Just enough that he understood.
His mouth found mine again, rougher this time deeper and filled with something fragile and overwhelming. His hands framed my face, holding me with a reverence that made my heart ache. The world outside kept snowing. The lights kept glowing. And everything inside me pulled toward him with terrifying clarity.
Then he pulled back, hesitated for a moment before leaning in once more, his other hand running through my hair. His lips crashed against mine in a wild, hungry kiss that left us both breathless.
This time I opened up to him without question. Our tongues danced together as our bodies pressed closer until I could feel the hard planes of muscles beneath his shirt against my own softness; it was intoxicating how much we fit together, like pieces of one another, made to be this way.
And just like that, we were spinning out of control; caught up in the moment and each other, ignoring everything else around us while every sense was heightened by this connection we shared. The world seemed to stop spinning as he drew back from me, eyes wide with fear for what was happening but also filled with something raw and vulnerable.... Something new.
As his lips crushed mine once again, I moaned softly into his mouth, unable to control the tidal wave of emotions coursing through my veins. My hands moved between us to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his pants. Sensing my intentions, he slid a strap from my dress off my shoulder and down my arm; then without hesitation pressed his warm hand against my exposed breast, kneading and teasing my nipple.
Soon, we were both completely naked, our clothes discarded in a trail leading to the kitchen. He lifted me up on the counter, my legs parting instinctively as he stepped closer, his erection nudging against my inner thigh. With one swift movement, heslid into me; a mixture of pain and pleasure as we joined together.
We moved with urgency; each thrust driving us further toward ecstasy. His fingers dug into my hips as he buried himself within me again and again, our bodies slick with sweat. Our moans and gasps filled the space around us; a symphony of desire that only grew louder and more desperate.
The sharp edge of the kitchen counter bit into my back, but I welcomed the discomfort because it meant he was still here with me, real and tangible. He looked down at me, eyes burning with passion as he thrust harder. His lips captured mine once again, tasting of salt and desperation. I could feel him getting closer to his release; the rhythm of our bodies synced as we raced toward the inevitable crescendo.
As he came inside me, his mouth left mine to be replaced by a painfully sweet groan that echoed through the room. Shudders ran through his frame before he collapsed onto me; heavy breaths mixing with my own in the cold, silent air of the room now filled only by our love song.
His forehead pressed against mine as we held each other tightly; hearts pounding in unison against each other's chests while outside snow kept falling on this night when everything changed...forever?
Our kisses seemed to linger as we both tried to catch our breath, his soft lips brushing over mine tenderly now that our passion had been satisfied for the moment. I sat staring into his eyes, taking in every detail. From their fierce intensity to the way they sparkled with unshed tears. It was as if he could see right through me and knew exactly what I needed before I even did. As we stayed locked together like this, lost in our own little world, my mind wandered back to how this all began and what we were going to do after this.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Morning light crept through Brianna’s curtains in long, soft bands of gold, warming the room and settling across the tangled sheets beside me. For a moment, I wasn’t sure where I was, only that my body felt pleasantly sore, my heartbeat slow and heavy, and my mind impossibly light.
Then I looked over.
Brianna lay facing me, hair tousled across the pillow, freckles softened by the morning glow, lips still faintly swollen from all the ways we’d forgotten how to stop touching each other last night. She looked peaceful, real in a way that made my chest tighten.
And the memories came back in slow waves.
The kiss under the snow. Her hand in mine as we walked to her flat. The tremble in her breath when I touched her face upstairs, the way she’d pulled me closer, again and again, as if letting go would’ve broken something vital in both of us. And then everything else that followed afterwards. I hadn’t meant for any of it to happen. I hadn’t meant to fall asleep with her in my arms or to wake up in the same position hours later.
But God, I didn’t regret a single moment.
She shifted slightly, drawing the sheets higher, and her eyelids fluttered open. For a heartbeat, she just blinked at me, dazed and sleepy and unbearably beautiful.
“Morning,” I murmured.
Her cheeks warmed instantly, the shyest smile tugging at her lips. “Good morning.”
Silence stretched between us, it wasn’t awkward, it felt tender and fragile. A new kind of silence. One that told me everything had changed without either of us needing to say it aloud. She sat up a little, holding the sheet to her chest, brushing her thumb along my knuckles where our hands still rested together.
“Do you, um… need to shower?” she asked, voice soft, still husky from sleep.
I almost laughed at how ridiculously fond I felt at that moment. “Probably,” I admitted. “Though I don’t exactly have fresh clothes.”
“I can loan you a towel. And… maybe I can help with the clothes later.” She gave me a small smile.
Something warm and dangerous curled in my chest. “I’ll take you up on that.”
She slipped out of bed, gathering her dressing gown around her, cheeks still rosy as she tied the fabric tight. She didn’t look away when she passed me, her eyes lingered just long enough to make my pulse jump and then she disappeared into the hallway.
I exhaled slowly. Last night hadn’t been accidental. It had been inevitable. And now the morning had arrived, stark and clear, reminding me that choices were looming, pressing, unavoidable.
I gathered myself and headed for the bathroom. Steam filled the air as I stepped behind the curtain, letting the hot water ease the ache from my muscles and wash away the cold that still clung to my skin from the night before.
