“I’m here now,” I murmured. “You can trust me with this if you want to talk.”
I waited, searching her watery blue gaze, giving her space to speak.
Still, she said nothing.
Instead, she leaned in, arms coming around my neck, her face hovering close. Then her mouth found mine, stealing the air from my lungs.
Well, fuck.
Chapter Eight
Jamie
The second my mouth met his, I knew I’d crossed a line.
Eric’s hand stayed gentle under my chin, but the rest of him locked down, tension snapping tight beneath my palms.
Damn it. I knew better.
Everything he’d said about trust and feelings hadn’t been a prelude to kissing. And yet I’d rushed in anyway, boundaries slipping the second I wanted him badly enough.
His mouth didn’t move against mine. The kiss was closed and controlled—our lips touching, nothing more. And still, it was too much.
I was too much.
I pulled back fast, heat flooding my face as I dropped my gaze. “I’m sorry,” I muttered. “I don’t know why I?—”
“Jamie.” His low voice cut through my stammering.
I expected distance. A gentle letdown. For him to let me go and ease the moment apart.
Instead, his hand slid into my hair and tightened, halting my retreat. He held me there, the space between us thick and electric. “Look at me.”
My eyes snapped up without hesitation. My breath stuttered, heat blooming between my thighs. The desire in his gaze closed around me, pushing out sadness, confusion, every lingering doubt.
All I could see, all I could feel, was Eric.
I wanted him. Not just his body, but his steadiness. His attention. The way he stayed when things got messy. I wanted to disappear into him for a while and let the rest of the world wait.
His blue eyes searched mine—for what I didn’t know, but I was willing to give it, whatever he wanted.
“Fuck it,” he growled in a heavy rush.
Then his mouth claimed mine.
This time, there was nothing restrained about it. He took control, tongue sweeping, teeth biting, mouth firm and demanding, setting the pace before I could think to catch up.
Everything narrowed to sensation. His mouth. His hands. The uncompromising way he held me exactly where he wanted me.
His grip in my hair tightened, and a low moan tore from me, soft and helpless.
The kiss branded me. Burned away every other thought. Left only heat and his possession.
And then his mouth was gone.
He pulled back, breath heavy, his expression locked down again, impossible to read.
A taste, just a tiny little taste, was all he’d given me. But God, I wanted so much more.
