A Good Day for Chardonnay (Sunshine Vicram #2) by Darynda Jones

His whiskey-colored irises sparkled in the low light. He shaved in the mirror and yet never took his gaze off her.

Of course, she didn’t take her gaze off him, either. Fair was fair.

The bruises seemed to be fading, but as they did, a larger variety of vibrant colors surfaced. The subconjunctival hemorrhage in his left eye remained a dark, ominous red. And yet none of that did a thing to lessen his startling appeal. Surprisingly, the bruising on his body had faded much faster. She wondered how he felt, though. It still had to be tender. There was a reason people didn’t enjoy getting hit by trucks.

“You are complicated, Vicram. I’ll give you that.” He flashed her a nuclear smile, his teeth as white as the foam.

She cleared her throat. “So, how is your evening going?”

“It could be better,” he said, gliding the razor over his skin again.

“How so?”

“You could be naked.”

Her breath caught in her throat. It was now or never, Vicram. Stop being a wuss. She lifted her chin and charged ahead. “What if I were?” When he arched a scythe-shaped brow, she asked, “What if I was standing in front of you right now, naked as the day I was born? What would you do?”

Without missing a beat, without a hint of hesitation, he said, “Ask for consent.”

Wow, was that ever the right thing to say.

She loved everything about this man. Not just his physical appearance. It was him. Levi. The noble being she’d been in love with since she was a kid. He’d almost died saving his friend’s life. He’d saved Auri’s life. He’d come to Sun’s rescue many times and in more ways than one. He’d brought his family out of the dark ages and given them something to be proud of. He was brilliant and clever and disarming.

He was still watching her as she fought for the courage to complete her mission.

She set her shoulders while he wiped the remnants of shaving cream off his jaw, the ritual ending far too soon in her opinion. After taking another moment to reconsider, she lifted her chin, and said, “Levi, the truth is …” Wait. What was the truth? Ah, yes. She bit down and glared at him. “The truth is, fuck you.”

The corner of his mouth twitched.

“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”

It inched heavenward. “What exactly did my horse do?”

“Life is too short and I’m in love with you. I have been since I was six. Maybe five. No, wait.” She counted on her fingers, and said breathlessly, “Four-and-a-half. And I want to have a crap ton of sex before I get too old.”

He pressed his mouth together and nodded, taking her offer into consideration.

“There. That’s done. If you want to talk, you have my number.”

She started to leave, but he said, “I just have one question.”

“Okay.” She turned back to him, fighting her flight response tooth and nail. The adrenaline dump was taking its toll. “That’s certainly fair under the circumstances. What is it?”

“What do you consider too old to have sex?”

Oh. She hadn’t thought that far ahead. “I don’t know. Maybe ninety-three? Ninety-four?”

The grin that stole across his clean-shaven face was so stunning, it took her pupils a moment to adjust. “So, we have a little time.”

“I suppose we do.”

He walked up to her and put an elbow on one side of the door-jamb and a palm on the other, draping his arm across the opening. Then he ran his fingers through his wet hair, shook out his head, and gazed down at her.

The towel hung low on his hips, the evidence of his interest painfully obvious. One tug would be all it would take. But she was glued to his face. That gorgeous, rugged thing that had been the center of her dreams for so very, very long.

He leaned close again, brushed his lips along her cheek, and whispered in her ear three words she never thought she would hear from him. “Fuck you, too.” He kept his mouth at her ear as fire surged throughout her body, and added, “And the broom you rode in on.”

She leaned back. “Are you calling me a witch?”

He leaned forward. “How else do you explain it?” he asked, wrapping a large hand around her neck and pulling her closer. “You’ve bewitched me.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “You bewitched me the first time I saw you and no one else has ever measured up.”

He pressed his warm body against hers, lifted her face, and looked down into her eyes. “There’s only ever been you.”

He lowered his mouth to hers. Ran his tongue along the seam of her lips until they parted. Dove in. Again he tasted like whiskey and butterscotch, and she wondered exactly what he was drinking that was so lovely.

His hands smoothed over her ass and he pulled her against him hard, then surprised her by lifting her into his arms. She wrapped hers around his neck, refusing to break the kiss, and heard the towel fall to the floor.

He pulled back. “I’m not sure we should be doing this.”

“Why?”

“I think you’re very fragile right now.”

“Like a flower?” she asked.

“More like a bomb. Still, may I have your consent, Sunshine Vicram?”

“Yes. Yes. For the love of God, please fuck me.”

Then she was on the bed. He eased on top of her, his biceps bunching with each carefully controlled movement. He smelled like soap and shaving cream. The scent only added to the euphoria she felt at finally having Levi Ravinder on top of her. Wanting her. Craving her. Well, if the growl he emitted was any indication. And she liked to think it was.