Taming Lo: A You and I Novel (13 page)

I don't know what takes over me but the next thing I
know, I have her face in my hands and my mouth is hovering just
inches from hers. Her eyes hold mine and I can feel her sway slightly
in my embrace but I make no move to close the distance between us.

I want to. Every inch of me wants this. But then the
reality of the situation creeps back in and I back away, slowly
lowering my hands from her face. I don't know what else to say so I
quickly turn and walk away, not looking back in her direction again.
I hear her door close behind me seconds later and my steps
immediately stop.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

I don't make a move to kiss a girl and not follow
through. Then again, I haven't actually kissed a person in so long, I
don't even know if I remember what it feels like. But I can imagine
what it would feel like to kiss Lo. Her soft lips pressed firmly to
mine, the taste of her mouth on my tongue.

Shaking my head, I spin and head back towards Lo's door.
I know I need to turn around. I need to keep walking. I need to go
home. I can't cross this line. Once I do, I can't go back. One small
taste and I know, I will never be able to walk away. And even though
I know all of this, I can't stop myself from reaching out and
knocking on her door anyways.

Chapter
Nineteen

Lo

A knock echos through my apartment just moments after I
make it into my bedroom. My heart picks up speed immediately because
I know it's Dax, it has to be. I take my time getting to the door,
not wanting to come across as too eager.

“
Dax?” I
question, the moment I open the door and catch sight of his heated
gaze on my face. I barely get the words out before he steps forward
and his lips crash down on mine.

The moment the contact is made, I am powerless to move,
to react, to do anything that doesn't involve opening my mouth and
letting his tongue slide inside. Wrapping my arms around his neck,
his arms close around my waist as he pulls me into him, my feet
leaving the floor as his lips work skillfully against mine.

I know I should push him away. I know that I should stop
this, but I can't. It feels too right, too perfect, to do anything
but kiss him back just as passionately as he's kissing me. His
fingers grip at the fabric of my dress as he clenches me tighter
against his frame.

His tongue works long
sweeps against mine, the feeling more incredible than I had even
dreamed. Because yes, I have dreamed about what it would feel like to
experience this very moment. To be in his arms and have his lips
pressed firmly against mine. But no matter how much I have wanted
this, no matter how much I
do
want
this, I know I need to stop it.

“
Dax.”
I pull back, pushing firmly against his chest until he has no choice
but to lower me to my feet.

“
I'm
sorry.” He breathes, dropping his forehead against mine. “I
just needed to do that, at least once.” He says, his breathing
ragged and uneven.

“
I
thought it was against your rules to kiss on the mouth.” I say,
immediately noticing the tremor in my voice. Dax pulls back slightly,
clearly not missing it either.

“
The
perk of making the rules...” He pauses, reaching out to push my
hair away from my face before lowering his face down to mine.“I
have the power to change them.” He whispers against my mouth
before pressing his lips gently to mine once more.

I can't stop the tremble of my hands or the shake in my
knees as he pulls back, gives me a lopsided grin and then spins
around and walks away, leaving me standing in my doorway paralyzed
and trying to figure out what in the hell just happened.

I don't know how long I stand in the doorway, unable to
make myself move, before I finally snap out of my haze and close the
door. Walking through my apartment, I feel like I have entered some
kind of alternate universe where nothing around me is actually
happening.

I collapse down onto my bed, not even bothering to pull
the covers down or change out of my dress for that matter. My heart
is racing, pounding so rapidly that I swear it is going to beat its
way right out of my chest at any moment.

I've been kissed countless times before and I can't ever
remember feeling this way before. Well, other than one other time. I
shake my head, refusing to think about Ricky right now. I won't let
him ruin this moment for me. Not this time. And while I know nothing
can come of this, for the first time in a very long time, I am
actually sad about that fact.

****

“
If
I didn't know any better, I would say someone is avoiding me.”
Dax's voice washes over me from behind. I spin around to find him
leaning casually in the doorway of my dressing room.

“
I'm
not avoiding you.” I lie. “Just been really busy.”

“
Uh
huh.” He steps inside the room, not buying my excuse for even a
moment. “Is that what women call it when they clearly don't
want to see someone?” He laughs, pushing the door closed and
sliding the lock into place.

“
Dax.”
I start to object when he takes a step towards me. “I have to
be out on stage in less than five minutes.” I say, hoping he
will just go away.

The
kiss we shared two nights ago has haunted me since the moment it
happened. I can't stop thinking about it. The way his lips felt
against mine. The way his hands gripped me so tightly like he was
scared to let go of me. Every single detail has consumed my thoughts
for two days straight and has left me feeling weak and vulnerable,
which is why I
have
been
avoiding him. I don't want to put myself in a position to resist him.
Because honestly at this point, I'm not sure that I have it in me to
do so.

“
This
won't take long.” He takes another step and then another until
he is standing directly in front of me. “I just want to
apologize.” He says, reaching out to brush my cheek with the
back of his hand, heat immediately flooding my face.

“
For?”
I question, trying to keep my voice even and not let on like I think
any of this is a big deal.

“
You
know what for.” He says, wrapping his hand around the back of
my neck and pulling my face to his until they are just inches apart.
“I never should have kissed you without making sure you wanted
me to first.” He says, his eyes holding firmly to mine. “It
won't happen again.” He smiles, leaning in even closer.
“Unless.” He whispers, his hot breath dancing across my
face.

“
Unless?”
I pant, not able to control my rapid breaths or even more rapid
heartbeat.

“
Unless
you ask me to.” He hovers next to my lips for a moment longer
before pulling away, a wide smile stretching across his face.

“
Well
then we have nothing to worry about.” I say, crossing my arms
in front of myself, trying my damnedest to play this game just as
well as he is.

“
We'll
see.” His eyes dance in challenge as he backs away, his smile
not fading as he pulls the door open and throws me a wink before
disappearing into the hallway.

The moment he's gone my weak legs give out and I
collapse back onto the couch along the back wall of my dressing room.
Leaning forward, I drop my head into my hands and take a few deep
calming breaths.

I
have to pull my shit together and get a grip. He doesn't mean
anything by this. He's just being Dax. Fucking with me just because
he can. He broke one of his rules for me, now he wants to see if he
can push me to break mine. He may be the first man to make me
consider breaking my
one
time only
rule,
but that is even more reason for me not to. I can't give him that
power.

I have traveled down that road before. The one where I
am so blinded by what my heart and body wants that I don't listen to
my mind. I traveled it and when I returned, I was not the same girl I
was before. Ricky and his little buddies made damn sure of that.
Closing my eyes, I try to push the thought away.

I cannot.

I will not.

I am not
,
ever going to give a man that kind of power over me again.

Chapter
Twenty

Lo

I no more than sit down on my couch and a knock sounds
at my door. Who in the hell would visit at two o'clock in the
morning? But then again, I already know the answer to that question.
I know I shouldn't answer it. I should stay exactly where I am and
let him think that maybe I am already asleep.

I know that is what I should do, but that also doesn't
stop me from pushing myself into a stand and crossing towards the
door. I put my hand on the lock, trying to convince myself not to
open the door but it's no use. Before I can really stop myself, I
flip the lock and twist the knob.

The second it opens, Dax rushes inside, slamming it shut
as he pulls my body flush with his and spins me around, pinning me
against the door, his face hovering just inches from mine.

“
Dax. What the
hell?” I blurt, taken aback by his sudden movements.

“
Tell me to kiss
you.” His voice sounds almost pained.

“
Dax... I....”
I stutter out.

“
Ask me to kiss
you Lo.” He lowers his face, his eyes burning deeply into mine.
The heat in his glare melts every ounce of my self control right here
on the spot and I find myself uttering the words I swore to myself
just hours ago, that I would never speak.

“
Kiss me.”
I breathe, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling his face down
to mine. “Kiss me Dax.” I barely get the words out a
second time before his mouth comes crashing down on mine.

My lips part on a moan and he immediately slips his
tongue inside, his skilled mouth working my already weakened mind
into a puddle of want and need. I am blinded to everything.
Everything but this. The feeling of his mouth on mine. The feeling of
his hands as they skirt down my body, gripping my hips so tightly I
am certain there will be bruises tomorrow.

“
You taste so
fucking perfect.” He breathes, sucking my bottom lip into his
mouth and biting down gently. “So fucking perfect.” He
grinds out as he makes his way across my jawline and dips lower to
nibble gently across my collarbone.

Dropping my head back, I am helpless against his
assault. I can't bring myself to fight against the heat coursing
through every inch of my body, consuming me inch by inch as he stakes
his claim. Trailing his fingers inside the band of my yoga pants, I
bite down on his shoulder when he slides his hand inside to find me
wearing no panties and more than a little wet.

“
Fuck.” He
grinds out, immediately plunging two fingers deep inside of me.

I bite down even harder when his thumb finds my clit and
he starts working circles across my most sensitive area. I am already
close. So close. It's been so long since I have felt someone's hands
on me. Not to mention, everything about this man turns me on so much
that one flick of his finger and I find myself climbing higher and
higher.

“
Look at me.”
His voice is broken and strained.

I unclench my mouth from his flesh and look up to find
his eyes burning down onto me. I watch his mouth part on a desperate
exhale as he feels me tighten around his fingers as an orgasm washes
over me. It climbs and climbs and even though I want to look way, I
force myself to hold eye contact.

Finally I explode around his hand on a loud cry and my
head sags forward into his chest. He slows his movements and then
once he's sure he's drained every ounce of pleasure from my release,
he slides his hand out of my pants, grabbing the band as he does and
tugging the material down my legs.

He watches me with hooded eyes as I lift one leg and
then the other, allowing him to pull the material from my body.
Grabbing the hem of my shirt, he pulls it over my head. Discarding it
to the side, he takes a small step back and traces his eyes along
every inch of my bare skin.

“
You are so
fucking beautiful.” He says, his eyes finding mine again as he
pulls me to him.

Leaning in, I press my lips to his once more as I begin
slowly backing him towards the couch. As much as I love the control
he takes with me, I also can't fight my own dominant side. With each
step he takes backwards, I work on removing an article of his
clothing.

First, I peel his shirt over his head and toss it to the
side. Then, I immediately start working on his belt and the button
and zipper of his pants. We both laugh as he struggles to kick them
off his legs as we continue to move backwards into the living room.