Her chest tightened, her emotions catching her off guard. “Brian...”
“For the first time in my life, I know what I want,” he said quietly. “WhoI want—and that’s you. I just don’t want to spook you.”
“You won’t,” she said, surprised by the certainty in her own voice. “Iamscared—I can’t deny that—but I don’t want to run from this. From you.” Her voice softened. “At first, I thought the timing wasn’t right—everything with the house, Andy heading into his senior year, and my chance to go to medical school. But if I wait for the ‘right time,’ I might miss out on the best thing that’s happened to me. I don’t want to wait anymore.”
Something in him loosened—shoulders dropping, jaw unclenching. Relief and hope flared in his eyes.
He leaned in, his nose nuzzling hers. “Good. Because I’m falling for you. I don’t know when it started, but I don’t think I could stop now if I tried.”
Her legs shook. It felt like the floor shifted—equal parts terrifying and exhilarating. “You’re not the only one,” she whispered. “I’m falling too.”
His hand slid to the back of herneck, fingers threading into her hair as if pulling her to him was the most natural thing he’d ever done.
“Come here,” he murmured against her lips.
The kiss wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t frantic. It was slow, deliberate—each second deepening, warming, building. His other hand settled on her waist, his thumb dipping under the hem of her shirt and brushing against her skin. The touch sent tingles of desire through her.
She melted into him, fingers curling into the front of his shirt. The past week of tension and wanting bled out of her at once, leaving nothing but aching want.
He kissed her like he’d been waiting all week—hungry, certain, and nothing tentative about it. Tess didn’t think—couldn’t. She just tugged him closer, her body answering his before her mind could catch up, the need between them sparking hard and immediate.
Breaking the kiss, he breathed heavily, his forehead resting against hers. “To hell with dinner.” His voice was rough enough to send a shiver straight down her spine. “We can eat later.”
A helpless sound escaped her—half laugh, half longing. She didn’t usually lose her mind this fast. But with him? Something inside her sparked to life.
He kissed her again, deeper, and the world narrowed to the heat of his mouth and the grip of his hands clutching her hips. They’d only slept together that one night, but she’d missed this—missed him. It was as if a year had gone by instead of a single week.
“Jesus, Tess...” The words came out rough, almost reverent. He caught her jaw in his hand and kissed her cheek, neck, and ear in frantic little bursts like he couldn’t stay in one place. “Tell me you want this too.”
She did. God, she did. “Yes.” The answer came out on a breath, raw and uncontested. “I want you.”
His whole body tightened against hers at that, as if she’d just hit some switch he’d been trying not to flip. A low groan erupted from him a second before his lips took possession of hers again with a fierceness that stole her breath.
He backed her down the hallway, barely breaking contact. They reached his bedroom, and he paused—just enough for her to feel the tremor in his hands, like he was wrestling back a little control. His eyes searched hers, warm and dark and full of something that made her knees go weak.
“Fuck, Tess, you’re beautiful. I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you right now. I’m barely holding it together.”
Heat curled through her at the admission—honest, raw, and real. She stepped into him, sliding her hands under his shirt, loving the way his breath hitched the second her fingers touched his skin.
“I don’t want you to hold it together.”
His inhale was sharp, almost ragged.
And then his mouth was on hers again—no hesitation, no doubt—like the last thread between them had finally snapped. The kiss was rough and frantic, as ifneither could satisfy the sudden, urgent need for the other. He lifted her shirt as her hands delved under his.
Fabric hit the floor in a messy trail—his shoes kicked off, her jeans shoved down her legs, his belt clattering somewhere near the dresser. She stepped out of her clothes while he pushed his pants down his hips. Both moved on instinct, their mouths colliding between frantic attempts to get naked.
She reached behind her back, unhooking her bra as he dragged it off her shoulders, his fingers already sliding over bare skin like he couldn’t wait another second. Hands were everywhere as they stripped each other until both were naked.
He palmed her breast with one hand and her ass with the other. As he moved her toward the bed, she clutched his hips and pivoted until he was the one whose calves hit the mattress. Wanting to taste him, she dropped to her knees and ran her hands up his thighs, pushing on them until he sat on the bed.
“Tess, you don’t have?—”
His words were cut off with a barked curse when her hand wrapped around his cock. She gripped his length and stroked it a few times, loving the silky-smooth hardness of his flesh under her hand. Pre-cum wept from the tip, and she met his gaze as she swiped it with her tongue. The spicy, salty taste had her wanting more.
His eyes flared with heat and lust when she held his cock by the base and took him into her mouth as faras she could. When the head of his cock hit the back of her throat, she breathed through her nose and swallowed, letting the muscles of her throat close around the tip.
Grabbing a handful of her hair, Brian alternated between cursing, gasping, and moaning as she devoured him. She’d never really enjoyed giving blow jobs before, but something about pleasing this man spurred her on. His taste. His smell. The weight of him on her tongue. His responses. All combined, they enhanced the experience and made it feel like an indulgence rather than an obligation.
