She stood up. So did I. We were close now, close enough that I could see the rapid rise and fall of her chest, the uncertainty in her eyes mixed with something that looked a lot like want.
She reached up and brushed her fingers across my cheek, tracing a line through the soot I hadn’t bothered to wipe off. Her hand trembled slightly.
“I want this,” she said quietly. “I just don’t know what I’m doing.”
I caught her hand, pressed a kiss to her palm. Felt her breath catch.
“Then let me show you.”
I kissed her. Slow, careful, giving her every chance to pull back. She didn’t. Instead, she leaned into me, her hands fisting in the front of my coat, and I felt something crack open in my chest.
This was it. This was her. The woman I’d been waiting for without knowing I was waiting.
And I was going to spend the rest of my life making sure she knew exactly how serious I was.
4
ALLEGRA
Hux’s mouth was warm, gentle at first, tasting faintly of smoke and coffee. I leaned into him, my hands gripping the thick fabric of his coat, feeling the heat of him through all those layers.
As the kiss deepened, he shrugged out of his coat, letting it drop to the floor with a heavy thud. Disappointment flickered through me—God, I’d loved how he looked in it, that powerful, protective gear making him seem invincible.
I pulled back and looked at him. Now he wore only a T-shirt, clinging to his muscled chest. He peeled that off too, revealing skin marked with a few scars and a dusting of hair that made my mouth go dry.
I almost begged him to put the coat back on, to let me see that firefighter god again, but then his hands were on me, yanking my T-shirt over my head with urgent, fumbling fingers. Cool air kissed my bare breasts, nipples tightening instantly under his burning gaze.
He reached for my jeans, cursing softly when the button stuck, and I laughed breathlessly. “Let me,” I whispered,shimmying out of them and my soaked panties in one quick motion.
Naked now, vulnerable but aching for him, I lay back on the cot, the thin mattress creaking under me. My legs parted slightly without me meaning them to, an invitation I couldn’t hide.
“Take off your clothes,” I said, my voice bolder, huskier than I’d ever heard it.
“Fuck, Allegra,” he rasped, gaze raking over me like fire.
He obeyed fast, stripping off the rest of his gear and clothes. Boots thumped, pants slid down, and there he was—fully bare, cock thick and hard, curving up toward his stomach, a bead of precum glistening at the tip. I couldn’t look away, my pussy clenching at the sight.
I teased a finger over one nipple, pinching it lightly, circling the hard peak slowly while I watched his face. His jaw clenched, breath hitching audibly, that heated expression turning feral.
“Step forward,” I ordered, surprising myself with the command.
He closed the distance. I wrapped my hand around him—hot, throbbing velvet over steel, so hard in my grip. He groaned deep in his chest, hips jerking slightly as I stroked from base to tip, thumb swirling over the slick head.
“Allegra…shit,” he hissed.
Emboldened, I leaned forward, tongue flicking out to taste him—salty, musky, pure him. His groan was louder now, ragged, encouraging me as I took him deeper into my mouth.
I experimented, hand pumping the base in rhythm with my lips sucking, tongue swirling around the underside. Sounds filled the room—my mouth on him, his heavy breathing, the whoosh of my hand over his erection.
His fingers threaded into my hair, tugging gently. “That’s it, baby. Just like that. You feel so good.”
I hummed around him, the vibration making him curse and thrust shallowly. But he pulled back too soon, breath ragged.
“Lay down,” he commanded, voice strained. “I need to taste you.”
Heart pounding, I reclined, spreading my legs wide for him. He slid over me, weight on his elbows, kissing down my body—hot, open-mouthed kisses on my neck, sucking hard enough to leave marks, then lower to my breasts. He took one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, teeth grazing, while his hand pinched the other.
I arched off the cot with a sharp cry, pleasure shooting straight to my clit. “Hux... oh god.”
