“He was going to love you until the end of time,” I say.
“Maybe,” she says. She lowers her gaze to my hand, still clasped loosely around her wrist.
I rub my thumb over her soft skin, and she shivers, letting out a breathy gasp.
“You know, I never dated anyone for long,” I say. I continue making small circles over her skin. And though her eyes are down, I keep my focus on her face. “Mama always wanted me to find a nice woman, settle down, give her a dozen grand babies. I couldn’t though. I never found anyone who held my attention. At least, that’s what I assumed.”
Cora swallows. Her eyes dart to mine, only to lower again.
“I forgot we existed,” I say. “I forgotyou, Cora, but I don’t think my body did. I think it remembered. I think it knew what made me whole, and it wasn’t interested in settling for less.”
“Elliot,” she says. She sighs, soft and resigned. “I’ve just thrown so much at you. You shouldn’t?—“
“For Mother’s sake, Cora,” I say. I cup her face between my hands again, resting my thumbs on her cheekbones. “Stop deciding what I should do. My choices are not yours to make. If you don’t want to kiss me or care about me or be near me, then say it. Don’t tell meIdon’t want it.”
Her brown eyes meet mine, and I hate how scared she looks. Terrified, as if this is a trick. Worried, as if I would ever hurt her.
“I want it, Cora,” I tell her. When her gaze flickers to my mouth, I lean closer, daring her. “I wantyou.”
We remain still for a long moment. I move my hands from her face to her shoulders, light enough she could easily pull away. She stares and stares and stares, until finally, her cool fingers trace up my arms and settle around the back of my neck.
She’s breathing hard, unevenly.
I am tuned into her every movement, no matter how small.
She’s waiting for me to kiss her, I think. But this time, I needherto take control. To admit she wants it too, much as she pretends otherwise.
She grips the back of my shirt, and with an adorably determined scowl, she leans into me. Her lips brush mine, soft at first, then firmer. I drop my hands to her waist, settling them over her hips. I don’t let myself do anything more. I force myself to wait, to let her set the pace.
It’s fucking excruciating in the best way imaginable. She kisses slow, leisurely, as if exploring my mouth for the first time. Her teeth nip at my lower lip, then my jawline. She kisses down my throat, once again finding that spot just above my collarbone.
It switches something animalistic inside me. I clench her hips and tug her onto my lap before I think about what I’m doing. Grinding her over my rapidly hardening cock isnotletting her set the pace.
But she’s moaning into my neck, letting out pleased whimpers as she rubs against me, and I can’t bring myself to care.
“Fuck,” I hiss. “Fuck, you’re the best thing I’ve ever felt.”
She doesn’t respond. She’s too busy kissing my neck again, humming softly against my skin.
“Where’s the line?” I ask. I play with the hem of her skirt, then inch my fingers beneath it. I keep my hands on her thighs, not daring to drift higher. “I need to know, Cora. I can’t remember what we’ve done. I don’t know what you like?—“
“You,” she breathes out. “I likeyou.”
She kisses her way up the column of my throat, and it’s like a fucking rush of magic through my veins. It’s almost impossible to think straight, but Ihaveto. I’m ready to fuck her just about any way imaginable, but only if she’s ready for that too.
“Tell me what you like,” I insist. “And what you don’t.”
“Okay,” she says between kisses.
She’s trembling as she touches me, but I know from her memories that it’s not from fear. She’s aroused. So turned on she can’t find an outlet. And I’ve never been more eager to please, to be everything she needs and more.
In a swift movement, I rotate us until she’s on her back and I’m propped over her. I keep my weight on my elbows, lowering myself just enough that our hips and chests brush every time we breathe.
Cora stares up at me, but if she’s startled from the sudden position change, she doesn’t show it. A hazy glaze settles over her eyes, her pupils dilated and intensely focused on me.
“You’re so pretty,” I say. I capture her lips with my own, gently sucking her tongue in my mouth. Now it’s my turn to exploreher. “And you taste so fucking sweet.”
I shift onto one elbow, letting my opposite hand trail up her thigh. She’s trembling still, arching against me, until her pelvisrubs against my cock. I bite back a groan, forcing enough space to get my hand between us.
