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“No. A few minutes to go.” I tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “But we can head to bed.”
She sits straighter and shakes her head. “It’s almost time. No backing out now.” Shelly drops her head to my shoulder. “Sorry I dozed off.”
I weave my fingers with hers and rest my head on her crown. “Don’t apologize. It’s been a long day.”
On the television, the crowd grows restless as midnight draws closer. The clock in the corner of the screen drops under the minute marker. I pour enough wine into our glasses to toast the new year and hand Shelly hers. Thousands of crystals and lights change color on the screen as the final ten seconds count down.
Cheers and fireworks erupt outside the moment midnight strikes. Shelly and I clink glasses and take a swig of wine as we stare at the countless people on the screen kissing. With each new camera shot, a new couple flashes their smiling faces together in a lip lock.
Is this what couples do on New Year’s to celebrate?I wouldn’t know. But without a second thought, I take Shelly’s glass from her hand and set it on the table with mine.
“What are you—”
I frame her face in my palms and crash my lips to hers. Startled by the sudden gesture, she doesn’t kiss me back immediately. When I pull her bottom lip between mine, though, she melts into me, fists the bottom hem of my shirt and returns the kiss with heat and intensity.
Time and noise vanish as our lips dance and tongues tangle. Color dances behind my eyes as I taste the wine on her tongue and breathe in her sweet, earthy scent. When her nails graze my abdomen beneath my shirt, I drag in a sharp breath and inch back from her.
Her eyes flash open and lock on mine, worry etched in the lines of her forehead. “Sorry, I—”
I press a finger to her lips and shake my head. “Don’t apologize.” I wrap her hand in mine, rise from the couch and tug for her to follow. She untangles herself from the blanket and scoots off the couch. I guide her out of the living room, shutting off the television as we pass, and walk us to the bedroom.
It takes less than a minute to reach the bedroom, but my heart bangs in my rib cage the entire time. The moment we cross the threshold, Shelly grips my hand tighter. When we reach the foot of the bed, I stop and turn to face her.
Damn, she steals the air from my lungs.
Reaching up, I wrap a lock of her hair around my finger. “Hey,” I whisper in the dimly lit space. Her eyes lift and rob me of my next breath. “If all you want to do is sleep, we sleep.” I press my lips to her forehead. “More than anything, I just want you here with me. Okay?”
Her fingers curl in the cotton of my shirt again and drag me closer. Lips inches apart, she whispers, “Okay.” Then she eliminates the remaining space between us, presses her lips to mine and picks up right where we left off in the living room.
My hands fall to her hips and hold her flush to my frame, the bulge in my pants undeniable. Her hands draw parallel lines up my torso, snake around my neck and skate up the base of my skull. Every impulse in my hormonal makeup fights the urge to strip her bare and mark her as mine. Fights the urge to be less than a gentleman and tender boyfriend.
Of the few times I had sex in the past, I never once was aggressive. Never once had theimpulseto rip clothes and imprint skin with nails and teeth.
Right now, with Shelly flush against my erection and her lips ravaging me as if the opportunity won’t come again, fighting my base instincts proves more difficult. Iwantto claw at her skin with nails and teeth. Taste every inch of her on my tongue. Inhale the perfume at her neck and the pheromones between her legs. Watch her body react as I tease her flesh with fingers and licks. Listen to her soft cries and throaty moans as I give her pleasure and drive her to ecstasy.
Her fingers tug at my hair, lips skirt along my jaw and teeth nip at my ear. My jaw falls slack as a gravelly moan escapes.
God, I want her. Desperately.
But physical intimacy with Shelly isn’t just about what I want. She has to guide us along the path she wants us to take. Say when she wants more. Tell me when to stop. Because at this rate, I won’t stop. Ever.
I drag my hands up the sides of her torso, beneath her shirt, along the warm curves of her body. At the base of her bra, I clutch her rib cage and drop my lips to her ear. “Shelly.” My voice husky and foreign. “Tell me what you want.” The tips of my fingers curl in slightly and dig at flesh and bone. My tongue darts out and I lick the shell of her ear. “Tell me.”
She frees my hair, slides her palms down my chest and fists my shirt. I inch back and lock our gazes. Her eyes shine as they look up. All I see is every star in the night sky, burning hot and bright and intense. I lick my lips then swallow, on edge while waiting for her response.
Her lips part as she pushes up on her toes. “I wantyou, Devlyn.” Her eyes drop and trail the length of my body before they slowly make their way back up. “Allof you.”
My eyes drift shut as her words sink in. My grip on her tightens as I stroke beneath the base of her bra with my thumbs. I drag in a deep breath then drop my forehead to hers. “Are you sure?” The question a soft stutter on my lips. Subtly, she nods and my body sighs. I press my lips to hers and kiss her softly. “I want that too.”
TWENTY-ONE
SHELLY
Heat bloomslow in my belly at his whispered words on my lips. His next kiss is softer, more tender as his fingers knead my skin. Trace lines between my ribs. Unclasp the closure at the back of my bra. Free my breasts beneath my top.
I break my lips from his. Gasp as his hands roam the length of my spine without interruption. Slide my palms lower to his waist and dip them below his shirt. Close my eyes as my fingers trail over the ridges and valleys of his abdomen.
I may not have had sex, but I am not virginal in all things. My experience is minuscule, but I have gotten to second base with a few guys. Of course, they got a little too handsy when the kiss deepened, going from light, over-the-clothes petting to trying to strip me bare. Needless to say, I cut things off and never saw them again. If someone won’t respect voiced boundaries, who knows what else they’d push past.
