Other players pushed through the hallway, making the noise level unbearable. I slid down his body and brought my mouth to his ear. “I want you to take me home with you.”

He pulled back. A dropped jaw and wide eyes met mine. “December?”

My smile was so bright it felt like it belonged to someone else. “I’m in love with you, Josh Walker. Take. Me. Home.”

The stunned glaze over his eyes lasted all of two seconds before his mouth descended on mine. We might as well have been alone for the way he kissed me. He was fierce, unyielding, demanding everything I had to give. My fingers tunneled through his hair as he slanted my mouth over his.

“But, Josh! The party?” one girl called out.

“Ember is my party.” He called back before returning to my mouth. He carried me from the building without breaking the kiss, enormous bag of gear and all.

The metal of the Jeep’s frame chilled through my jacket as he leaned me against it, kissing the very breath out of me in the icy night air. He paused long enough to unlock my door and open it; then he was back to kissing and lowering me into the seat at the same time. How could he be in complete control? I was ready to knock him to the ground in the parking lot.

A click, and he’d locked my seat belt into place. I grasped the back of his neck and held him to me, desperate to drink him in.

He moaned against my mouth. “You have to let me go.”

“No.” I’d finally given myself permission, and I wasn’t backing down.

I ran my hand along his coat, unzipping it and then skimming my hand under his shirt to trace the line of his abs. I had his muscles memorized, and tonight I was going to lick every ridge of them. “I can’t wait to put my mouth here.” My fingers pressed into his skin.

“December.” He breathed my name like a prayer. “Let go. Now.” He pushed my hands down, but his eyes told me it was the last thing he wanted to do. “Let me go now before I fuck you in my Jeep in the middle of a damned parking lot.”

“Maybe that’s what I want.” Any flat surface sounded great. Scratch that. Any surface would do.

He bit his lip in the way that drove me mad and took a ragged breath. “My bed. That was the deal, remember?”

Memories flashed. “God, yes, I remember everything about that night: your hands on my body, the way you drive me insane.” I arched into him, pulling his mouth to mine. “You want me in your bed, Josh?”

His eyes were impossibly dark against the black sky. “Yes.” He bit out the word. “I’ve never wanted anything more in my entire life.”

“Then you’d better drive fast.”

Weaving expertly through traffic, he got us home in fifteen minutes flat. Impressive, considering he’d dealt with demolition-derby-style traffic getting out of the arena. Even more impressive considering I used the time to become intimately acquainted with the skin of his neck. He gave the most delectable gasps when I took my teeth lightly to his earlobe. I couldn’t wait to hear the sound again.

The Jeep jolted to a stop in his parking spot, and I had my door open before he could get around to my side. I flung myself into his arms. He caught me easily.

I lost myself in the feel, the texture of his mouth. He tasted like strawberries and Josh. I became the aggressor as we stumbled inside, running my tongue along the line of his teeth, craving every bit of him that I could get.

I heard a ding, and I was against the wall. My head lolled back, and Josh nipped at my neck. Chills raced down my body, followed by streaks of heat that ran straight to my thighs.

Another ding and he lifted me into his arms. His breathing was ragged, but he walked normally as he kissed me. He wasn’t winded from carrying me; he was just as lost in lust as I was. The thought turned me on to an impossible new level. I was going to catch fire at any moment.

I let his mouth go once we reached his door, only to run my tongue down the salty skin of his neck. Whatever this man wore made him freaking edible. I heard a click, and we were moving again, stumbling to turn on lights. “You can put me down,” I suggested.

“Not until you’re in my bed.” His open mouth rested against my neck. “God, December, you can’t know how long I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed.” That earned him another soul-destroying kiss. Or earned me one, rather. Hell, we were both winners in my book.

Chapter Twenty

We made it through the living room and into Josh’s bedroom. He flicked on the bedside lamp, illuminating the room in a soft glow. I would have looked around if I’d really cared at that moment, but the only focus in my mind was how fast I could get him out of his clothes.

He slowly lowered me to the bed, and I wanted to squeal in victory. His weight pressed me further into the soft down comforter, and I was surrounded by the feel and scent of him. I slipped my legs from his back, and he rested in the cradle of my thighs, pressing into me.

Heaven.

“Slow. Have to slow down,” he muttered to himself as his eyes raked up my body.

His hands slipped off my boots before he ran them up the outsides of my thighs. He squeezed my waist as his mouth captured mine again, intoxicating me. His hair threaded like silk through my fingers. He broke away from my mouth, skimming his lips down my neck. Chills danced along my spine, and I arched, giving him better access as my fingers bit into his scalp. “Josh,” I moaned as he traced the sensitive path toward my collarbone.

“So sweet,” he whispered against my skin. He slid against my body with delicious friction, running his tongue along my navel as he slowly raised my sweater. He glanced up with questioning eyes and waited for me to nod my assent before he slid it over my head, kissing me again as it passed my mouth.