Mirrored elevator. I swiped my card for the third floor, and when I looked up, Jesse was suddenly right in my space, hand in my hair and mouth on mine.Yes.
Corridor. Faded carpet. Key card.
He shoved me into the room—not rough but urgent, kicking the door shut behind us. And then he stopped.
I turned, halfway to the bed. “What?” I asked, too low.
“So.” In the secondhand light of the nighttime city, his eyes seemed nearly black. “How does this work?”
Right. Another chance to quit or double down. I took a breath and felt desire flutter in my chest. “Pretty simple, actually—safe, sane, no bruises. Other than that, you call the shots.” I smiled, gravity settling in my belly, steady and reassuring. “I reserve the right to say no.”
He smiled back and took a step toward me. “Fair terms.”
“I’d like to think so.”
Enough talking.I bridged the space between us and flattened a hand against his stomach, felt warmth beneath the cotton. When I kissed him again, the tentative edges melted away, and he met me in kind—open, fierce. My back hit the wall next to the bed, his thigh slotting between mine. Sparks dusted my vision.
Scrape of stubble, his fingers skimming the hem of my shirt. Slide of silk along my spine. I reached for his belt, and he caught my wrist, firm and sure yet not unkind. “Finn.”
I stilled. “Yeah?”
He moved back, leaving me slumped against the wall as he sat down on the bed, thighs spread and one casual hand between his legs, cupping himself through his jeans. “Get naked.”
Heat flashed in my gut. I swallowed against dizzy arousal and held his eyes, liquid courage like the surge of blood in my veins. God, yeah.
Breathe.Act like you’ve done this before. Don’t give the game away.
I tipped up my chin, fingers skimming buttons. Didn’t look away as I undid the first one and the second, Jesse’s gaze tracking the motion with focused appreciation, adrenaline a heady rush in my ears.
Just for tonight.
TWO
JESSE
I didn’t do this. Or rather—I never had before.
Finn’s shirt hit the carpet in a silky puddle. In the distant glow that washed in through the windows, he was all angles and lean muscle, more shadow than light, torso a shade paler than the suntanned rest of him. Real.
“Take the pants off, too,” I told him, and he shot me a quick, bright look from underneath his lashes.
“That’s the usual definition of naked, yeah.”
I arched a brow at him, heavy want twined with something lighter, easier. “Sassy.”
“Problem?”
“Not at all, or we wouldn’t be here.” I grinned and motioned for him to continue. “C’mon, then. We don’t have all night.”
“As you wish.” He made it sound like a challenge, but his hands went right to his waistband, then hesitated for a moment so brief I barely caught it. “Shoes first,” he said, almost like he was asking for permission, and waited for my nod before he toed them off along with his socks. Jeans next, then his boxer briefs, all practiced economy rather than the coy performance I’d half-expected.
God, he was… breathtaking.
Not a word I’d ever use out loud, not one I’d ever really felt before—but fuck, it fit. Undeniable like gravity, unexpected like this whole damn night.
For a few beats, he let me look my fill—arms by his side, posture proud and open yet chin dipped down just the slightest bit. Beautiful. “What’s next?” he asked.
Jesus.
