*~*21 Stolen Kisses by Lauren Blakely – Excerpt & Giveaway*~*

When I first met him I resisted.
Like any forbidden love, I told myself he was a crush, and it would pass.
That was a lie. It never faded.And I never expected he would fall for me just as hard.There were so many reasons that should have kept us apart, least of all, the decade that separated us.
Growing up in New York City, I learned early on that love is a double-edged sword.
Love broke up my parents, love took away my friends, and love — the big, intense, never-been-like-this-before love — landed me in therapy.
Now I’m heading to college, and it’s time to give love a clean slate again. But, can I really start over when he’s still in my life?
Because the one man I’ve always wanted, is also the only guy I absolutely can’t have…
And he wants me just as fiercely.Can I settle for anything less than the love of my life?

I started to unbutton the left cuff, slowly freeing the metal button from its holder as I continued my ode.“I love all your shirts. The blue and the purple and the green and the orange and the pink and the raspberry. I love them all. I love how they fit you, and how colorful they are, and how they’re just so you. I always used to think about what shirt you might be wearing before you came over. And I would run through all your shirts in my mind, because I’ve catalogued them all.”

He closed his eyes briefly, holding on to the counter for just a second, his fingers cutting into the marble. “You have no idea how much …” he said, then stopped himself. He was careful with me; always careful to never say too much.

I leaned into his neck, dusting my lips against his throat, listening for the little sigh to escape his lips. His fingers found their way into my hair, and soon he was kissing my neck, leaving a trail of hot, needy kisses along my throat.

“Noah,” I murmured, arching my back, inviting more kisses, more touching, more him.

“I love the way you say my name,” he whispered back, his voice growing more urgent as he speared his fingers into my hair.

The water in the sink kept running.

“Noah,” I said again, then again, then again. His kisses increased in urgency, his strong body aligning deliciously with me. We fit together so well with clothes on, pushing, pressing, grinding. We had the necessary barrier; we always did. But yet, with the firm press of his body so snug against mine, I melted. I burned. I seared. My mind knew I wasn’t ready, but my body craved more.

“I could use another glass of wine.”

We ripped ourselves away from each other when we heard the voice….