As he held her still, merely an inch or so from his face, he tried and failed to not stare at her lips. They were full and inviting, made for kissing and sucking, the bottom one pouted in disappointment. The simple action ripped at John’s heart just as it caused his blood to flow swiftly to his cock. His thin leggings were no match for what was straining at his waist. But instead of pulling her hips to meet his, he held firm to his principles.

“Take off your mask,” he said.

Victoria lowered herself back onto her heels, her hands fell away from his chest. She watched him warily, her tongue darting out to nervously lick her bottom lip. John stifled the groan traveling up his throat. She reached up, slid her eye mask over her ski cap, and let it flutter to the floor. When her eyes met his, they were swimming in tears. Her face and neck reddened under his gaze, but her eyes were unwavering.

With her soul truly bared to him, Victoria was the most beautiful woman he’d laid eyes on. Contrition was etched on her face as her chest rose and fell in short panicked bursts. She’d done something more terrifying than touring McLean’s Haunted Warehouse: she’d admitted she was wrong. The hardheaded woman had told him that she loved him. His mind, his heart, and John was fairly certain, his body was included in the package. John wrapped an arm around her waist and brought her close. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she fell against his chest. She felt what was throbbing just below his waist and shifted slightly, instinctively rocking her hips against his strained cock. “Jesus,” he hissed, pressing his hand to the small of her back.

“Can I kiss you now?” she whispered.

His voice caught in his throat when she blinked. A single tear fell from the corner of her eye, towards her temple. Her face was upturned and so very close to his, waiting on him to say something. “That depends,” he said sternly.

“Tell me,” she breathed.

“If this is going to work between us, and god knows I want it to, I have rules.”

She reached up and wiped her tear away. “I like rules,” she said with a nod.

It took everything in him not to smile at her candor. “Be honest with me, tell me what’s on your mind. Stop hiding away behind some day-planning armor.”

“Okay.”

“Stop pretending to be someone you’re not for everyone you meet. You can be a rhetorician, but quit losing yourself in all of these roles.”

She took a deep breath before replying. “Okay.”

“Can you come up with a plan for working on that?”

A smile tugged at her lips. “I can actually do that.”