A moan escapes me as I melt into the kiss, eliciting a groan from him, the vibration going straight through me.
My hands go to his shoulders, slide down his chest, to his waist, pulling him even closer. Anywhere I can touch.
I pull back, just enough where I can see his eyes clearly, and tell him exactly what I’ve been thinking all day.
“I want you.”
33
GRAYSON
I’m not supposed to want things like this.
My pulse spikes, but I don’t move. “Tell me what that means.”
Her breath shakes out. “It means I wantyou. Just you.”
I nod, slow. “Okay.”
She hesitates, then adds, even quieter, “But I want the lights off.”
The request lands like a sudden change in gravity. It isn’t inconvenient. It’s vulnerable. It tells me exactly where the soft spots are without her having to name them. My chest tightens with something protective and aching, but I don’t let my face change in a way that makes her regret saying it.
“Okay.”
Her eyes search mine—waiting for the catch. There isn’t one. But I do need one thing.
“Do you trust me?” I ask softly.
Her lips part, but her gaze doesn’t waver.
“Yes.”
The word is steady, and my heart rate instantly kicks up a notch.
“Good,” I murmur. “Then I’m going to do this right.”
I move to the light switch, turning it off, and the room drops into shadow. I glance around—one desk lamp, fairy lights along the wall beside her bed, hanging from the ceiling. The bathroom door cracked. My eyes catch the mirror on her closet door, then I flick on the bathroom light and leave the door barely open so it spills into the room like a low glow.
I look back at her. “This okay?”
Harlow nods slowly. “Yeah.”
I take off my sweater, set it on her desk chair, then I step closer again. I stop in front of her, and my body reacts instantly, heat pooling low and fast.
I lift my hand and brush my knuckles along her cheek again.
Her eyes flutter shut for half a second like her body can’t decide whether to melt or bolt.
When they open again, they’re brighter. Brave.
“You’re allowed to change your mind at any time,” I remind her.
“I won’t,” she repeats.
It makes something inside me pull tight. I lean in slowly and stop just before my lips reach hers. Close enough for her to feel my breath. Close enough for her to decide. Her eyes drop to my mouth. Then her hand slides up my chest, and my whole body goes electric.
“Harlow,” I whisper.
