Her bedroom came before mine down the hallway, so we stopped outside it. She leaned her back against the door, her arms folded casually over her chest, and I remembered thinking how pretty she looked like that. Flushed from the wine, her hair just a little messy, her eyes bright and full of life.
“Thank you. For dinner. And for the apology,” she said, softly.
“I was a total dick,” I said, leaning forward to rest a hand on the door, beside her ear.
Her eyes flickered to where my hand went, then back to my eyes, and I felt the air between us thicken, like sweet summer heat brimming with possibilities.
“I thought you were going off to bed, Bea,” I said, my voice hoarse and teasing.
“I believe I can stay up just a little longer,” she whispered softly, her hands coming up to fiddle with my collar. My hands trembled then as they reached for her waist, our heads tilting as my lips brushed against hers.
“God, I missed you,” I groaned against her soft lips, pulling her closer until her hips hit mine.
I kissed her deeper, and her hands clutched at my shirt to pull me closer. I backed her gently against the doorframe, our bodies glued together like they were made to fit.
“Arko,” she whispered against my lips as I cupped her cheek in one hand. “I wasn’t planning to let you off the hook this easy.”
“I know,” I murmured back, trailing kisses down her neck. “You can still yell at me later, you know?”
She laughed softly. “Promise?”
“Promise.” I reached behind her to open her bedroom door.
Chapter 20 - Beatrice
I felt Arko’s strong, warm fingers, the heat of which seeped through my shirt, digging deliciously into my waist when he pushed me backward, through the door.
His lips never left mine, and I felt a heady buzz that left my knees weak and body starved for more. Once inside, he whirled me around until my back hit the wall, his hands sliding up my shirt.
I gasped into his mouth and felt his tongue slide in as I opened for him. The taste of him was so delicious, the slick slide of his tongue against the roof of my mouth so tantalizing, that I heard myself whimper in a tune that didn’t sound like mine at all.
I think he liked it, because the next thing I knew, his feather-light knuckles were grazing up the sides of my skin as he rode up my shirt. I lifted my arms, my hips bucking into his, and he took off my shirt, throwing it somewhere behind him.
He growled, low in his throat, his fingers tracing down my heaving chest to trace the outlines of my nipples through my bra.
I curved my hands around his neck, pulling him closer into the kiss.
“Fuck,” he hissed against my lips, nibbling playfully while he reached behind me to flick off my bra. I felt the cold air whip at my skin, my breasts falling free, and he inched closer, squeezing me against him.
“Arko.” I let out a shuddering breath, reaching for the buttons of his shirt. He helped me make quick work of them, and as the shirt came off, I found myself breaking free from the kiss to take in the sight of his glazed, sculpted chest.
I gulped.
“Do you have any idea,” he murmured, and my eyes snapped to his, “how fucking beautiful you look in this?”
My heart was racing now at how his eyes slid down my body. He looked like he couldn’t believe his luck, when right about then, I was thinking the same thing.
Slowly, I inched toward his belt. When my fingers touched the buckle, he snapped out of whatever daze he was in, and just like that, we were pouncing on one another.
It felt like my entire body was doused in fire from within, as hands reached for buttons, zips, and seams. In under a minute, we were both naked in each other’s arms, the air between us electric.
Arko slammed his mouth against mine again, and his hands slid down my spine, leaving me to tremble, before they cupped up against my ass. In one quick move, I was off the ground, with my legs wrapped tight against his waist.
His hot, wet lips kissed down my neck as he carried me toward the bed.
“Remind me to never fight with you again,” he said, nicking my neck. I dug my nails softly into the back of his neck, feeling his hair sway softly against my knuckles.
“Don’t fight with me again,” I whispered into his ear, giving his lobe a little bite.
