HOW TO CATCH A BAD BOY

She nodded slowly, tilting her head ever-so-slightly as she studied him. “Okay. Maybe I will,” she said,

He pointed a finger at her. “Nope. We’re not going back to that topic. None of that. No psychoanalyzing. I don’t care how beautiful you look. That’s not allowed.”

Elena smiled slowly. “You were the one who brought it up again,”

“Stop it.”

The smile spread even further, wide enough that her white, even teeth showed behind her pink lips. Clearly she was really enjoying teasing him. He huffed. “Let’s go inside, okay?”

“Okay.”

Her agreement was too quiet, too pleased with herself, and that made him swear. “Be careful while you move. Some of those flowers have thorns?”

Elena’s eyes glowed. “Thank you for caring. That’s incredibly… sweet … of you.”

“Fine. You know what? Do whatever you want. Get scratched by one of them, see if I care.” He leaned toward her, “And don’t come to me for help when you get bruised because you didn’t take me up on my practical, logical suggestion to stay safe, princess.”

It was a lie because if she came to him, he’d forget about everything to take care of her…. Everything. He’d get an excuse to touch her too and that was a bonus because he wanted to do that very badly. His thoughts must have been betrayed on his face because the blush spread slowly across her cheekbones.

Elena moved closer to him without breaking eye contact. She knew what she was about to do could be risky if things went bad, and they already did before, but she couldn’t stop herself until she was standing right in front of him. Her eyes lifted to his, which were trained on her face was such focused intensity that her face flushed instantly. She wanted him to kiss her, but she knew that he wouldn’t do it unless she made the first move.

His breath was uneven, “Elena…” he carefully grasped her waist, “What are you doing?” he continued in a rough voice, slowly tightening his grip, which tugged her hips closer to his.

“I don’t know,” Elena whispered back, but she was lying and he knew it. She knew exactly what she was doing.

Chandler searched her gaze deeply, then moved from her eyes to her lips. He knew that she was lying too. “Be sure, Elena.” He said.

She blinked slowly at his rough command. No, not command. It was a plea. Since the day he’d asked her out, he’d been completely honest with her that this was what he wanted. That was how certain he was. Exhaling slowly, she broke the gaze and felt the slim tips of butterfly wings as they fluttered through her whole body. Was she ready to leap? Maybe not just yet. But she also wasn’t sure what she was waiting for.

“Why can’t you just ask?” Chandler asked her with a little frustration in his voice. He was still staring at her lips, open and inviting and incredible. “Because you can’t lie to me anymore and pretend this isn’t something you want just as badly as I do.”

Elena exhaled shakily. “You’re right, I can’t.”Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

He dropped his chin to his chest and swore. “What are you so afraid of?”

Elena’s inhale was large, not shaky, but the kind of big, deep breath you took when you were trying to fortify yourself before a giant leap off the edge of a mountain.

“Will you look at me, Chandler?”

Pinching his eyes shut for a moment before he did, he desperately searched for every shred of self-control that he had. When he felt steadier, he faced her, eyes zeroed in on hers.

“I’m not afraid of you,” she insisted. Her hands carefully, slowly, softly slid around his hips, up his waist and onto his back, where she curled her fingers into his shirt.

Chandler blew out a slow breath and allowed his hands to coast up her arms until his palms cupped the sides of her neck, his thumbs brushing the edge of her jaw. Inside him, something snarled dangerously, and he barely kept it at bay. But he was able to because of the way she was looking up at him.

“But this,” she continued, her fingers increasing the hold she had on him, like she was afraid he would be going fucking anywhere right now, “this is the most terrifyingly unexpected thing I’ve ever wanted.”

Chandler’s smile came easily. “Baby, you have no idea,” he murmured, lowering his head over hers.

Just before their lips touched, he paused, and she let out the most insanely erotic whimper, something hoarse with longing.

“You still haven’t asked me,” he told her, lifting his chin just enough so his bottom lip brushed against her mouth.

Now he felt the edges of her fingernails in his back. He grinned.

“Chandler, you stubborn pain in my ass,” she whispered. “Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top, will you kiss-”

His mouth took hers before she could finish her sentence, and he knew, unequivocally, how wrecked he was.

Chandler kissed like he was put on this earth for that one singular purpose alone. Elena’s bones melted like slowly heating metal, and he wrapped his strong arms around her body to keep her firmly against him. His lips were sure and firm, and he sucked on her bottom lip like it was candy, growling when she licked into his mouth. He was strong and hard and warm, and her arms went up around his neck as he tasted her deep, deep, deeper. This was no typical first kiss where he danced around her, or she danced around him, and neither of them cared that they were outside in the freaking garden where anyone could see them. They were lost in their own world, and Elena wanted to remain there.

They moved together perfectly, slick and sweet, as he took her lips again. And again. His hands were tight against her, fitting along the curve of her rib cage and down, down until he filled his palms with her ass. Elena rolled closer to him, inhaling through her nose when she couldn’t even dream of pulling her mouth away from his to get a breath. Her fingers curled around the back of his head as she held him to her, and he smiled against her lips.

“So good,” he murmured. “So sweet.”