Lora didn’t know who had moved first but somehow, they were kissing. If she thought their kiss in Rubien was all fire, she’d been wrong. This was.
Eyden’s tongue was claiming hers, his lips almost bruising as if he was punishing her with a kiss. If this was the feeling of penalty, she’d go to hell willingly.
She felt it all the way to her toes. Fire shooting down her body, settling in interesting places. She clutched his shoulders, holding on to him. She wasn’t ready to let him go just yet and he seemed to reciprocate the feeling.
His hand found her cheek, fingers softly dancing over her bruise before brushing a few tangled, dark blonde strands behind her ear. The same hand moved down her neck, fingers damp from the water that still clung to her hair. His cool fingers did nothing to weaken the fire in her veins.
Lora had no illusions about this. This wasn’t a new beginning. It was a goodbye. They were no match. Coming from different worlds, both carrying a baggage of secrets, there was no hope left for them, only this stolen moment. They both knew it.
And if this was all they had left, why not give in to temptation? What did they have left to lose?
Her hands trailed down, tearing at the hem of his sweater. Eyden’s hand followed her path, sensing her silent demand. He broke their kiss to pull the piece of clothing over his head. Lora let her gaze roam over the hard muscles of his stomach, rippling in the dim light as he moved to close the distance between them.
She raised her hand, placing it on his chest as her eyes settled on the wound a few inches from his heart. Her fingers halted underneath the swollen cut, no longer bleeding but far from healed. It could’ve been fatal.
Eyden’s hands splayed over hers, dragging her gaze up to his again. “It’s okay.” His voice had lost part of the anger fuelling this moment.
She needed it back, needed to get lost in nothing but his searing touch.
“Good,” she said, letting her hand slip further down, banishing everything but the desire in her blood. She roughly pulled him closer by the band of his trousers. Eyden followed all too eagerly. His hand tangled in her hair as the other burned through the fabric around her waist. Lora brushed her tongue against his parted mouth, turning the kiss feverish.
He walked backwards, gripping her hip and moving her with him. She followed him as if in a trance, her blood boiling. The back of his legs hit the bed frame and he pulled her with him as he lowered himself onto the mattress. Lora straddled him and his hand moved up, fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. Lora lifted her hands with no hesitation. Eyden didn’t waste any time and the shirt landed somewhere out of sight.
Lora slipped her phone and WiFi cube out of the waistband of her trousers, putting them out of harm’s way. When her eyes sought his again, Eyden’s gaze was set on the bandage on her stomach. Setting a finger under his chin, she tilted his head back up at her.
“It’s fine,” she whispered against his mouth, hot breath mingling with his. She nipped at his bottom lip and sighed as he groaned against her skin.
His finger slipped under her bra strap, slowly sliding it over her shoulder, giving her every chance to stop it. Lora let her other strap fall, catching his provocative stare. Eyden’s hand travelled from her shoulder to her back in search of the clasp. As his clever fingers found their goal, he searched her gaze before undoing it, sliding it off her arms completely.
He looked his fill, taking her in. The raw desire in his eyes burned her with torturous anticipation. His lips found her neck, teeth gently scraping against the sensitive skin. Lora’s eyes fell shut as the flutter in her chest increased, moving lower, tightening. His mouth skated down as his hand trailed up, his thumb brushing against the skin beneath her breast.
Every touch burned hotter than whatever argument had brewed between them.
When his lips touched the swell of her breast, she glided forward, pressing down on the hardness of him. He let out a growl of approval as his tongue drew a circle around her nipple, teasing her senseless. She cried out as his thumb grazed her bare breast and his tongue swept over the other. Arching her back, she leaned into his touch. His movements were determined, torturing her in the best way.
She didn’t know if the fire was in her or if she was the fire.
Eyden’s lips found hers again, sucking on her lip as if he couldn’t get enough either. His hands strayed over bare skin, leaving fireworks everywhere in its wake.
“You’re hot,” he mumbled against her mouth.
The comment made her chuckle. A snarky remark was on the tip of her tongue, but Eyden pulled back enough to meet her hooded gaze. “No—I mean, you’re beautiful, especially beautiful—but your skin is hot to the touch. Feverish.”
So it wasn’t just her imagination. She was literally burning up, more so than ever. More than humanly possible. “Does it bother you?” she asked, voice husky, barely recognizable.
“Not if it doesn’t bother you.” The question was laced with subtext.
Lora tried not to overthink for once. Not now. Not when this would be the last time they’d be this close.
All her senses felt heightened, overwhelming but exhilarating. It was as if a fire had been lit in the dark, bringing the light she had unknowingly been missing all her life. The thought should scare her, but it didn’t. The fire burning inside of her, unfamiliar yet not, was part of her, at least for this moment.
“It doesn’t,” she replied.
Her answer seemed to please him. A slow grin stretched his lips before they captured hers again. His hands tightened on her waist and in one fluid movement, she was on her back. Eyden leaned over her, soft lips brushing her collarbone before trailing a path down her chest, her stomach.
His head lifted, fingers playing with the button on her trousers. Lora lifted her hips in agreement. He removed them in a heartbeat. Eyden’s hands travelled up her bare legs, sending sparks all through her.
She pushed against the band of his trousers, demanding them gone. Faster than she thought possible, the only thing separating them were thin scraps of underwear. As his weight settled over her, it didn’t feel like a barrier at all. Yet she still craved more.
