Page 107 of Only Fangs

“I’m sorry,” I say, realising I need to be the one to lead this conversation. None of this is because of Brody. I was the one who broke us and I should be the one to put us back together. “I’m sorry for all the things I said that night. I didn’t mean them, not for one moment, but I’m sorry I said them. And I’m sorry for taking you to Hele House. I’m sorry for thinking I was so clever that I could take you there and dress you up as a vampire and it wouldn’t end in a shitty mess. I’m sorry I nearly got you killed. I’m sorry I made the deal with Victor and didn’t tell you. I’m sorry for being a perpetual fuck up who can never get anything⁠—”

He interrupts me. “I know you didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“But it still happened and I have to take responsibility for that.”

“I think I’ve realised over the last couple of weeks just how easy it is to make a potentially bad decision when you don’t see any alternative.” He flashes me a grin which morphs into a grimace.

“Clara really laid into you about the Victor deal, huh?”

“Yeah.” The grin returns. “She really didn’t hold back.”

“Why did you do it?” I ask softly.

“Why?” He cocks his head a little to the side. Then he reaches for my hand and a flicker runs up my spine. “Don’t you realise?”

I shake my head.

“I believe in you. I took the loan from Victor because I have absolute faith in you and Only Fangs.”

“You still want to build the app?” This isn’t where I thought this conversation was going. I thought… well I think that’s pretty obvious.

He squeezes my hand gently and I drag my eyes to meet his, trying to stuff down just how disappointed I am that this is about work. “I took the loan because I believe in Only Fangs. But I made the deal because I love you, Arianna Haywood. I love you and I would do anything to be with you.”

There’s a moment when all I see is hope in his soul, a fire burning for the future of us. “I love you too.”

And then he leans forward and his lips are on mine. He tastes of peppermint. He smells of home. I melt into him and he gently manoeuvres us to be lying on his bed, one leg wrapped around me to pull me in closer, his hand in my hair. The kiss deepens and I feel myself letting go, giving in to the sensation of just being here, with him.

He pulls back from the kiss and looks at me. He smiles and there are crinkles in the corner of his eyes. “Thank you,” he says quietly.

“For what?”

“For coming back.” Then he kisses me again, softly, tenderly, his arm around my waist pulling me even closer into him.

I feel warm and safe in his arms, but also incredibly horny, the heat growing inside me. It’s a bizarre sensation, one I’ve never felt before. Perhaps this is love.

But I don’t have much time to think about it as he shifts his weight and begins to kiss my neck, trailing a line across my collarbone. His hand merely grazes my breast and I gasp. His eyes meet mine as he undoes the buttons on my shirt, revealing the gossamer thin lace bra I agonised over, desperate to find exactly the right underwear.

“Jesus, Ari,” he says, his voice low, almost a growl. He sits back a little to better admire the view as I wriggle out of the shirt and fall back onto the bed. You can see my nipples through the black lace, standing proud and desperate to be touched.

Brody leans down and kisses the left one, his breath hot on the fabric. He moves to the other and I groan in delight. And then he’s leaving a line of kisses down my stomach, pausing at the waistband of my jeans to look me in the eye as he unbuttons them. I gently lift my hips and help him slide them down, revealing the matching thong.

This time it’s definitely a growl that escapes from Brody’s lips as he looks at me. I want him to touch me. I want his tongue on me. He moves to kneel between my legs and I shift my hips a little in anticipation.

“I should probably…” he starts to say, but I can see his concentration is focussed on me and not on the words. He shrugs, as if to say the rest of the sentence wasn’t important anyway, and then pulls his sweater over his head. I reach out to touch his chest, but he gently pushes me back down.

Chapter 56

Brody

Ari Haywood, the most amazing woman in the entire world, is lying on my bed – my bed – wearing nothing more than a few scraps of black lace and a secret smile just for me. I think I must have died and gone to heaven.

Very gently, I flip her over onto her stomach, pausing to admire the way her bum looks in the thong. Then I start just above the back of her knees, kissing every inch of her smooth pale skin as I make my way upwards. Every so often she writhes under me as I find a particularly sensitive spot and I make a mental note of the area, cataloguing the parts she likes to be touched and those where the reaction indicates discomfort over pleasure. Just under her second rib on the left is a place where her reaction becomes a deep, almost guttural groan. Interesting. I kiss the area again and again and again and she buries her face in the pillow.

When I reach the top of her back, I turn her over and look deep into her eyes for a few moments before I kiss her mouth. My hand slips round the back of her neck and I draw her in. Her hand reaches for the fly of my jeans and I feel the sweet release as she undoes them and pushes them down. She reaches for me, her touch deliciously cool.

As she finds a rhythm, I slip my hand inside her underwear and her eyes fly open, her gaze piercing mine as we pleasure each other. It is the hottest moment of my life so far, watching every micro expression as my fingers explore her clit, pressing and teasing.

But then she pulls her hand away and reaches for me to stop.