Before I can finish, he lifts me effortlessly, my legs instinctively wrapping around him. I cling to his shoulders as he carries me toward the bed, my heart racing so hard it feels like it might burst through my ribs.
But even when we reach my bed, he doesn’t put me down. Instead, he kisses me. Slow. Sensual. A taste of what’s coming.
“I could do this for hours,” he breathes against my mouth.
“You won’t hear any complaints from me.”
“Duly noted.”
He presses another kiss to my lips before carefully lowering my feet to the floor.
“Sit.” The word comes out soft, yet commanding at the same time.
I obey, lowering myself onto the mattress, my eyes never leaving his.
And his definitely don’t leave mine. Almost like he’s worried I’ll disappear if he looks away.
He drops to his knees in front of me and takes one of my boot-clad feet in his hands, slowly lowering the zipper. The boot lands on the floor with a thump, my sock soon following.
His fingers skim over my ankle, his touch achingly gentle, almost reverent. The pad of his thumb traces the delicate bone, then glides upward in a slow, measured path that makes my breath hitch.
He’s just touching my leg.
But my body reacts like he’s struck a live wire.
Heat blooms wherever his skin meets mine, spreading outward in ripples. My stomach tightens. My toes curl.
Then he leans in.
The first press of his lips against my ankle is soft. Warm. Unhurried.
I inhale sharply.
He lingers for a beat longer than necessary, and I can feel the shape of his mouth against my skin. The subtle movement as he exhales. The faint scrape of stubble that sends a delicious shiver down my spine.
Slow, deliberate kisses mark a path up my calf. My muscles tremble beneath his touch, and I grip the edge of the bed, attempting to ground myself.
He pauses below my knee, pressing a kiss there before letting his lips drag lightly over the sensitive skin at the back of it. I gasp softly, surprised at how intimate something so simple feels.
He doesn’t miss it.
He inches higher, his mouth trailing upward along the inside of my thigh. The air feels cooler where he hasn’t kissed me yet, and the contrast makes every touch burn hotter.
My body tightens in anticipation, thighs instinctively parting a fraction more, welcoming him to continue his exploration.
He presses another kiss. Then another. Each one higher than the last. Each one making my breath grow more uneven.
My core clenches in anticipation, a slow ache building that makes it almost impossible to stay still.
“Hayden…” I whimper.
He hums against my skin, the vibration traveling straight through me. When his mouth hovers inches away from where I need him most, he pauses.
Doesn’t touch.
Just waits.
My heart slams against my ribs.
