“I’m right here.” I ran my hands up and down his sides.
“Can I touch you? I need to feel your skin.”
I nodded, unsure of exactly what was happening but happy to give Koa whatever he needed.
This was a huge moment, I was sure of that, but I couldn’t quite grasp why. But the way he was staring at me, his hands on my face, so fucking vulnerable, this meant something that I was struggling to understand.
His hands slid under my shirt, up my sides.
“Babe, what’s going on?” I asked gently, thumbs tracing lines across his face. “Wynter?—”
Koa’s head dropped forward onto my shoulder. “Wynter’s fine. Or, she will be. We really needed that talk, and I think it helped a lot. This is—fuck. This isn’t about that. It’s you. I— God, Riot, I don’t think I could ever put into words how I feel about you.”
I swallowed, feeling choked up. “You don’t have to.”
“Just, um, hold me?”
Fuck. “Y-yeah.” I fell back so I was lying down, taking Koa with me. He was largely on top of me, his weight nearly crushing, but I wrapped my legs around his middle before he could move off me.
“I’m crushing you, baby.”
“No, it’s perfect. Stay. I need this as much as you do.”
“Fuck.” Koa’s lips brushed against my neck. Lightly at first. I shivered, tilting my head back, giving more access. He kissed down with a little more pressure, sucking gently.
“Is this okay?” he asked huskily.
“Yes. God, Ko. More.”
Teeth nipped into my skin. “You taste so good.”
I laughed. “I probably taste like artificial cotton candy.”
“I was wondering about that smell.”
I slapped his shoulder playfully. “It was your idea for me to take a damn bath. Shut up and keep kissing me.”
“Any time.”
I went offline as Koa’s lips moved up my throat, over my jawline. His tongue traced the edge of my ear.
“Ohhh . . .” My legs fell to the side, and Koa shifted so he was straddling my waist, his arms planted on either side of my head.
He kissed me, pecking my lips quickly before pulling up enough to look me in the eyes.
“Tell me what you want, sweetheart.”
God, what a fucking question. There was no way I could answer that even if I wanted to.
“I don’t know. You. I want to be close right now. I feel like no matter how close you are, it’s not enough. Is that weird?”
“No, baby. I’d live inside your skin if I could.” Koa paused, licking his bottom lip as he gathered his thoughts. “Is it still okay for me to touch you?”
I swallowed, trying to tame the tremor that ran through my body involuntarily. “Yes.”
I cupped his face, letting every emotion and vulnerability shine through. I couldn’t begin to express how I felt, except that this was significant.
“Yes, please, Ko. Touch me.”
