A moment later, I was tugged to a standing position, finding myself face to face with a wall of lean muscle before letting my head rest against it. I didn’t have to turn around to realise Mortimer had already stretched out across the entire couch, loving the additional space he got now that Thallor often slept next to me.
“Sorry, I can’t do that, Sterling.”
“Why?” I moaned.
“Because nobody putsmybaby in a corner.”
I snorted, allowing the half-hearted giggle to escape me as I continued to lean into his chest. Into him. That was definitelynothow the line went. But I was grinning like an idiot anyway. His attempt was endearing and him?Christ,he was everything I'd ever wanted. I looked up at him and found him smiling down at me, the same stupid cheek-aching grin mirrored back at me.
“The quote is ‘nobody puts Baby in a corner,’ as in Baby Houseman,” I corrected him. Given that I’d almost fallen asleep three times during the film, I could hardly blame him for not paying attention.It gives me an excuse to make us watch it again.
He rolled his eyes, but the grin never left his face. His arms made their way around my hips, pulling me close until there was no space between our two bodies. The firm muscles that I felt etched beneath his shirt contrasted with the tenderness on his face. Everything in his touch was purposeful and gentle, and I leaned into him. Into the safety that existed between us. He brought a hand up, brushing the skin of my cheek before tilting my head up to his. “Yes, I know what the quote is. You’ve said it about seven times in the past hour.”
I raised an eyebrow and offered up a quizzical look in response. “So, why’d you say it wrong then?”
He hesitated for only a second, as if considering the right words before responding. Then, with a smirk, he said, “Because…although your name might not beBaby, I do want you to be mine.”
Once, twice. I blinked and blinked again. And then blinked some more as if the incessant action would help my brain catch up. My knees gave a warning shiver, like they were about to betray me and give out–the only thing keeping me upright was Thallor’s arms around my waist.
Every feeling I'd had since the moment he kissed me threatened to burst from my heart. My brain had short-circuitedsomewhere between “I do want you to be mine” and the way his voice dipped low at the end. He sounded very unlike himself; his words were soft and unsure as though he was testing the weight of them. I supposed there hadn't been much room for certainty in my actions, but now it seemed like he was tired of unasked questions and almosts. And to be honest, so was I. He was standing there before me with his heart in his hands, and the only thing I could think to do was present mine back to him.
When I didn't say anything, Thallor’s arms tightened around me. I looked up at him, noticing the subtle shift in his expression. His smile faltered for a fraction of a second as he looked down at me.No,I thought,I want this as much as you do. I have for longer than you know.And then I smiled, letting the warm incandescence of my feelings take hold of me. And in that smile, I answered every question he hadn't asked yet. I could feel the muscles in his body relax as he moved his hand from my waist up my back until it lingered between my jaw and neck. His thumb brushed against my skin, sending a jolt of electricity down my spine.
“Say it again," I whispered as I leaned into his touch.
He smiled down at me, almost as if in a daze. “What?”
“What you said before. But, you know, the right way this time.”
But Thallor wasn’t paying attention anymore. His gaze burned my lips; the intensity of his hungry, unrelenting stare made it seem like he was already thinking about kissing me. Already tasting them–me–in his mind. Then he leaned in, closing the distance between us, before stopping just millimetres from my lips.
His breath tickled my skin. Warm. Soft. Inviting. I readied my mind, expecting him to finally take what had been his all along. To claim my mouth like he’d already claimed the beats ofmy heart and the thoughts in my head. But he didn’t. Instead, his eyes darted to meet mine, the reds of his eyes swallowed whole by his dark pupils.
“Nobody puts my baby in a corner.”
“That’s still not the quote,” I whispered, low, breathless.
Thallor leaned in further so his forehead brushed against mine. “I know. But I’m not quoting the movie anymore.”
I swear, if this is a dream, someone had better not wake me up.
“Quincey, I am going to kiss you now.” Thallor had never used my first name, but the word on his lips was the last thread of my sanity coming undone. All the tenderness in his voice was replaced by something laced with desire and need. It came out rough and hoarse; the statement was both a question and a confession. He continued to search my face for an objection.I’d have to be fucking insane to do that.
“Okay,” I whispered as I looked up at him.
Maybe it was because I was insecure, maybe it was because I wasn’t confident in my ability to navigate certain situations, but I'd always found first kisses to be a little bit awkward. But the moment our mouths collided, I knew that was it for me. No kiss I'd ever had compared to it, and I didn't imagine any other kiss feeling like it again. Although if I were doing it with Thallor, I wasmorethan happy to be proven wrong. Before I knew what was happening, my fingers were curled into the fabric of his shirt, and his tangled in my curls.
I'd never really liked it, people playing with my hair. But with him, it was different. I wanted his hands lost in my hair. After this was all over, I wanted to catch glimpses of him everywhere, in everything. In every tousled, messed-up strand, I wanted to see him.
His chest heaved, rising and falling against my hands as our kiss became more frantic. Thallor tilted my head backward to kiss me harder as one hand moved down my back and towardmy waist, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. I’d never felt all that sexy–I was awkward and quirky–and everyone I’d ever slept with had treated me exactly as that.
But the sounds of Thallor’s groans stirred something deep inside me. Something that made me feel wanted. Desired. He pulled away for just a moment to look down at me, eyes heavy-lidded and lips parted. In his expression, I saw my own need, my own yearning mirrored back at me. I felt no hesitation. No doubt in my mind that this was exactly what I wanted. It was so easy to worry about tomorrow. About what it would mean for us, for the contract, but for tonight, maybe I could just forget all of that. For tonight, we could be as we always had been. Us.
When our lips met again, I parted for Thallor almost instantly, his tongue slipping into my mouth before dancing with mine. The hand at the back of my neck tilted my head backward to kiss me harder, and my body responded instinctively, arching into him. Heat began to bubble up from deep within my core, wave after wave of desire coursing through my veins.
I didn’t know being touched by another person could feel like this. If I’d known this is how good it would feel to have Thallor’s lips on mine, I would have jumped him the moment he walked into my apartment all those months ago. As our kiss grew more frantic, I fought the whimper that rose up in my throat. It was the first time I’d ever failed at something–the sound escaping me in a breathy moan–and been rewarded for it. Thallor responded enthusiastically with his own low growl before turning me and pushing me up against the wall.
His movements grew wilder and more untamed, his hands desperately trailing against every part of my body. “I have traipsed the depths of Hell, but nothing,nothing,has ever made my skin heat the way your lips do.”
