I grinned against her lips. “Good, because I really like you, Holly. More than I should.”
Her response was just a breathy laugh, eyes glinting. I felt her pulse under my palm, the tremor that went through her with every careless touch. “You’re an idiot,” she said softly. “But… You’re not so bad yourself.”
We paused, foreheads pressed, just drinking each other in, letting our hungry hands fill the spaces between us. Hers drifted to my chest, fingers tracing the lines and curves through my shirt, and I couldn’t stop the moan of pleasure that rumbled low inside me.
“I can be bad. If you let me.” I caught her wrist to guide her arm above her head. I had her pinned, and judging by the way her body arched against mine… she liked it.
Her eyes widened, shot dark with arousal. The kind of look that went straight to my cock. As if reading my mind, her other hand floated down to stroke my growing hard-on through my boxers.
And I wasn’t stopping her. Not now, not ever again. Our kisses slowed, but the heat didn’t fade. It simmered, coiled tight, ready to explode.
“Then let’s stop pretending,” she said, threading her fingers through mine. Her voice carried that same authority she used when we were holed up together in her office running lines. It did things to me then, and it definitely sparked something in me now.
Even more.
The electricity thrummed between us, undeniable. She guided me through the apartment with a mix of gentle tugging and unrelenting confidence, eyes daring me, teasing me, challenging me all at once.
And then we reached the threshold of my bedroom.
“Wait,” I said, suddenly struck with the state of the place.
I dashed in and started swiping up stray pieces of clothing, grappling with my rumpled covers in between stuffing random things into the closet.
“You’re ridiculous.” Holly laughed.
“I know we said we’re gonna stop pretending,” I said, out of breath and feeling a little stupid. “But can we just pretend that didn’t happen?”
Her smile faded and that look was back in her eye. The one that made the blood rush straight to my cock. Without another word, she came at me, both hands aimed at my chest. She shoved me hard enough that I fell back onto my bed.
“Hey—” But the sound died in my throat when she climbed over me, straddling my hips, hands braced lightly on my shoulders. Theheat of her pussy through her jeans pressed into me, sparking through every nerve ending in an instant.
Her hair fell around my face, brushing my cheek, and her lips curved into a smile that felt more like a challenge than anything else. I balled up my sheets in tight fists, heart thundering. This was happening. This was really happening.
She rolled her hips, grinding herself against me in a way that made my cock even harder. The sound that slipped out of her cut through the last of my restraint, and my hands shot up to grip her waist. Fingers ghosting beneath the hem of her t-shirt until they made contact with her warm, soft skin, feeling the subtle flex of muscle as she moved on top of me.
“Holly…”
She leaned down, letting her forehead rest just inches from mine, breath warm against my lips, and I caught it—shallow, fast, like she’d been holding back for far too long. And then her mouth was on mine, her tongue searching for answers I was only happy to provide.
My hands dragged up her back and with the help of muscle memory, snapped the clasp on her bra with ease. I swallowed the breathy gasp that fell from her lips and deepened the kiss, groaning as I sucked her tongue, nipped her lower lip. Bra discarded, she moaned when my palms made contact with her breasts. Louder when I tugged and teased her stiff nipples.
A low laugh escaped her, more vibration than sound. I felt it in my bones. “Careful, Callahan,” she murmured. “I might not have it in me to be gentle.”
“Oh, I’m counting on it,” I said, voice rough, squeezing her nipple until her lids fluttered closed.
Our breaths mingled, shallow and quick, and the sound of her soft laugh between kisses made it impossible to think, impossible to resist. Her hands slid up my chest, over my shoulders, fingers tangling in my hair as I tilted my head to deepen the kiss. Teeth brushed briefly, tongues flicked, a flash of electric fire that had been building formonths now spilling over in a heady, dizzying rush.
I groaned low, letting my hands slide lower to her sides, pressing her closer. Every inch of her against me was an ignition point. Every touch, every brush of skin, every exhale a spark.
Her lips parted from mine for just a heartbeat, eyes dark, glinting with that familiar fire I’d memorized in bits and fragments. She hovered just above me, and I could feel the tremor in her hands as she braced lightly on my chest, teasing me into insanity.
I pulled her slightly down, tilting my hips instinctively to catch more of her, driving the friction between us just enough to make the heat unbearable. Holly played along, rubbing herself harder, closer, the flush of her skin deepening as her need rose to a fever pitch.
The whole world narrowed to nothing else but that need, and how desperately I wanted to satisfy it. I moved my hands to her hips and, without a word of warning, flipped us over. A surprised laugh rippled out of her as I settled between her legs, my chest brushing against her breasts.
Her hands shot up, tangling in my hair, pulling me down as our lips met again. This time I took the lead, letting my mouth explore hers with slow, greedy kisses, tasting every last drop of her with relish. It woke something feral inside me, something that was done playing it cool.
Fingers found the hem of her shirt, and I tugged it up over her head, letting it slip free. I leaned in, hands exploring the curves and lines of her body as my lips trailed her collarbone, over the slope of her breasts. She arched into me, all soft whines and needy gasps. The sound of her like that, wanting me, made my cock so hard it ached.
