And for the first time in longer than she could remember, that possibility didn't scare her.
It felt like freedom.
Even if the clock was ticking louder now.
Chapter Eight
Alex woke to the sensation of fingers tracing lazy patterns across his chest.
His eyes opened to find Lily propped on one elbow beside him, her wild curls a magnificent disaster in the early morning light, her green eyes bright with mischief.
"You're staring at me," he said, his voice rough with sleep.
"I'm admiring," she corrected. "There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Mmhmm." Her fingers continued their exploration, trailing down his sternum toward his stomach. "Staring implies creepiness. Admiring implies appreciation for fine craftsmanship."
"Did you just compare me to furniture?"
"Quality furniture. Like a really nice armoire." Her hand dipped lower, and Alex's breath caught. "One with excellent... structural integrity."
"That's the worst metaphor I've ever heard."
"And yet." Her fingers found their target, wrapping around him through the thin sheet, and Alex's hips jerked involuntarily. "You don't seem to mind."
Six days, his brain supplied unhelpfully.Six days until?—
He shut that thought down with extreme prejudice.
"Come here," he growled, yanking her on top of him in one fierce, fluid motion that had her gasping.
Lily's laugh bubbled up—that raw, unguarded sound he craved like a drug—as she straddled his hips, her thighs clamping down on either side. The sheet slipped low around her waist, exposing her bare skin to the cool morning air, and Alex's hands roamed greedily: gripping her thighs, squeezing her hips, tracing the sinful curve of her waist until his thumbs brushed the undersides of her breasts.
"Someone's bossy as hell in the morning," she teased, her voice husky with sleep and desire.
"Someone's been teasing my cock for the past five minutes. Turnabout's fair play, sweetheart."
"I was being appreciative." Her fingers trailed down his chest, nails scraping lightly over his abs.
"Appreciate this." He surged up, capturing her mouth in a kiss that scorched—raw heat, no finesse, just tongues tangling and teeth nipping as he devoured her.
Lily melted against him instantly, her arms looping around his neck, her full breasts pressing into his chest in a way that made his blood roar. She tasted like lingering dreams and honeyed sin, and when she ground her hips down experimentally, sliding her wet heat along his throbbing length, Alex groaned deep into her mouth, the sound vibrating between them.
"God, you're—" He broke away, trailing open-mouthed kisses down her jaw, her neck, sucking at the sensitive spot behind her ear until she shivered. "A fucking menace."
"Delightfully persistent," she corrected, breathless, her pulse hammering under his lips. "We've discussed this."
She laughed again, but it shattered into a sharp gasp as his mouth latched onto her breast, tongue flicking her hardened nipple before sucking hard. Her back bowed off the bed, fingers fisting in his hair, pulling himcloser as he alternated between teasing licks and deep, hungry pulls that had her whimpering. He learned her all over again—what made her sigh softly versus what ripped those throaty moans from her chest.
Every touch with Lily ignited him; he wanted to drag it out, savor how her body glowed like temptation in the golden dawn light, how her skin flushed under his hands. Each kiss, each stroke built that raw intimacy—the kind that screamed this wasn't fleeting, this was fire that could consume them both.
Don't think about endings, he snarled inwardly.Stay in this inferno.
"Alex." Lily's voice cracked, her hips rocking with desperate urgency, seeking friction. "Stop teasing and—fuck?—"
"Patience, baby."
