For a moment, the world simply…vanished.
The instant his lips touched mine, everything I had been about to say dissolved into nothing but sensation. Whatever protest had been sitting on the tip of my tongue disappeared completely. The heat of him stole the air from my lungs, replacing it with something far more dangerous.
I had expected the kiss to feel shocking. Something reckless and impulsive that I would immediately pull away from.
Instead,it felt fated.
Like something that had been building between us from the very first moment our eyes had met across that crowded club floor. A slow gathering of tension and something far deeper that neither of us had quite known what to do with until now.
And Goddess, help me, because the moment it finally happened…
I melted.
Oblivion didn’t kiss softly or cautiously. There was nothing hesitant about him and the moment our lips met, his hand tightened at my waist. Then he pulled me firmly against him as though he had already decided that the distance between uswas no longer an acceptable option. The possessive movement stole the small gasp from my chest. And it was one that he took full advantage of. The kiss deepened almost immediately as his mouth claimed mine with a confidence that sent heat racing down my spine.
It was overwhelming. Mind-consuming. But the most fearful part about it was that it felt…right.
His lips were warm and demanding, the faint taste of something dark and intoxicating lingering on them. As though even the act of breathing the same air as him had become dangerous.
My fingers instinctively curled against the front of his shirt as I tried to steady myself, but that only seemed to encourage him more. A low sound vibrated somewhere deep in his chest. Not quite a growl. But close enough that the sensation travelled straight through me.
Before I had even managed to gather my thoughts enough to react properly, his arms slid around me, and in one smooth movement, my feet left the floor. The sudden shift made me gasp softly against his mouth. My arms instinctively tightened around his shoulders as he lifted me like I weighed nothing at all. I barely had time to realize what he was doing before my ass met the surface of his desk. The polished wood was cool, even through the fabric of my skirt, as he settled me there with deliberate care that, somehow, made the moment feel even more intimate. The height difference between us vanished instantly, thanks to the height of his desk.
Which meant that when he kissed me again, there was nothing cautious about the way his body moved between my knees. The sudden closeness sent another shiver racing through me as his hands slid slowly up the length of my legs. His fingers brushed lightly over my skin as he gathered the material of my skirt higher, inch by delicate inch. The movement wasslow enough that I felt every subtle touch. Every shift of warm fingertips against my legs, until my breath began to falter somewhere in my chest.
When his hands reached my knees, he paused. For a fraction of a second, the moment lingered between us, as if he had stopped just long enough to make sure I still wanted this. I answered him with a soft moan of pleasure, giving him all the proof he needed that I most definitely did.
Which meant the next thing he did was nudge my thighs gently apart before stepping forward into the space they created. The heat of him between my legs made my pulse stutter violently.
My hands had somehow found their way into his hair without me even realizing it. My fingers slid into the pale strands at the back of his neck as his mouth returned to mine with renewed intensity. The kiss deepened again, slower this time, as though he were taking his time learning the shape of my mouth. Memorizing the taste of me.
And Goddess, help me, but the feeling of his fingers curling into the corseted back of my dress nearly undid me completely. The sudden tug at the ribbon there sent a sharp ripple of awareness through me. And for one reckless moment, it felt as though he might actually pull it loose. As though he might unravel the careful lacing holding the dress together and send the entire thing slipping from my body without hesitation. He was seconds away from baring me naked and,fuck me,I was close to begging him to do just that.
The thought alone made my breath catch. But before the moment could tip fully into something far more dangerous…
He stopped.
Abruptly.
The kiss broke as suddenly as it had begun.
For a moment, I simply sat there, stunned. My lungs were struggling to catch up with the frantic rhythm of my heartbeat as he pulled back just enough to press his forehead against the side of my neck.
His arms wrapped around me tightly.
Too tightly, as though he were holding himself in place. The sound of his breathing filled the quiet room, deep and uneven. The warm rush of it brushed against my skin as though the simple act of being this close to me had suddenly become difficult.
I shifted slightly, instinctively trying to give him space, but his reaction was immediate. His arm tightened around my back, and he pulled me firmly against his chest again.
“Don’t.”The word came out low, almost like a warning.
The sudden intensity of it made a small spark of panic flicker through me before I could stop it, something I was certain that he felt instantly because, after a breath, his grip softened slightly, as if he had needed to force himself to do it.
“Don’t be afraid,”he murmured quietly against my neck, his voice rough in a way I had never heard from him before. My fingers tightened gently in his hair as if needing something to anchor myself to in the storm that was Oblivion.
“Are you… okay?”I whispered, but for a moment, he was completely still. Then a quiet, humorless laugh escaped him, the sound vibrating faintly against my skin like a caress.
“She asks if I am alright,”he muttered softly, the words sounding more like they were meant for himself than for me. Confusion fluttered through me.
