“You better not forget it,” she said with a grin that I couldn't quite decipher as she lowered her lips to my chest. She kissed a tingling trail down my chest, lingering until my breath hitched. Her hair brushed against me, a silken curtain that made me shudder.
Her hand slid down between us, wrapping firmly around me. My breath hissed out as she stroked me slow, teasing, her eyes locked on mine like she wanted to watch me fall apart. She bit her lip before lowering her mouth to me with a hunger that made every muscle in my body seize. Her tongue traced me, hot and slick, before she took me deeper, her lips stretching around me, her hand working the length she couldn’t swallow. The sight of her lashes fluttering, her cheeks hollowing as she took me as deep as she could, was the hottest thing I'd ever seen.
Her soft moans vibrated through my cock. My fingers tangled in her hair, not to guide her, but to hold on as she wrecked me with her mouth. When I finally gasped her name, she pulled back with a wicked smile, licking me slow before climbing up to straddle my hips again.
I grabbed her round little ass, guiding her onto me, watching her face twist in pure pleasure as I entered her. Eyes locked, I let her set the pace at first. She rode me slow and steady, her perfect, perky breasts bouncing with every thrust. My hands covered them, thumbs brushing her nipples until she whimpered. Her rhythm was torturous, drawing me to the edge then pullingme back, each roll of her hips a slow burn that threatened to consume me. Every shift of her body made my control splinter, the slick heat of her wrapping tighter around me until I was half-mad with wanting more.
She leaned down, kissing me hard, moaning into my mouth as she rocked her hips in deeper circles. The wet slap of our bodies meeting filled the room, raw and unashamed, each sound pushing us higher.
But I couldn’t let her control last long or I was going to lose mine. With a growl, I rolled us, pinning her beneath me again, driving deeper, harder, until her nails carved lines into my back. The sting only fueled me, a brand I wanted etched into my skin and my soul. Her thighs locked around my hips, holding me inside her like she never wanted me to leave.
The rhythm built, frantic and consuming, then slowed, deepened, as if we were trying to memorize every inch of each other. Each thrust was an unspoken vow, each gasp a reminder that we were still alive, still here, clinging to the only thing we could control. Her cries rose higher with every plunge, my name tumbling from her lips like a prayer.
She shattered again, screaming my name, her body convulsing beneath me as wave after wave tore through her. The sight of her—wild, undone, mine—dragged me over the edge with her. I spilled inside her, groaning against her neck, holding on like the world was about to end. And maybe it had—at least the one I’d known before her.
We lay tangled in the sheets, sweat cooling in the heavy air. I couldn’t bring myself to roll away. My arm stayed locked around her waist, my face pressed into her hair, breathing her in like shewas oxygen.The scent of her clung to me—salt, sweat, the faint honeysuckle sweetness of her shampoo—already addictive.
Her voice came small but certain in the dark. “I feel safe with you.”
A lump caught in my throat. Safe. After tonight? Maybe that was the biggest lie of all. But I tightened my hold anyway. If she believed it, then I’d damn well make it true.
For one night, at least.
Tomorrow, the danger would still be waiting. And she’d probably be gone.
The thought gutted me, even as I clung tighter to the fleeting warmth of her body against mine.
CHAPTER 8
JASMINE
The pistol was cocked and pressed into Kai’s temple. My throat burned with the scream I tried to release, but no sound came out no matter how hard I fought. My muscles locked, useless. Strong arms yanked me back down into the seat when I tried to stand, my body thrashing against restraints that weren’t there. Kai lurched forward and the deafening crack split the air.
I woke with a start, heart pounding against my ribs like it wanted out, lungs clawing for air. My eyes darted around the unfamiliar room, shadows tilting strangely in the dim light, sweat prickling my forehead. For a breathless second, I didn’t know where I was. Then the weight across my chest registered—a heavy, warm arm.
Kai’s arm.
Relief hit so hard it left me dizzy, the shift from dream to reality too sharp, too cruel. My body was still braced for the shot that never came.
The image seared itself into my brain, that split-second stretch of terror where I was sure he was gone. Even asleep, my mindhad replayed it in merciless detail, until the panic had nowhere to go but into my own body.
I blinked, my throat tight, and turned my head toward the bulk pressed against me. Kai's chest rose and fell in the rhythm of sleep, his breath tickling my hair. My pulse began to slow. It had only been a dream. Just a dream.
Except it wasn’t. We’d already lived that nightmare. The only difference was the ending.
At least the real-life version hadn’t ended with a bang. Well, not that kind of bang. That ridiculous thought made me snicker, which was apparently enough to wake him.
Kai’s arm tightened around me, pulling me closer. His voice was low, rough with sleep as he pressed a kiss to the back of my head. “What’s so funny?” He nuzzled my hair. “I’m glad to hear you laughing, but I hope it wasn’t about my performance last night.”
I wriggled free enough to turn and face him. His eyes were heavy-lidded, his long, sun-streaked hair awry, and damn if he didn’t look smug anyway. “I had three orgasms,” I reminded him, the memory warming me from the inside out. “That’s something to smile about, but nothing to laugh at.”
“Good,” he said with mock seriousness. “But I can do better than three.”
Confidence rolled off him in waves. It was what had drawn me both times we’d met—his easy, reckless certainty. “Three is a pretty big accomplishment,” I admitted with a shy laugh. The number still echoed through me, leaving my body tender, sensitive, humming like every nerve had been rewired. Truth be told, it tied my record. Sadly, that record had been set with ChadLarkin, a total douchebag sophomore year who’d treated me like crap. But the sex had been unmatched—until last night.
“But hey,” I added, lips curving, “I’m happy to let you try harder if you’re an overachiever.”
“Yeah?” His grin widened. “You wanna go for number four?”
