He shrugs. “Because it can be. When you’re with the right person, nothing has to be complicated.”
He glances at me, serious for once, eyes holding mine. “I don’t know what it’s like to be sinless,” he says, “but I know what it’s like to feel trapped in a role you didn’t choose. You’re not invisible to me, Arwen. Not even close.”
His eyebrows lift. “This has never been just a friend date. I think you know that. And you’ve been doing perfectly.”
I swallow hard, my pulse hammering. “I think… I’m ready to explore it more, too.”
His gaze softens. Slowly, he shifts closer, letting his shoulder brush mine. I freeze, caught between fear and wanting. His hand hovers near mine, and I let it slide into his without thinking.
The silence stretches, filled with the hum of wind and distant city sounds. My stomach flips.
“But what if I’m… broken? What if my sin power never manifests? What if I’m never enough?” I whisper the words more to myself than to him.
“Then I can help you,” he says, firm, like it’s the simplest truth in the world.
The air between us charges, thick with things unsaid. And then he closes the last gap, tilting his head as if asking permission. I give it without a word, leaning forward, letting my lips meet his.
The kiss starts soft, his lips giving me a whisper of contact. Then it deepens as his tongue softly enters my mouth. As soon as I feel the soft, sensual brush of his tongue, my heartbeat picks up. I squeeze my legs together as we kiss faster. He tastes like spearmint.
I grip his arms as he grabs my waist, anchoring me. My body forgets the fear I’ve carried for weeks—here, now, it’s just this, just him.
He pulls me back away from the roof’s edge and lightly pushes me down on a blanket. Hovering over me, he looks into my eyes and then down at my lips as he kisses me softly again.
I grab the bottom of my shirt to pull it off as he stops my hand. “We don’t have to, Arwen. I didn’t bring you here for that.”
A strange pang of guilt pierces my desire. He knows nothing about my bonds… but it’s too risky to tell him.
And the feel of him this close to me. I’ve never been treated with such care. Like a person who matters. Like a person who is adored. It’s intoxicating, and I want him closer.
“I want this, and I know my boundaries. I’m not sleeping with you tonight, Ryker, but I want more of you.”
He kisses me harder, like he was holding back before. He grabs the bottom of my shirt and helps rip it over my head while, hands trembling, I do the same for him.
We are a tangled, hurried mess trying to get out of our clothes. Like two people starved for physical touch.
He grabs my cheek and angles my face up so he can push his tongue deeper. The feel of his warm body against my skin sends tingles across my stomach, spreading lower.
I breathe him in and open my eyes as he bites my earlobe. Above us are hundreds of twinkling stars, glittering brightly.
He keeps me warm as his body hovers over mine. Working his way down my neck, he nips, bites and sucks at the sensitive skin.
As he reaches the base of my throat, where my neck meets my shoulder, he lingers. His breath hot over the skin he just made wet. His finger brushes along my nipple, spreading goosebumps across my skin.
It hardens, reaching for more of his touch. He massages my breasts and continues to flick my nipple with his thumb as his mouth claims mine again.
My core is burning, wanting more friction. My frustrated whine in the back of my throat and not-so-subtle grinding must give it away because his hand moves lower.
“You need my attention elsewhere, Princess?” He drawls out and I can feel his cocky grin as his mouth touches the shell of my ear.
“Yes” is all I can manage.
He unbuttons my pants, his hand moving at an achingly slow pace. His fingers graze the apex of my thighs as I rock my hips and try to get his hand closer.
“So greedy.” He whispers. “You sure you don’t belong in my faction?”
He moves lower down my body. Kissing and teasing me as he goes.
He kisses below my belly button as he peels the jeans away.
