“And what did you feel?”
“Everything, Henry.”She leaned in, ghosting her lips against mine.“I felt everything.”
Every last ounce of restraint snapped, and I crashed my mouth against hers, my body reacting before I could stop it.And I didn’t want to stop.I was driven by one thing and one thing alone.The insatiable need this woman sparked inside me.
She hooked her leg over my hip, pulling me closer, and need unfurled low in my stomach, especially when I felt her heat against my throbbing erection.
“Did you enjoy it?”I asked against her lips.
She huffed a soft, incredulous laugh.“You know I did.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No.”Her gaze didn’t waver.“Do you?”
“Not for a fucking heartbeat.”
I kissed her again, our tongues tangling in a desperate dance.I pulled her even closer as I pulsed against her, craving her in a way that didn’t feel entirely sane.She arched into me, her breathing uneven, her nails digging into my back.Into the scars marring my flesh.The pain it caused only made me want her more.
“I wouldn’t mind a repeat,” she murmured.“Feel free to tie me up anytime you want.”
A rough sound escaped me.“I plan on it.”
I rolled her onto her back and hovered over her.Her hair fanned across the pillow, making her look like an angel.
“But right now…” I rasped as I buried my head in the crook of her neck, nipping and licking at her sensitive skin.“I need your hands on me.Need to feel you everywhere.”
I slid into her, slow and steady, and she gasped, wrapping herself around me.Arms.Legs.Heart.Soul.
And in this moment, I couldn’t tell where I ended and she began.We moved together like we’d been doing this for years, some instinctive rhythm neither of us had to think about kicking in.
Last night had been fire.
Sharp.Intense.All-consuming.
This was something else entirely.
This was connection.
Raw.Terrifying.Addictive.
With every slow roll of her hips, every soft sound that fell from her throat, something tightened around my heart.Something I’d never experienced before.Something I never believed I could.Not after the blood on my hands.The people I’d failed.The losses that had carved me from the inside out.
I didn’t deserve this.
I didn’t deserve her.
But the thought of letting this go, lettinghergo, was worse than any fear I’d ever faced.
Her lips brushed mine, her fingers gripping my shoulders as we climbed together, the intensity building until it was almost unbearable.I tried to fight it, but Ariana wouldn’t let me.She pulled me closer, her legs circling my waist like a vice.It wasn’t just the way her body moved with mine that undid me.It was the feelings she brought out of me.
Years ago, I swore I’d always remain in control.
Control was the one thing no one could take from me.After everything I’d been through, it was the only shield I trusted.
But every day with Ariana had chipped away at that armor.The way she looked at me.The way she challenged me.The way she didn’t cower or shrink away from me.
The way she saw who I really was underneath it all.
