Wicked Heart (Starcrossed #3)(31)

“Touch yourself,” he says as he gains speed. “I want to feel you come while I’m inside you.”

I reach down and circle my fingers.

Oh.

Sweet.

Holy.

Mother.

My orgasm builds so quickly, I’m not even remotely prepared for it. Liam’s powerful thrusts, in conjunction with my hand, bring me to a place I’ve never been before. I gasp as I feel the first sparks of my orgasm begin to fire.

Liam groans, and when I look up at him, it’s clear he’s struggling to hold on.

“Please, Liss. God . . . I can’t—”

I move my hand faster, and it’s only a few more seconds before I’m coming so hard, I’m arching o the bed and groaning his name.

Everything explodes. My mind. My body. The sensation is indescribable. I hear a keening noise and realize it’s me.

I’m still reeling when Liam moans into the side of my neck. Every muscle in his back tightens as he presses in as far as possible, and I grip him and stroke his back as he trembles with the force of his orgasm. After tense seconds and a final muttered curse word, he relaxes and collapses on the bed beside me. We both lie there for a while, panting and blinking. Wondering what the hell just happened.

My body is still in shock.

“What was that?” Liam asks, still out of breath.

“Sex?”

“No way. I’ve had sex before, and it was nothing like that. Tell me you felt it, too.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m still feeling it.” I’m not exaggerating. Little ripples of pleasure are still spasming inside me. For a moment, I wonder if his size made the difference, but I have a feeling that he could have had the most average-sized penis in the world and still shattered me into a million quivering pieces.

“After that,” he says, “are you still going to deny that we’re fated? Because let me tell you, sex like that doesn’t happen every day. Or every year, for that matter. Or in my case, even every twenty-two and three-quarter years. You need to finally accept that this”—he turns to me and points between us—“is freaking extraordinary. Because I’m not above spanking you into submission if you continue to delude yourself that’s it’s not.”

Part of me wants to deny it just to find out what it would be like to be spanked by him. Those big, rough hands, one holding me in place while the other one—

I close my eyes and push away the urge.

“Elissa?”

“I’m pleading the Fifth.”

“That’s as good as admitting I’m right.”

“No, I’m just not saying you’re wrong.”

“Hmmm. Not sure whether or not that earns a spanking. I’ll think it over.”

“You do that. My butt awaits your verdict.”

He chuckles, and I feel the mattress move as he gets up to dispose of the condom. When he climbs back into bed, I turn to look at him.

His face is flushed, his lips are swollen, and his hair is insane, but I’ve never seen a more attractive man in my life. He studies my face, then brushes a damp piece of hair away from my forehead.

“Stay the night,” he says quietly. “I want to see how many more times I can make you scream before morning.”

Before I can turn him down, he pulls me over and kisses me, his hand gentle on my cheek. It’s unexpectedly sweet and makes me forget all about the excuse that was on the tip of my tongue. He pulls back and nuzzles my neck. “Plus, I’m an excellent snuggler. Stay.”

A tiny voice warns me it’s a bad idea. That getting any closer will only make things harder when he leaves. I tell that voice to shut its mouth. After what I just experienced, I need more of Liam Quinn. Much more. Consequences be damned.

“Okay.”





SEVEN


BITTERSWEET


How long does it take to fall in love?

A second? A week? A year?

It’s like asking how long it takes to fall asleep. Some people are gone as soon as their head hits the pillow. Others lie awake for hours, and it’s only when their brain stops churning for a while that sleep sneaks in and drags them under.

That’s how I visualize people falling in love. Some people fall so easily, they seem reckless. They love freely and unashamed.

Those people are idiots.

Or at least I used to think so. Until now.

I tried to stay as detached as possible with Liam last night, but every time I thought I’d pushed out any real emotion, he’d kiss me, or whisper something sweet that made it come crashing back in again. In the end, I just went with it. I knew it was dumb, considering our situation, but I couldn’t help it.

And now, he’s behind me, wrapped around me like he never wants to let go. His breath is warm and steady on the back of my neck as he sleeps, blissfully unaware I’m getting more uptight by the second.

In our current position, every inch of my naked back is pressed against every inch of his naked front, and my head is resting on a plump bicep while his other arm is wrapped around my waist.

I sigh and squeeze my eyes shut. It shouldn’t feel this good to be enveloped in a man, especially one I can’t have.

I try to pull his arm away from my waist, but it won’t budge. Damn. Stupid giant muscles.

“What are you doing?” he mutters, voice dark with sleep.