valentina felt the shift in him almost immediately, the way the teasing ease from earlier gave way to something lower and heavier, and god, it was attractive. he followed her lead without fumbling for it, without trying to overtake it too quickly, just meeting her where she was and making it hotter. there was something about a man who paid attention that did dangerous things to her.
by the time his hand slid lower, settling in that intimate place between her hip and thigh, valentina let out a soft breath she hadn’t meant to. she kept moving against him anyway, slower now, more deliberate, letting the roll of her hips answer him. when his other hand flattened over her stomach and started its slow climb upward, her head tipped back just slightly, enough to expose more of her throat to the heat of his breath. she could feel how hard he was getting behind her, and that alone nearly made her lose her rhythm. nearly. his hand at her throat was what did it.
not rough, not enough to truly cross a line, just heavy enough to make her imagination immediately betray her. valentina’s pulse jumped beneath his palm, and for a second she forgot about the people around them, the lights, the music, the fact that she had every intention of being somewhere else later. all she could think about was the way he was holding back. the way he was clearly tempted and still being careful with her.
that, more than anything, made her turn. she twisted in his hold, one hand sliding up his chest until her fingers caught lightly at the side of his neck. her eyes found his, dark and bright all at once, mouth parted from the effort of breathing through it. “you’re very good at this,” she murmured, and then, because she wanted to and because she could, she kissed him. it wasn’t shy. valentina kissed him like she’d been halfway to doing it for the last several minutes, slow at first and then deeper when he tasted as good as she expected. just enough tongue to make it filthy, just enough restraint to keep it from becoming a promise. her fingers tightened slightly at his neck before she finally pulled back, lips brushing his one last time as she lingered there in his space.
“mm,” she breathed, the faintest smile curling at the corner of her mouth. “that felt overdue.” then her gaze dropped briefly, knowingly, before lifting back to his. playful, smug, and just a little flushed. “but i did warn you,” she said softly, fingertips trailing down his chest, “i have plans for later.” she let that settle between them for a beat, long enough to make it sting a little. then valentina leaned in just enough for her mouth to brush near his ear. “if our timing were better, gray,” she murmured, “you’d be in a lot of trouble.”
with that, she gave him one last slow smile, slipped out of his hold, and turned away before either of them could ruin the effect. valentina didn’t look back as she disappeared into the crowd, leaving him with the kiss, the heat of her body, and absolutely nothing else.
