I let her.
When she saw I wasn’t moving away or shrugging off her touch, she straddled me. Her weight settled against me, the contact full and undeniable.
Every thought in my head vanished, and my focus narrowed to the space where we touched.
Zoey leaned forward, touching her forehead against mine. As she moved, her hair fell over her shoulder. Her chest rose and fell as her breath ghosted over my skin.
“Is this okay?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said with no hesitation.
Her hands slid from my shoulders to the back of my neck, and I finally closed the distance, brushing my lips over hers.
Her mouth was warm against mine, and she leaned into the kiss like she had decided something and didn’t intend to retreat from it. I settled my hands on her waist, and when I did, everything in me reacted.
Her heat seeped through the thin fabric, and the weight of her felt glorious on my thighs. The scent of her shampoo invaded my senses, and I felt the subtle ripple of her muscles as she moved against me. I let my hands drift, memorizing the shape of her. When I palmed her ass, her knees tightened slightly at my sides, and a sharp pulse of want moved straight through me. I felt it in my hands first, my fingers flexing against her instinctively before I forced them to relax.
She was warm. Solid. Real.
And she was here because she wanted to be.
That knowledge burned hotter than anything physical.
I slid my hands higher along her sides, slow enough that she could stop me if she wished. She didn’t. Her small hitch of breath nearly broke my restraint, and I deepened the kiss, pouring all my desire into it. Her body responded to that, pressing closer against me.
My pulse was loud in my ears.
I could feel every point of contact between us: her hands in my hair; her thighs framing me; her mouth demanding more.
I wanted to pull her closer, wanted to anchor her against me and let the restraint snap entirely. Instead, I tightened my grip at her waist just enough for her to feel the strength there. Just enough to communicate that I was choosing control.
She shifted in my lap, and that nearly undid me. Holy fuck.
I clenched my jaw and forced my breathing to steady. I felt the full weight of her against me and the full force of my reaction to it.
She was aware of it.
I saw it in her expression when she leaned back just enough to look at me.
“You’re very calm,” she said softly.
I was not calm. I was barely holding the line.
“For you,” I said.
Her mouth curved, but not in amusement. Something darker, curious, moved through her eyes. She brushed her lips lightly against mine, testing, teasing.
“I want to see you unravel,” she murmured.
My grip on her tightened instinctively.
“For me, Liam.” Her fingers slid down from my neck to my chest, pressing lightly there. My heart beat unsteadily under her touch. “You’re so disciplined. I wonder what happens when you’re not.”
The room seemed to shrink, becoming warmer. I swallowed hard as I looked at her.
Zoey held my gaze without flinching. There was certainty behind the challenge in her expression.
That was enough.
