I turn in his arms to look at him, leaning back against the rail. He’s looking directly into my soul. He’s picking up the shards of my broken spirit and putting them back together piece by piece.
“You’re stronger than they are. That’s why you’ll be down there in three years.”
“Okay,” I whisper, because I want to believe him. Then I kiss him, because he’s so close to me that I simply have to.
This kiss is different. Slower, gentler, more careful. He holds my face between his hands, and then I lay my hand on his chest. I can feel his heart. It falters and beats just a little too fast. I have to smile, because mine is doing exactly the same thing.
My lips open. His tongue is in my mouth, and everything is different, but I can’t tell why. We kiss whileThe Sleeping Beautyis being rehearsed right below us. Voices and music blend into an indistinct blur. All I can hear is Jase’s breathing, which accelerates as I run my fingers through his hair and gnaw gently on his lower lip. His body reacts, rising against mine.
The kiss changes. It becomes deeper, more eager, more demanding. Heat shoots through me. We kiss endlessly, and I lose all sense of space and time. I can only feel. I feel him and myself and this desire for more. An intense pressure builds up that’s almost unbearable in a bittersweet way.
I push myself against him, and there’s too much clothing between us. I’m so hot. I want to feel his skin on mine and nothing else. His tongue plays with mine. The pulsing between my legs grows stronger, and I want to feel something else there.
Jase lets go of me and steps back, just far enough that he can see me. His lips are swollen from our kisses, and his eyes are shining. I’m sure I look exactly the same way. His gaze roams over my face and then focuses on my mouth. He swallows hard and then puts a hand on my lower back, turning us around together and lowering me gently into one of the seats behind me. The cushions are soft. My breath catches as Jase sinks to his knees in one fluid motion. He smiles, and his eyes flash with the same hunger that I feel.
Desire pulses through my veins, so strong that it makes me dizzy. I must be losing my mind a little, because I let Jase put his hands on my knees and spread my legs. Not just let him; I want it. His fingers wander up my thighs, inch by inch. Agonizingly slowly.
I have to bite my lower lip to stifle a moan as my head falls back. His fingers reach the waistband of my tights, and I thank myself for having chosen to wear a dress this morning. I close my eyes. He tugs at the thin fabric, and I raise my hips so he can pull off the tights and panties. They bunch up around my ankles, and I kick my shoes off so the ball of fabric falls at my feet.
There’s a quiet voice in my head whispering that I shouldn’t be doing this. And certainly not here when the rehearsal is going on below us. I look into Jase’s eyes, and he returns my gaze. God, I’m so hot I’m melting. My whole body is pulsing, longing for more.
I ignore the voice. I should, and I want to.
Then Jase lowers his head between my legs.
Chapter 35
Jase
There’s something I wanted to tell you the whole time: I missed you.
—Jase
It’s the wrong place and definitely the wrong time for this. We’re in the theater, and we’re not alone. But fuck. Nothing has ever felt more right than kneeling in front of Zoe, between her legs, inhaling the scent of her skin and hearing her breathing accelerate, because she’s not just allowing this; shewantsit.
In the meantime, my pants have gotten so tight that it hurts, but this isn’t about me. It’s about her. Fuck. It was always about her.
I caress the inside of her thigh with my lips, and I have to smile as her fingers twist in my hair and tug demandingly. I look up without taking my mouth off her. Her head is tilted back, exposing her long, slender neck. Her copper hair stands out against her pale skin.
She’s so incredibly beautiful.
Kiss by kiss, I feel my way along her leg, closer and closer. Her grip on my hair gets stronger. She wants to pull me in, but I’m not going to let her rush me.
Not now. Not here.
She slides restlessly back and forth on the seat. She tries to push her pelvis forward, but I put my hands on her hips and keep her exactly where I want her.
My cock twitches, but I ignore the pressure building up inside.
“Jase.” Her whisper is a soft, breathless plea for more, for me, and all the blood above my waistline is rapidly making its way downward.
Fuck, I think I’m dying.
I push her dress up around her hips, and then I lower my mouth to the center of her desire. When I taste her, I really think I die a little. She whimpers, and this time I can’t hold her back as she pushes against me. My eyelids flutter shut, and I just feel, concentrating fully on her. Every twitch of her hips, every tug on my hair. I focus on her ever-accelerating breath, the soft gasps, making me almost come in my pants as I make circles with my tongue.
She raises her hips, wraps both legs around my shoulders, and pulls me even closer. Damn, why is it so hot in here?
As I slide two fingers inside her, Zoe suppresses a moan, and her muscles tighten around me. She’s so wet, and now I’m really about to die. I move my fingers slowly, but that’s not what she wants. Her hips leap forward, so fast that I have to be careful she doesn’t fall off the seat.
