I nod, moving my lips near his ear, and softly asserting, "Good. Let it."
He stands abruptly, like he needs distance.
The second he moves, I reach for his hand, my fingertips catching his. I plead, "Don't run from me. From us."
He freezes.
The room becomes unbearably hot.
He looks down at my hand, then slowly lifts his gaze to mine. Something in him breaks. It morphs in his expression, turning so dark that I shudder with anticipation.
I murmur, "Lean into your needs, Red."
His eyes lock into mine as if in a trance. Or maybe I'm in it. All I know is he's shifted past the boundary line he tries to keep.
"Let me want you," I whisper. Then I add, "Want me back, just for a kiss. Then I'll sleep. I promise."
He sinks back onto the couch beside me, closer this time, his breath uneven.
My heart slams against my ribs so hard, I think it might bruise me from the inside.
His hand comes up and cups my cheek with the gentleness of someone touching something fragile.
The moment his skin meets mine, my entire body trembles.
All of me. My breath. My hands. My thighs. Even the spot low in my stomach that's been aching for days. Heat rushes through me so fast, I gasp.
He doesn't miss it. His lips wickedly curl. His thumb brushes my cheekbone in a barely-there stroke, and my eyes flutter closed against my will.
"Blue," he mutters like a curse.
"Y-yes," I barely get out.
He slowly leans closer, his restraint fraying like threads pulled one by one. His breath hits my mouth, warm against my lips.
Every nerve in my body rises toward it, begging, reaching, trembling. I implore, "Please."
His control snaps. A low, guttural groan escapes him. It vibrates through the small space between us, sending a violent shiver racing down my spine.
My knees weaken even though I'm sitting. My fingers clutch the front of his shirt, needing him anchored to me, and not second-guessing this.
He grasps the back of my hair, firmly gripping it into a fist at the back of my head.
I whimper, shaking harder.
He dips his lips to my collarbone, pressing them to my skin.
"Oh," I burst out, squeezing my thighs.
His mouth and a tiny flick of his tongue travel up my neck, soft, ruining, unraveling every last thread of restraint I thought I had left.
He grips my hair tighter, murmuring in my ear with a hoarse voice, "Fuck, Blue."
"Yes," I blurt out, closing my eyes, mouth open, barely able to inhale.
His mouth moves across my chin, and it's barely a kiss at first.
It detonates something so deep inside me, I nearly break apart. Heat floods me in a dizzying wave. My breath stutters, and my whole body trembles uncontrollably.
