Page 111 of A Sweet Destruction

One that immediately became my new favorite color.

We sat there for a moment, both of us fighting for the same breath to fill our too-tight lungs. Ford’s hands were resting on the tops of my thighs, squeezing in time with his inhales, like the contact with me was as critical as oxygen.

I understood it, seeing as my own chest loosened when I rested my hands on his forearms and felt the warmth of his skin under my palms.

“Esme,” he said. Then a heavy sigh. “Baby, I need to hear you say yes.” He shook his head when I opened my mouth to say just that. “Not just to right now. To this. I need to hear that you want me.”

Something like a sob left my throat. “I want you more than anything, Ford. Please, yes. Please.”

At some point I’d grabbed his face and pulled our foreheads together. That last plea was spoken against his lips.

“Okay,” Ford said, voice ragged. So much so, I moved back just to make sure he wasn’t crying. “Okay.” Then another time.

“Okay.”

“All good there?” I asked, a soft smile pulling to my lips.

Ford’s gaze snapped up. “Oh, you’re going to regret that.”

Moving past the way my stomach tightened at that half-threat, I said, “I know you’re a man of few words, but just needed to check all was functioning properly.”

Ford’s mouth quirked up in a small grin. Sweet God. “I’m figuring out where exactly I’d like to start.”

His eyes moved over my body slowly, as if every little inch was an equal contender, down to my smallest finger. Eventually, his attention started to focus somewhere around my neck and chest. I could have sworn our Mark started to burn in response.

“Yeah,” Ford said, really just to himself. “I’d like to start there.”

I looked down at myself, trying to see what he was seeing. “Where?”

He sideswiped the question, moving one hand to the bottom hem of my shirt and tugging. “Off. Please.”

Surely, I’d had my shirt off in front of him before. Sometimes I trained in just an athletic bra. If there had been a time, I couldn’t grab the memory. It felt new and terrifying and safe.

Ford only moved as far as pushing the shirt up to my middle stomach, flattening his hand against me. I had to take over the rest of the way, slipping my fingers under the fabric and pulling it up and over until it was dangling in my hand.

The connection between us snapped taught as Ford’s eyes settled on my stomach, right where the tail of the snake curled over my upper hip. His hand moved to grip my waist, his thumb brushing over where his attention was focused.

It was nothing more than a light sweep, but it registered with the strength of a lightning bolt, shocking my entire body. It did, notably, end in a pulsing deep in my stomach that made me want to abandon this whole patience thing and tackle Ford down to the floor.

He seemed to be enjoying himself, something lighter in his expression. I could control myself, then. Sit (mostly) still while his hand moved to cup my side, splaying flat over the curve of the snake around my back.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think my skin pushed itself out to meet his touch, chasing that pleasant burning. Eventually, Ford’s hand started to move, exactly along the path of our Mark, up and up until his fingertips met the band of my bra.

There was a fire-red blush on my face before he even spoke.

“This comes off too, Esme,” Ford said, so low there was a chance he was speaking directly into my mind.

“You do it.” I really didn’t think I had the strength to, anyway. I had to conserve energy for what came next.

Ford scoffed. Not a harsh sound, but one of disbelief. He moved slowly, as if he was scared of awakening some latent instinct inside of me to bat his hands away and curse him for even trying.

There was no resistance from me. Hardly any movement, except to raise my arms as he slid two hands inside of the thick athletic straps banding across my upper ribs and pushed upwards until the bra was gone.

My hands came back down to rest in my lap, waiting, as Ford took his sweet time throwing the bra across the room and returning his gaze to me. When he did, the curse that fell out of his mouth made my entire chest feel like a bow string primed to fire.

Ford’s forehead fell to my collarbone, the hot waft of his breath making my already-hard nipples tighten even further. He took several breaths, holding onto my waist with both hands.

Noticing when my fingers started to fidget, needing to do something to distract from the pounding need between my legs, Ford pulled his head away and moved to stand. He pulled me with him on legs I didn’t think could support my weight much longer.