Chapter 36

Cami

How was I supposed to think with Xander right behind me? His lips on my neck sent jolts of desire through me. Maybe Xander had it right, and I shouldn’t think. I’d been thinking the whole thing to death, and no matter what conclusion I came to, my subconscious refused to let the fantasy of Xander go.

Turning, I found myself pinned between the counter and Xander’s hard body. My eyes moved to his face, and I saw one corner of his mouth kick up in a knowing smirk. He was fully aware of what he was doing to me.

“You’re not playing fair.” My complaint sounded weak and breathy. Fair or not, I wasn’t sure I wanted Xander to play this any other way. It wasn’t like I needed convincing. I’d had enough erotic dreams about Xander recently to know I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to experience some of that hotness in real life. I probably should insist we keep things platonic. All my arguments were still valid, but it was hard to think straight when my body was humming with need.

“Do you want me to play fair?” He leaned in until his chest was nearly touching mine. My nipples hardened, and my breathing became shallower.

“Not really,” I whispered as I gave in to the temptation to reach out and trail my fingers along his cheek. “You understand I’m not looking for a boyfriend, right?”

He nodded and leaned in even closer until his lips hovered just above mine. “You don’t have to give anything you don’t want to. I’m dying to touch you. You have no idea how much I want you. We can do this—enjoy each other in ways that will leave us both very satisfied—and we can still be friends. Just say the word, and I’ll take away that ache I know you have.”

I might have accused him of being presumptuous in assuming I had an ache he needed to take care of, but he’d merely stated the truth. I was tired of dealing with my own arousal when it came to Xander fantasies. I wanted him. “Which word do I need to say?”

“Please,” was his reply.

The word left my mouth on a shuddering breath. “Please.”

Xander immediately claimed my mouth. I’d been expecting a kiss to match the intensity of our interaction. Instead, it was a soft kiss, just a feathering of his lips against mine before his tongue stroked my lower lip. My hand moved from his cheek to the back of his head, pulling him closer. I needed more. His kiss deepened while he kept some distance between us.

He broke the kiss and our gazes locked. He was feeling the same lust I was. Still, he managed to pull back, and his voice sounded only slightly strained when he spoke. “Let’s make some waffles.”

I blinked twice. Waffles? He wanted to make waffles? I’d been expecting a much different response.

“I can see that I’ve confused you,” he began. “You’re probably wondering if my waffle obsession is worse than you suspected.”

“I was wondering why you were so eager to make waffles when we could be doing other things,” I admitted.

His lips curled up into a sexy grin. “Make no mistake, babe. I definitely want you more than I want waffles.”

“Then why did you stop?” I asked.

“I fucking love the anticipation,” he uttered. “By the time we finish our lunch, we’ll both be ready to rip each other’s clothes off.”

I was already close to that point, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to know how I’d feel at the end of our lesson. It also irritated me a little that Xander seemed perfectly in control of his lust, whereas I was about to lose my mind. It was time to turn up the heat a little and see how long Xander maintained his composure.

“All right,” I said with a smile of my own. “We’ll have our lesson, but how about if we add an interesting twist to it?”