I slid my hands higher and tore her panties off her body.
Yeah.I was done being patient. Before the gasp had even left her mouth, I licked her perfect pussy, devouring her like I was a starved man.
Hells, Iwasa starved man. For her? I had been starving for years.
“Goddess above,” she breathed, her head dropping back, as I shoved her thighs farther apart.
I wanted every piece of her. Wanted her to know how badly I needed this.
I lapped at her, soaking up the wetness that had been waiting for me there. Fuck, she was so damn perfect.
How could she not see that? How could she not understand how irresistible she was to me?
Even as I buried my face in her pussy, I wanted more of her. I wanted every damn piece of her. So I worked my way up her body, licking her stomach, nipping at the scar on her torso, and undid the chest wrap.
As I worked, I glanced up to her face, and I found that she looked almost nervous.
I froze, both hands holding the fabric of her chest wrap. If she was uncomfortable with this in any way?—
Before I could finish the thought, she batted me out of the way and unwrapped the last of the fabric and tossed it onto the floor.
Then the object of all my fucking dreams was completely naked beneath me.
“Rummy,” I said, hovering above her. “We’re bonded now. You can’t hurt me with your magic. I know that’s what you’re afraid of, but you don’t have to be worried about it anymore. I won’t let you lose control.”
She slid her hands beneath my shirt and yanked it over my head.
“I trust you,” she said, her voice shaking. “I’ve never trusted anyone the way I trust you. And that’s why this is so fucking scary.”
I traced a hand up her waist, eyes locked with hers.
Rummy was myeverything.
She could trust me with her life. I would never betray her. Never hurt her.
“It’s scary because it’s real,” I said. “It’s the realest fucking thing I’ve ever known.”
Chapter 33
Rummy
Real.
All my life, I’d longed for something real. I’d pretended like my feelings were real, like my actions were real.
In reality, they were a façade. I couldn’t experience anything real because I’d created a layer of protection to protect myself. Because realwasscary.Realmeant the possibility of loss.
And I couldn’t bear to lose more than I already had. I sure as all fucking hells never wanted to lose Jessiah. That was a truth I had been too afraid to admit.
But there it was.
Losing him meant I’d never again be seen for who I really was, because he was the only one who’d cared enough to pull back the mask I’d worn for so long. Even when I was sure he fucking hated me, hesawme.
He fought with me so fervently because he was tired of my act, tired of the fake Rummy. Because he knew therealRummy had been buried beneath layers of barbed words and cutting looks, all formed to protect me.
I ran a hand up his bare chest, and his muscles tensed beneath me. “This is real,” I repeated.
His lips hovered over mine, so close that we shared breaths.
