“But—”
I wrapped my hand around the back of her head, sinking my fingers into her warm hair. “But nothing,” I murmured. “I’m so fucking grateful you did that.”
Confusion washed over her beauty. “You are?”
The reminder fell gently from my lips. “You told me you wanted to feel it with me.”
My free arm wrapped around her waist, tugging her closer. Our bodies were inches from each other, and all the cells in mine were seconds away from exploding. Her lips were parted, her breath softly hitting my neck. “Yes,” she rasped.
“You’ll never understand how happy that makes me, beautiful.” I paused, trying to find the right words. “Rejectingyou like that was something I never thought I would have to do, let alone get the chance to.”
Color tinted her cheeks and she dropped her eyes to my chest. “I don’t know what came over me,” she whispered. “I just—”
“Wanted to feel good,” I finished for her gruffly, and her eyes snapped up to mine. “I know.”
The next question from her lips was torture delivered in a sweetness I’d been yearning for for years. “Can I touch you?”
Jaw tight, I nodded, and not even a second later, her hands were on my chest. The warmth of her touch burned through my shirt, branding my skin as hers.Forever. I stroked her cheek with my knuckle. There were a million things I wanted to say, but this wasn’t the right time. “Jake and Dominic are downstairs.”
Her fingers moved over my heart. “Where did everyone else go?”
“I told them you needed some time.”
“You didn’t have to do that, Ash,” she murmured, pressing her front to mine as her hands came to my shoulders. “I know Michael needs to do his job.”
“He can wait.”
“But—”
“Starlight, he can wait.”
We were standing in front of her bed now, practically holding each other. A year ago, fuck, even a month ago, I dreamed of a moment like this. And yet? There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t cross this line. If I did, then what kind of man was I to her, to myself? I cleared my throat to offset the way my heart roared in my ears. “I need to head back downstairs.” I dropped my hands from her and wrapped them around her wrists, pulling her away from me. “Take all the time you need, okay?”
She let me walk to the door. Then, when my hand was wrapped around the doorknob, her voice filled my ears, and I was paralyzed, ensnared in everything that was her. “Ash, wait.”
“What is it?” I gave her my front, and her body crashed into mine; her arms locked around my neck as she stood on her toes, pressing her lips against mine.
My controlsnapped.
Years of waiting, dreaming, pleading with the universe to let me have her, to let me give her the life we needed, exploded all around us. With a low growl in my throat, my arms banded around her, my mouth melding to her soft one. One hand went into her hair, fisting it tightly and yanking her head to the side, forcing a whimper from her as I took control of the kiss. The other pressed against the small of her back. Our lips danced, and she opened for me, letting me taste her, drink from her, consume her. I grunted at her sweet taste, addicted and desperate for more. Her fingers went into my hair, gripping it as she held on to me as if she needed me as much as I needed her. I pulled back, finding her eyes as our harsh breaths filled the silence.
“Christ, baby, you’re gonna do me in,” I growled, spinning and pinning her against her bedroom door. “We can’t do this. Angel, you’ve gone through so much. I don’t want to push you.”
“I want this,” she breathed, holding my face. She nodded. “You have my consent. Please. I want you.”
Before she could say another word, I kissed her with abandon and shoved my thigh between hers.
She wasn’t wearing panties.
“Fuck,” I groaned, tracing my lips over her soft jaw. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Take me, Ash,” she breathed as my hand found her ass under her shirt.
“If you want to stop, you tell me,” I ordered. “You say stop, and I will. No questions. Okay?”
She nodded. “I don’t want to stop.” The warmth of her core soaked into my jeans. My hard cock wept, begging for mercy as she moaned, cracked and breathless, and her hips started moving. “I don’t ever want to stop.”
Back and forth.
