Much needier.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” I asked between kisses.
She pulled back an inch, chest heaving, and smiled. Damn it all, that smile was perfect. I would never get tired of seeing it.
“I’ve been sure about this for years, Jes. I just couldn’t bear the thought of hurting you. Pushing you away was the only way I could keep you safe from me. Trust me, every single day was torture for me.”
My need for her overwhelmed me as I claimed her mouth in a chaotic storm of teeth, tongues, and unsaid words. I cuffed her neck and pulled her bottom lip into my mouth, sucking gently.
Her responding moan made my knees weak.
Impatient and eager for more, I picked her up and tossed her onto the bed. She squealed in surprise, which only excited me further.
“You don’t have to be afraid of your power anymore,” I mumbled against her lips. “Your soul is mine. You couldn’t possibly hurt me. Our bond won’t let you.”
Years.I had dreamt of this moment for years, even when I hated her. Even when I told myself she was awful for me. Even when I tried to pretend like I could possibly live my life without her.
I wouldn’t let another minute pass without her naked in my damn bed.
She wore nothing but a chest wrap and underwear, her tanned skin flushed and gorgeous, the pink tinge in her cheeks damn near addictive.
I wanted her. I wanted everything about her.
My room was tiny, a detail I’d hated when I lived here. Now? The lack of space only forced us closer. It only meant I could capture every tiny gasp that escaped her lips. Every subtle moan echoed off the metal walls.
So fucking perfect. So fuckingmine.
I crawled onto the edge of the bed, between her ankles, and as I settled there, she pushed onto her elbows and waited, watching me.
The hunger in her eyes was as fierce as the hunger growing inside me.
I slid my hands up her legs, spreading them gently to make room for my body. “You have no idea how many times I’ve pictured this,” I said. “You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined you naked beneath me.”
She inhaled a sharp breath. “You’re teasing me.”
“Maybe. But you just might deserve it.”
She did deserve it. For all the times she left with other men. For all the times she shut me down, just to flirt with someone else.
It had ripped me to fucking shreds.
“You know,” she breathed, “I’ve spent years trying to forget about you. Trying to get you out of my mind.”
I froze, my hands inches from her black panties.
She arched slightly beneath my touch, but I stayed still, frozen, waiting for her to continue.
Brow arched, I squeezed her thighs. “And?”
“And I never could. It’s always been you, Jessiah. Even when I was acting like an idiot, even when I tried to drink you out of my mind, even when I told myself that any warm body in mybed would be as good as yours.” She swallowed, her eyes misting over. “It’s always been you.”
A primal need washed over me. I crawled up to meet her, forcing her thighs farther apart and slotting myself between them so I could place a kiss on her navel.
She shivered beneath me, and my chest swelled with pride.
“I’m going to make you forget about every single one of them,” I promised. “After tonight, it’s only ever going to be me.”
I was a jealous man, and I couldn’t hide it any longer. Pretending not to care about Rummy had taken far too much energy. I was done pretending. I was done restraining myself, holding myself back from this.
