Page 86 of Brighter Together

“I want you, Tommy.” The humour in her voice is gone.

That simple sentence strips away the last of my hesitation and I kiss her.

Her fingers curl into my T-shirt and she rises onto her toes as I slide one hand around her waist and the other into her hair.

She tastes faintly of wine and berries from dessert.

I deepen the kiss.

Ella presses against me and the feel of her body sends another surge of blood straight to my cock.

Her mouth curves against mine.

I pull back just enough to look at her. “Something funny?”

“Just gathering data.”

I laugh into the next kiss. “How’s the research going?”

“Promising.”

“Still only promising?”

“You have more work to do.”

“Cheeky little—”

She kisses me before I can finish.

I walk her backwards until her shoulders meet the door, then pull her firmly against me.

Ella moans.

For months I thought wanting her was the dangerous part.

It wasn’t.

Having her want me back is infinitely worse.

My mouth travels along her jaw.

She tilts her head, giving me her neck.

“Tommy.”

“Mmm?”

“You’re doing the slow thing again.”

I smile against her skin. “You liked the slow thing upstairs.”

“That was before I got you into a room with a bed.”

I lift my head. “So what do you want now?”

“Now I want you naked.”

I laugh softly. “Very demanding.”