I moved through the flat to peek into the kitchen, then the sitting room. Everything sat untouched, just as we'd left it that afternoon. A flicker of unease stirred in my chest, even though I knew it wasn't rational. I opened my mouth to call again –
"Back here."
I followed his voice, my heart kicking up as I approached the doorway to the bedroom. He leaned casually against the frame, his expression relaxed and open. A faint grin tugged at his lips, and I caught a mischievous spark in his eyes that immediately put me on alert.
Even so, my own smile slipped out before I could stop it. "What are you up to?"
Instead of giving me an answer, he pushed off the doorframe and pulled me toward him, one hand reaching up to gently guide my face to his. His gaze dropped to my mouth, lingering for just a second, and his thumb brushed lightly over my lower lip. The look in his eyes made the heat crawl up my neck.
Then he kissed me, light at first, then deeper, slower. A new kind of warmth unfurled in my chest and sent a quiet thrill through me as I leaned into him.
Something was different this time. His hands slid around me to draw me closer, and I let myself sink into it. My fingers drifted up to trace his jaw before sliding into his hair, the strands soft and warm to the touch.
Every stroke of his lips sent another slow pulse of warmth down my spine. When his tongue brushed mine, I gasped – and he used that moment to pull me fully against him. Asurge of unfamiliar heat began to spread through me until my skin flushed and my pulse raced. It pooled low in my stomach with an intensity I hadn't experienced with anyone else.
When he finally eased back, my breath came heavy and my cheeks burned. My fingers stayed tangled in his hair, unwilling to let him go. That's when I noticed a bit of green above us that looked out of place, and I glanced up. Mistletoe dangled from the doorframe.
"When did that get there?" I asked, breathless.
The answer was obvious in the grin he tried to hide. "Couldn't resist." His lips brushed against mine once more, gentler this time. His hand trailed up my back, reigniting the spark beneath my skin.
"You're sneaky," I muttered between kisses, but the words held no real bite. Any protest melted the second he pressed in again, his warmth wrapping around me until the rest of the world fell away.
My hands moved on instinct and slipped beneath his shirt. My palms skimmed across his back, soaking in the way he tensed before that familiar grin curved at the edge of his lips. The one that always made my stomach flip.
The flirty glint in his eyes gave way to something else. My breath caught, but I didn’t wait. I slid my hands down to hook my fingers into his waistband – and gave a firm tug.
He stumbled into me with a surprised laugh, catching himself with one hand braced beside my head as my back hit the wall. His eyes searched mine. Curious. Amused. And maybe a little thrown. “Bold move, Ro.”
I leaned in until our noses nearly touched. “I'm making up for lost time.”
His mouth was on mine again before I could say anything else. The kiss lit me up, and every nerve suddenly came alive.
His hands trailed along my sides, slow and sure, until hisfingers slipped beneath the hem of my shirt. I arched into his touch without thinking. My own hands roamed with a slow, deliberate confidence, tracing the firm muscles of his chest.
His hips pressed up against me. Right away, I felt an unmistakable hardness that made my breath catch. I couldn't help the teasing smile that tugged at my lips as I nudged him gently with my knee.
His reaction was instant. He drew in a sharp breath, and for a split second, he froze. Before I could ask what was wrong, his forehead dipped toward mine. "I don't – I didn't bring anything – "
I leaned in and kissed him hard, cutting him off before he could finish. Then, against his mouth, I murmured, “It's fine. I trust you.”
That was all it took. Whatever was holding him back snapped.
His hands slipped under my thighs without warning and lifted me clean off the floor, pressing me back against the wall hard enough to knock the air from my lungs. It made my head spin, and I had to lock my legs around him to hold myself up. The pressure between us was immediate, hard and hot and impossible to ignore.
He kissed me again. Rougher, deeper, all tongue and heat and hunger. His hips ground against me in a way that made me gasp into his mouth. My nails dug into him as I held on tighter, desperate for something to anchor me as the need burned hotter.
The friction sent a jolt through me, and I could feel his heartbeat against my chest. Both of us were wound tight and breathing heavy. Every inch of me became hyper-aware of him – his touch, his breath, the heat of his skin. I couldn't focus on anything but how he made me feel. My pulse jumped, every nerve stretched thin and aching for more of him.
His mouth trailed down my jaw, then lower as his breathshuddered against my throat. “You sure about this?”
I didn't hesitate. I nodded and whispered, "Yes."
He lifted me away from the wall and carried me across the room. I clung tighter to him, my breath caught between kisses that didn't stop as he carefully lowered me onto the mattress.
By the time he settled over me, everything else had blurred out of focus. His kisses trailed down my neck, each one lingering just long enough to make me shiver. His hands traced up and down my body to map every inch. The heat began to settle in again, slowly this time.
At some point, I felt his hands drift down my arms, slow and intentional, until his fingers found mine and threaded them together. He leaned in again, his lips brushing along my jaw before trailing lower. I tipped my head back as his mouth found the curve of my throat, then my collarbone. My breath hitched from how careful he was with every movement.
