another one?”
    Yes, she wanted to kiss him again. No, she didn’t want his pity. She shook her head and turned away.
    His arm came up, and he rested his hand on the counter, blocking her escape route. She could turn around and go the other way, but if she did that, things would never be normal between them again. No, she needed to face this head-on, downplay the significance of what happened so they could both ignore the topic for another decade. Because if she knew anything about him, it was that he didn’t want the same things from a relationship she wanted. He wanted a few nights of companionship where he controlled every aspect.
    She wanted a real relationship. The submissive side of her nature clamored for his domination. Though she’d played some games with lovers over the years, she knew there was a huge difference between the slap-and-tickle quality of those interactions and what Keith did. Keith was the real deal. It wasn’t a game to him, and she didn’t have the experience to know exactly what that entailed.
    “To see if the memory is as good as the real thing.” He’d lowered his head so that when he spoke, his breath whispered across the place where her neck met her shoulder. “I never meant to ruin anything for you.”
    She turned to face him, and he backed up to give her space. He’d never behaved like this around her. All those times she’d thought she had caught flickers of lust, desire, or interest in his eyes had resulted in nothing. “So this is a friend thing? A favor?”
    Something flashed behind his eyes. His devious smile had long since vanished. “Sure.”
    Favor or not, she wanted this. Only a fool would turn him down.
    “Okay.”
    He cupped her face in one hand and ran the pad of his thumb over her lower lip. He hadn’t done that before, and the move all but guaranteed the impending kiss would rock her world. She felt like groaning, but she lacked the ability to make sounds.
    He leaned closer. His lips brushed against hers, the bottom one moving sinfully slow. He spread his fingers and slid them through her hair so that he controlled her head with his palm. She couldn’t move unless he allowed it. Tension stiffened her spine, and she became hyperaware of the proximity of his body to hers. She longed to close the distance, but she was terrified he’d break off the kiss if she was too forward.
    He teased his tongue along the seam of her lips, and she parted them, granting entry. The warmth of his palm penetrated her sweatpants where he gripped her hip. She didn’t know what to do with her hands. With her knees about to buckle, she grabbed for his chest. She met with a solid wall of hot