“Same.”
There’s no space left for hesitation. My mouth finds the line of her throat, tasting skin and heat. She arches into me, a quiet sound breaking free that makes my control slip. My hands find her hips, gripping tightly, pulling her closer like I could keep her there forever.
“Clay…” Her fingers twist in my shirt, tugging until I pull it over my head and toss it aside. The feel of her hands on my bare skin nearly takes me out. She traces across my chest, like she’s trying to learn every inch.
“You’re burning up,” she whispers, a little dazed.
“Not just me,” I mutter, sliding my thumb under the hem of her sweatshirt, skimming her stomach. She shivers hard enough that I almost stop, but instead, she lifts her arms in a silent invitation.
I pull the sweatshirt over her head, slow, like the moment deserves it. The sight of her bare shoulders, her hair falling loose, flushed cheeks—it knocks the breath out of me.
“Tess…” It’s supposed to sound like a warning. It doesn’t.
Her smile is shaky. “Then stop holding back.”
That’s all it takes. The last line between us disappears.
I kiss her again, deeper this time. She meets me with the same urgency, knees bracketing my hips, grinding closer until the sound that leaves us both doesn’t belong to either one of us. My hands find her back, her waist, the curve of her thigh. Every place I shouldn’t have memorized but did anyway.
She gasps when I catch her bottom lip between my teeth. Her hand drifts down my stomach, bold, testing. I cover it with mine and press it harder against me. “Feel what you do to me,” I growl.
Her eyes lift to mine, dark and sure, and then she pushes me back. She climbs on top, straddling me, strands of her hair falling around us. The sight alone wrecks my control.
My hands grip her thighs, sliding up as she grinds against me. Every shift pulls a sound out of me that I don’t bother hiding.
“Tess,” I rasp, voice rough, “if I don’t stop now, there’s no going back.”
She leans down, her mouth hovering over mine, eyes locked on me. “I don’t want you to stop, Clay. Never stop.”
Something in me snaps, and the part that’s been pretending this isn’t everything I want is gone.
I flip us, her back hitting the mattress, the blanket twisting beneath us. She lets out a startled laugh that turns into a moan when I kiss her again, harder this time, hungrier.
My hands slide up her sides, feeling the curve of her waist, the warmth of her skin beneath my palms. She arches into me, breath catching.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” I mutter, more to myself than her. “Like a fuckin’ angel.”
Heat flushes her cheeks, but she doesn’t look away. “Touch me.”
I do. My palms cup her breasts, thumbs circling her nipples until her head tips back, a sharp gasp breaking from her lips. Mymouth follows, closing over one, sucking gently, teeth scraping just enough to make her writhe. Her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling me closer.
“Clay—” It’s half warning, half plea.
I trail lower, kissing down her stomach, until I reach the waistband of her leggings. She lifts her hips without me asking, and I peel them down slowly, taking her underwear with them, until she’s bare to me, legs trembling.
I pause, because I have to, because if I don’t, I’ll drown in her. “Tell me again you want this.”
Her eyes are dark, with a glazed look. “I want you. All of you.”
That’s it. I’m a goner for this girl.
I settle between her thighs, kissing the inside of her knee, the soft skin high on her thigh, until she’s shifting restlessly. Then I finally taste her, my tongue sliding through her slick heat, slow at first. Her cry echoes around the room, her hand flying to cover her mouth until I pull it away, lacing our fingers together against the mattress.
“Don’t hide from me,” I murmur against her. “I want to hear you.”
Her answer is a broken moan when I suck her clit between my lips, circling with my tongue until her hips buck. I slide a finger inside her, then two, curling just right, and she’s gone. Her body trembles, her back arching, and my name falls from her lips like a prayer she can’t stop repeating.
I don’t stop until she’s trembling, whispering my name between ragged breaths. “Please… Clay… please.”
