“You’re quiet,” she murmured. “Usually, you have something sarcastic or even dirty to say by now.”
“Not now,” he said, his voice rough and low. “Not when I’m trying to focus on keeping my hands to myself.” He reached out and put his hands on her hips, and he knew that he was on the brink of failure.
Her breath hitched. “You’re failing.”
Beast smirked, a dangerous, slow smile. “Am I?”
She didn’t answer, just leaned in, her forehead brushing his. The proximity was electric—every nerve in his body humming to life like a live wire. He wanted to close the distance completely, pulling her against him, and he never wanted to let go. But he knew that he needed to slow down. He let his hands hover at her sides, just inches from touching her everywhere that he wantedto, letting the tension between them thrum like a heartbeat in the quiet room.
“Belle,” he murmured, low and steady. “I need you to know something. I’m not letting anyone hurt you. Not tonight and not ever. And I’m not letting you face anything alone. Not ever again.” She tilted her head, her eyes searching his, and he saw it—the same trust and heat he felt in every glance she’d given him since that first night in the bar.
“I know,” she whispered, barely audible, as her fingers roamed over his torso.
Beast caught her hand before she could pull back. He lifted it slowly, pressing it against his chest, letting her feel the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “You belong here,” he said. “You’re safe, right here, with me. Do you understand?”
Belle swallowed hard, her chest rising and falling quickly. “I understand.” That was all he needed.
Beast leaned down just a little, careful and deliberate, letting their foreheads touch again. He could feel her warmth, smell her sweet, comforting, and impossibly intoxicating scent. His thumb brushed her jaw lightly, just enough to draw her eyes to his.
“You make me lose my head,” he admitted, voice low, hoarse. “And I don’t want to. I want to do this right. You know, slow and safe.”
Belle’s lips curved into a small, knowing smile. “Then do it right,” she whispered. “Stay here. Hold me. Don’t let me go.”
Beast didn’t need to be told twice. His arms banded around her, pulling her flush against him, body against body, letting her feel how much he wanted her. She fit against him perfectly, like she had always belonged there, and he swore quietly to himself that he would protect her no matter what.
They stayed that way for a long moment, the room quiet except for their steady breaths and the faint hum of the housearound them. Beast could feel her relax in his arms, as her small movements and tiny shifts spoke of trust, comfort, and desire.
He kissed the top of her head softly, slowly, and reverently, holding her close. No words were needed—just the two of them, pressed together, letting the world fall away.
For the first time in a long while, Beast didn’t want to move. He didn’t want to run, and didn’t want to fight anything. He just wanted to stay here, with her, and let the tension simmer quietly between them until it became something more.
“You know, I’ve never had a girl in my childhood bedroom before,” he admitted.
She shyly looked around the room and back at him. “This room doesn’t scream little boy's room,” she teased.
“Well, my mother redecorated when I left home. Did you expect her to keep all of my girly posters?” he asked.
“Oh, girly posters,” she repeated.
“Yeah, but they don’t hold a candle to you, sweetheart,” he breathed. “But when my walls were covered with those women, I used to dream about meeting a woman just like you.”
“And once you met a woman just like me, what did you plan on doing with her?” she asked.
“This,” he breathed, kissing his way down her neck. “And this,” he said, running his hand up under her sweater to find that she wasn’t wearing a bra. “You’re a very bad girl, aren’t you?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I never used to be, but there’s something about you that makes me want to be bad, Beast. Only for you.” He couldn’t stop the groan that escaped his chest as he tugged her sweater up over her head. He couldn’t stop himself from touching her all over as he kissed her this time. He didn’t want to stop.
“What about your parents?” she whispered as he sucked her taut nipple into his mouth.
“What about them?” he asked.
“What if they hear us?” she asked.
“Well, I guess you’re going to have to be quiet,” he teased. Beast knew that there would be no way that she’d be able to stay quiet by the time he finished with her. It had quickly become a challenge for him to make her shout out his name; she just didn’t know it yet.
“You’re not going to play fairly, are you?” she whispered against his lips. He shook his head, and she giggled. Beast lifted her into his arms and carried her across the small room to his bed. It was a double bed, and he wondered how they were going to fit together to sleep, but he’d worry about that later. Right now, he had better things to think about—like getting Belle completely naked and screaming out his name.
By the time that he stripped her bare, she was already panting with need. “You sure you can be quiet?” he asked.
