“Yes.”
He moved his hand to the back of my head, digging his fingers into my hair as his lips finally met mine. Fireworks exploded at the contact. My skin felt too tight, and my head spun in wonder as Hayden kissed me softly at first. Gentle teases of his lips. Our mouths connected as he released a deep, contented sigh.
He smelled like cinnamon. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders. I let my hands explore his muscles and feel the heat radiating off him. I’d dreamed about running my fingers through his hair for years, and I took my shot. I threaded them through his thick, silky locks.
“Do that again,” he demanded, breaking apart to trail kisses down my neck. “You smell so fucking good, Char. I need to taste your skin.”
“Yes.” I arched my back, allowing him access to my collarbone as he nipped the sensitive area there. He was just everywhere. His lips on my body, his hands on my back, yanking me closer to him. There was no part of our bodies that didn’t touch, and I was heating up with a fierce need. Every time his tongue swiped against my neck, I shuddered.
“More,” he grunted. “I need more of you.”
In one motion, he gripped my chin and guided my mouth to his as he kissed me hard. This one was messy and fast. He peppered my lips with small kisses and then slid his tongue inside. This was unlike any other kiss I had experienced.
He didn’t just kiss me, he devoured me.
He groaned into my mouth, digging his other hand into my hip as I kissed him back. I sucked his lip into my mouth, biting it to give him a little sting. He tightened his grip andnudged my legs apart with his knee. He tilted my head back and took the kiss further.
My world was Hayden. How he kissed me like his life depended on it. How his warm tongue explored my mouth, yet his lips were so soft. The deep, pleasurable sounds he made in the back of his throat as he pressed his body against mine. It was all warmth and hardness.
“Perfect,” he whispered.
It was like we knew we’d only have this one kiss together, so we put everything we had into it. The erratic beat of his heart pounded against my chest with the same crazy tempo as mine. His erection dug into my hip, and I rocked into him, releasing a small moan.
“That,” he said, pulling back and staring down at me with wild eyes, “might be my favorite sound you’ve ever made.”
“Yeah?” I breathed so heavily that my voice came out all huffy and throaty.
“Definitely.” He grinned. His pupils were dilated, his hair stuck up in every direction, and his lips were red and swollen. He looked so damn sexy like that. “I want to see what else I can do to get you to make that sound.”
Oh, sweet baby Jesus.I gulped, my skin absolutely on fire with lust. Nothing made sense anymore except him putting his mouth on me. My body burned with need.
Call me selfish, but I had never been kissed like that in my entire life. It was intoxicating and addicting, and I wanted to explore more than I needed to breathe.
“So do I,” I whispered.
“Fuck yes,” he said, his voice husky. He picked me upwith one hand, wrapping my legs around him. “Open the door. Let me in your room so I can show you.”
I shuddered at the desperation in his voice. He sounded like how I felt—like I would die if I didn’t have his hands on me. He sucked my earlobe into his mouth, the sensation so incredible that my head tipped back, and I smacked it against the door. “Shit!”
“Char.” He stilled and set me on the ground. “Hey, your head. Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Just in a hurry, and your mouth is distracting me.”
He studied me with so much concern on his face that my stomach swooped. His gray eyes drifted from my forehead to chin, and he ran his fingers gently over the back of my head. “Is there a bump? I shouldn’t have done that. Not with—”
“Are you saying you regret this already?” I blurted out.
He dropped his hand. Something flashed across his face, but it happened so fast I couldn’t decipher it. Yet again, my big, unfiltered mouth spoke without permission, and I ruined the moment. Cold already seeped into my bones at the loss of him touching me. My stomach heaved at the reality facing me. He regretted kissing me, yet again, and I was silly for thinking it was different this time. Maybe he’d leave, and I could just… melt into the floor forever. Becoming a permanent fixture at this hotel.
“Charlotte,” he said, enunciating my name to the point that it was awkward, “I think you misunderstood me, and it’s important we’re on the same page.”
“Oh, is it?” I fired back. We remained outside my hotel room, where anyone could potentially walk down the halland see us. It was almost midnight, and it felt like my time at the ball had ended. How could I be so foolish? Kissing Hayden led to heartbreak. I freaking knew that, but he had put on those glasses and kissed all the rational thought out of me.
“Can we please go into your room and talk?”
“Just talk?” Why. Why did I say that?
His lips quirked. “To start, yeah.”
