Another silence. More staring at the ceiling.
He’s just being polite. Staying so I don’t feel bad. He’ll be gone in the morning, and I can’t blame him.
“Well. Goodnight, Orion.”
“Goodnight, Harper.” He turned his head, a faint smile barely visible in the dimness. “But first…I think you need at least a goodnight hug, yeah?”
“I wouldn’t say no to that.”
Understatement of the century.
Orion turned toward me and me to him. He pulled me into his arms and kissed my forehead. Then my cheek. Then a tentative, gentle kiss on my lips. Then another…and another, until the gravity—the force that had been pulling at us—gave in and our mouths parted and clashed in a searing kiss.
I moaned with relief, clutching at him, both of us mauling each other, ravenous. A desire I’d never felt before ripped through me like wildfire, burning out the cold of the storm. I’d neverneededkisses, or rough hands on me, or a body pressed to mine and on top of me. But with Orion, I needed everything. I needed his mouth, his tongue, the perfect clean taste of him. He kissed me as if my mouth were his to take, but Iwantedto be taken. To surrender to him and let him have me because I’d never felt safer in my life. The masculine power in him was everything I desired, so thathisdesire for me felt right. Good. Safe.
Orion’s mouth worked over mine with an expertise that stole my breath, while his hands explored, one slipping under my bulkysweatshirt to find the bare skin beneath my breast.
“Wait, wait,” he breathed, wrenching himself way. “I’m an arsehole. You were so upset tonight. We shouldn’t.”
I hauled him back to me, kissing his lips, his chin, his jaw. “Yes, we should,” I breathed. “Don’t stop.”
“Are you sure?”
“Orion…” I craned up, arching into him, pulling at his shoulders.
He relented and moved on top of me. The glorious weight of him elicited another moan, then a whimper as his hips settled on top of mine. My hands roamed over his back, then slipped under his undershirt to find his smooth skin over hard muscle. There was too much clothing in the way—his shirt, and my sweatshirt, so bulky and unsexy.
“Take it off,” I whispered.
In one deft maneuver, bracing himself on one arm over me, he lifted it off me and tossed it aside. I felt his eyes rake over me, my skin pale in the dim light. One large hand went to my breast, and then his mouth found the small nipple, biting and sucking. I arched into his touch, holding his hair, making a fist in his curls.
“Fuck me, Harper, your tits are perfect,” he said between kisses.
Another spark of pure need shot between my legs at the word. Not usually my favorite, but out of his mouth…
He’s wrecking me for anyone else…
I pulled Orion to me, tugging at his shirt. I needed his skin against mine. With the same ease, he reached behind his neck for the collar of his shirt and yanked it off. Then he was on top of me again, bare skin pressed to mine. Another first of sorts. Another newness. Most of my “dates” had been sweaty encounters in backseats where only enough clothing was removed to get the job done.
Orion was not that.
His dark gaze drank me up with equal parts lust and appreciation, his hands moving with purpose, to give and take, exploring while leaving little fires in the wake of his touch, and I wanted to give andtake in the same way. My hands slid over his shoulders, his neck, the back of his head, then sank into his curls while he kissed me, greedy and deep, leaving no part untouched. He kissed me breathless, then moved downward, to my neck, then between my breasts, then lower. My heart began to pound.
“You’ve had a rough night, love,” he said. “I want to make you feel good. Can I?”
Oh God.
No guy had ever done that for me before. No guy had ever wanted to.
“Do youwantto?”
“Of course I do,” Orion said, tugging at the waistband of my sleep pants. “You’ll just have to be quiet,” he said, and I could just make out his mischievous grin. “Don’t want to wake the boy.”
He had my pants off within moments, and nervousness tempered how badly I wanted him. He kissed the delicate, untouched skin at my hip, tongue flicking. My hips bucked automatically. Unbothered, he held me still and moved lower on the bed. My pulse was loud now in my ears, my breath coming in harsh gasps.
“Orion, wait.”
He froze. “Yes, love?”
