Page 15 of My Girl to Use

“Because you need it.”

Her chin comes up. “You don’t even know me.”

“I know enough.”

Silence stretches between us, thick but not uncomfortable, just…charged. I step closer without thinking, setting the plates down on the counter behind her. She doesn’t move back. If anything, she holds her ground, her gaze locked on mine, like she’s daring me to take another step.

So I do.

“Stop looking at me like that,” she mutters.

“Like what?”

“Like you’ve already figured me out.”

“Maybe I have.”

“You haven’t,” she says quickly, but her voice isn’t as steady as before.

I tilt my head slightly, studying her, taking in every detail. The faint flush on her cheeks. The way her lips part just a little. The tension in her shoulders that feels less like resistance and more like anticipation.

“Then tell me I’m wrong,” I say quietly.

She opens her mouth. Closes it. And that’s all it takes.

I close the distance and kiss her. It’s not slow. Not hesitant. It’s careful, but there’s heat under it, something that’s been building since the moment I saw her on the sidewalk.

Her breath catches, her hands coming up to my chest like she might push me away. But she doesn’t. Instead, her fingerscurl into my shirt, gripping tight as she kisses me back, and that’s it. That’s all the permission I need.

I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding to her waist, pulling her closer and guiding her until her back hits the counter behind her with a soft thud. She gasps slightly, the sound going straight through me. I take advantage of it, my mouth moving against hers, slower now, more deliberate.

“Jax,” she breathes.

I stop. Not all the way—my mouth stays at the corner of hers, my hand stays on her waist—but I stop moving, and I let the quiet sit there long enough for her to fill it however she wants.

She fills it by pushing up into me.

“This okay?”

Her eyes flick up to mine, something vulnerable flashing there for just a second before it’s gone. “Yes.”

“Good,” I murmur.

“But,” she adds quickly, glancing toward Levi again. “Maybe not…all the way. Not yet.”

I nod once, brushing my thumb lightly along her jaw. “Okay,” I whisper, kissing her again, my hand sliding up her side, feeling the slight tremble there.

The tension snaps completely after that, the kiss turning deeper, heavier. Like we’re both trying to catch up to something that’s already been decided. It’s heady and addictive, and all I want is to get lost in its wave. Her hands move from my chest to my shoulders, then into my hair, and I swear I almost lose control right there.

My fingers find the hem of her shirt. I slip them beneath the fabric, feeling the warmth of her skin. She shivers at my touch, her breath hitching again. I catch her lower lip between my teeth and pull, slow, until she makes a sound into my mouth.

As I trail my fingers up along her stomach, she leans into me, her body instinctively arching against mine. I pull her even closer, pressing her back against the counter. The edge digs into her hips, but she doesn’t seem to mind. If anything, it only fuels the heat building between us.

“Jax,” she whispers, and the way my name escapes her lips sends a spark through me.

I want to hear her say it again, breathe it like it’s a secret between us.

I tilt my head, kissing down her neck, savoring the way her pulse quickens beneath my lips. She gasps again, and the sound reverberates through me, amplifying my desire. I want my mouth everywhere.