Love Abstract (The Art of Falling Book 2) by B.L. Berry Page A

rolled into one. Phoenix knows how to ruin me in all the best ways possible.
    I surrender myself to him as he grabs the back of my head and deepens the kiss. He pulls my hair lustfully and desire courses my veins, my body igniting with passion. I trace my hands down the front of his shirt and fist the soft fabric in my hands, pulling him closer to me. He moans into my mouth and the vibrations in his chest send my body into overdrive and I trail my hands lower. I whimper in response, plunging my tongue into his mouth before clenching the buckle of his belt with my fist to pull him closer, not so subtly letting him know where my mind is at.
    It’s impossible to tell how much time passes as we stand there, lip locked and tangled in each other’s grasp. Minutes or hours … I always find a way to lose myself in him.
    I pull away, revealing nothing but pure longing and need in my eyes. The kiss may have started slow, but it quickly escalated leaving us both in a heated, breathless mess. Fighting the urge to strip down here in public and have my way with him proves to be quite the challenge.
    I want him.
    No … I need him.
    Now.
    “Ready to go?” I ask, a little eager to get him home.
    He licks his swollen lips before narrowing his eyes playfully. “In a rush, my dear?” He chuckles softly.
    “Eh, a little bit.” I blush and try to hide the excitement in my voice. The effect he has on me with a single kiss …
    God, there are so many things I am ready to do with you.
    “No, I’m not ready to go. Because I’m not ready to rush things with you.” He brings his hand to my chin and runs his thumb over my lips. He speaks pointedly. “Trust me, Ivy. With you … I’m going to take my time … savor every taste … kiss every inch of that porcelain skin … and worship you … exactly like you deserve to be worshiped.”
    My entire body hums at his implication of his words. Phoenix pushes his thumb into my mouth and I gently bite. He smiles devilishly.
    “Oh, good God,” I whisper.
    “Phoenix. My name is Phoenix.” He stares intently, practically fucking me with his eyes. I know I’ve won when the glint in his eyes lights up his whole face.
    “Oh, the hell with it!”
    He throws down a stack of bills, snatches up our things and takes my hand, leading me up the stairs and through the restaurant at a breakneck pace.
     
     
    THE START OF OUR CAB ride was a little intense. I nearly mauled him in the backseat but was a little uncomfortable making out like horny teenagers under the watchful eye of the cabbie in front of us. Slowly, the electrical charge in the air between us dissipates and by the time we arrive back at the apartment, the chivalrous gentleman has returned.
    Eager to keep the spark alive, I slip out of the cab and pull him out behind me. Phoenix holds the door open for me as we walk into the lobby of our building and up the stairs. But when we get to the front door of our apartment, he stops and turns me toward him with a glint of delight in his eye.
    “Happy birthday, hon. I hope you enjoyed dinner.”
    “Thank you, Phoenix. Tonight was truly something else.”
    “And thank you for agreeing to a date, Ivy.” He takes my face in his hands, firm but gentle, and gives me a deep kiss I feel all the way down through my toes. When he pulls away, the smile in his eyes tells me everything I need to know. Everything that I already know.
    This man loves me unconditionally.
    And I want to give him every last piece of my heart. I probably would have given it to him back there at the restaurant, or hell, even in the cab, if he wasn’t so damn cavalier.
    “Good night, Ivy.” He picks my hand up and kisses it softly before turning around to walk down the hall.
    Good night? Oh, hell no.
    “Phoenix! What are you doing?” I call out to him when he is almost at the stairwell.
    He stops in his tracks and turns around to look at me.
    “This was a date. I'm dropping you off,” he says like his motives should be obvious