TONY: Slow Burn (Raging Fire Book 1) by Kallypso Masters (the false prince TXT) 📕

Her smile broadened, as mysterious as it was encouraging. “You’ll just have to kiss me to find out how strong my willpower is to resist your charms, T.G.”

Game on. Tony placed his finger under her chin to tilt her head back. No turning back now. He wanted this kiss more than his next breath.

Again, Carm’s eyes closed. Taken aback by her beauty, he stared at her upturned face for a long moment, but he could wait no longer to taste her. Leaning in and closing his eyes, he lightly brushed his lips over hers, savoring the initial contact but still intending to begin by giving her the chaste goodnight kiss she expected.

If only his lips hadn’t tingled with electrical sparks where they made contact with hers. Damn. He didn’t know about Carm, but a chaste kiss wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him tonight. Tony should stop now before he lost what little control he had left.

Then she opened her mouth for him, and a wave of heat surged through him. What Tony needed more than anything was this intimate connection with Carm. Taking her lower lip between his, he nibbled gently at first, then more possessively. Releasing her lip, he flicked his tongue into her mouth. A throaty moan escaped her, and she opened her mouth wider. When her tongue began to playfully tango with his, he pressed her against the still-closed door.

Tony wasn’t sure where this kiss would end, but he had no intention of holding back.

Chapter Fourteen

Pressed between Tony’s hard body and her front door, Carm’s knees grew weak and her body thrummed with excitement. She wrapped her arms around his neck, partly to remain upright but also to make sure he didn’t end this kiss before she was ready. After all, there probably wouldn’t be another.

The pressure of Tony’s tongue against hers warned her to slow this down, but her tongue continued to dance around his. She let out a moan, further giving away her state of arousal. His erection pushed against her lower abdomen, making her instantly wet. Carm ran her fingers through the hairs above his nape all the while tugging him closer.

A niggling thought that she probably ought to take this inside crept into her consciousness before someone saw them making out on her doorstep. But inviting Tony inside might lead to more than either of them was prepared for. All she was certain about at this moment was that she most definitely wanted this kiss to continue.

Carm wrapped her arm around Tony’s waist and caressed the firm muscles of his back. The man stayed in shape, whether it was from running, working out, or just plain working. With the fingers of her right hand, she continued to play with the hair above his collar. While fairly close-cropped, it was almost an inch long and soft to the touch.

Abruptly, Tony pulled away, eliciting a groan she immediately wished she could take back. She didn’t like to sound needy. Carm usually was the first to break off a kiss and send a date on his way but wasn’t sure she was ready for this evening to end.

Good thing at least one of them had a measure of control remaining, because if he asked her to go to bed with him right now, she didn’t think she’d be able to say no.

Over the next few moments, both of them fought hard to catch their breaths. He looked as dumbfounded as she felt over that toe-curling kiss. How had they gone from two people who barely hid their dislike for one another to two people on the verge of a passionate encounter? The man hadn’t been kidding about the potency of his kisses!

“I had a wonderful time tonight, Carm.”

Wait! It doesn’t have to end!

Oh, yes it does.

Still, she couldn’t put two words together to form a response. Usually glib with guys, this man had rocked her world in a matter of minutes. Tony pulled farther away, and she would have slumped to the floor if he hadn’t supported her until she found her equilibrium once more.

What a hot mess I am! Really hot.

The only clear thought in her head was that her body wanted more than a kiss, but casual sex with Tony could be disastrous with their families so intertwined. If things didn’t work out between them, it would make family gatherings torturous and awkward for years to come.

Christ, Carm, it was just a kiss. She didn’t want long-term with any man right now, biological clock be damned.

Then why did she run the tip of her finger along the lips that had just seared their way into her cell memory and say, “It doesn’t have to end out here.” The words came out before she realized she intended to invite him inside.

Tony sighed, but smiled slightly triumphantly. “You tempt me, Carm.” At least he didn’t gloat over his clear conquest.

“I sense a but coming.”

He chuckled. “But…I don’t think that either of us wants a fling. I care about you too much to let this go any further tonight.”

Should she argue that they could do this and come out unscathed or just let him go? Tony ran his fingers lightly down her arm leaving a trail of gooseflesh before breaking contact.

Unlike Tony, she couldn’t turn off the sexual energy sparking between them so quickly. “How about a nightcap then?”

He shook his head. Was that regret in his eyes? “I’m driving through Independence Pass, so I don’t think it would be wise to put even a drop of liquor into my veins.”

“It’s late to be driving that curvy road even sober. Stay here.” Before he took that as another invitation into her bed, she added, “My sofa is quite comfortable.”

“Again, you tempt me, but after that kiss, I’m wide awake. I’ll spend the drive home thinking about all the things I wanted to do to you tonight but couldn’t.”

A surge of sexual energy coursed through