The Crush (33)

My hands moved from the counter, gathering the globes of her ass in both hands so I could boost her up onto the surface of the island. Her mouth was higher now, her legs wrapping instantly around my waist. I brushed my nose against hers, our lips ghosting against each other’s mouths, and when she tried to tug me closer, I laughed under my breath.

“Have you figured it out yet?” I asked.

Her pupils were blown wide, her lips pink and inviting. “What?”

“What you want to do with me?” I growled. I tilted my head, studying the flush on her chest with interest. Her breasts were soft and full, spilling over the cups of her bra, and when she didn’t answer right away, I traced the tip of my finger down her chin, the length of her neck, and into the V of her shirt. “Because it looks like you have.”

“I…” Her voice trailed off when I dipped my finger over the warm flesh filling each cup. Goose bumps popped up, following the line where my finger touched.

I held her gaze captive. “I know, Adaline. I know exactly what I want to do, and I need to hear it from you before I start.”

Her body quivered, her breath coming in short pants. “You have to have a flaw somewhere,” she moaned.

I blinked. “What?”

“You haven’t even kissed me, and I am ready to explode,” she said. Her pupils were blown wide with desire, her cheeks flushed. Adaline’s hands skated over my shoulders, tugging at my shirt until I had no choice but to rip it over my head with one hand. She whimpered when I tossed it aside. “I mean … there’s something wrong with you, right?”

I grinned at the look on her face. “Give it time, pretty girl. You’ll find something.”

Her eyes tracked down my chest when I gripped her thighs in both hands, tugging her body tight against my hips. She dropped her head to my shoulder and swore. “Okay, so that’s one theory proven wrong.”

“What?” I rolled my hips, the hard ache unrelenting when I felt how warm she was against me. We hadn’t even kissed yet, and I was ready to take her right there, sprawled back on the kitchen island.

Adaline lifted her head. “You are very, very proportional,” she whispered, staring at my mouth. “And I am so happy about it.”

A booming laugh sprang deep from my chest, and Adaline’s laughter made her frame shake.

I cupped her face with both hands until the moment slid back into something sweeter, more serious.

We needed that.

A grounding breath to remind me exactly why I was here. It might’ve been different than her own reasons, but there was a history, a first attempt at a foundation that I couldn’t ignore.

This was the biggest gamble of my life. Doing it this way. There was no mere game on the line. No missed throw that might get replayed on a highlight reel. Making this move—this adjustment—tempted fate in a way that I was completely unused to.

She told me she wasn’t ready to start anything, and I understood why. She didn’t ask me to upend my life to have her in it, but I would. If I didn’t take this chance, I’d regret it for the rest of my fucking life.

A calculated risk.

And I knew, unequivocally, that she was worth it.

My thumbs slid over the silk of her cheekbones, and I laid my forehead against hers. For a moment, our mouths ghosted against each other.

This was bigger than anything I’d ever felt. And there was no going back once I took each piece of her that I wanted so much. Her mouth. Her body. And hopefully, her heart.

She curled her hands around my wrists, her eyes fluttering shut. “Please,” she whispered.

First, I tasted her bottom lip, a slow sip of the plump flesh. Her arms wove around my neck, gripping my shoulders tight. Then her top lip, sliding my tongue against both until she opened on a sigh.

She tasted like sugar, and I tilted my head, a long lick into her mouth that had her sighing.

Adaline’s kiss was exactly like her—giving and soft and sweet.

Everything slowed and stretched, the way she arched her back until her breasts pressed tight against my chest, the way she dragged her teeth against my bottom lip while I changed the angle to deepen the kiss.

Her fingers dug into my hair, her own need adding something else of Adaline into this. A sharp, enticing edge that lurked just under the surface. She only let it out around people she trusted.

And tonight, that was me. She trusted me to take care of this need, and I would.

Our hands gripped tighter.

Our lips pushed harder, pressing and seeking for more.

I took breath from her while we wound around each other, lips and tongues slipping and sucking and tugging. It was wet and hot, her lips soft and delicious. My hands fisted into the thin material of her shirt, and I worried for a moment that I’d tear it at the seams. She rolled her hips, and I sucked down the line of her neck.

It was—unequivocally—the best kiss of my entire life.

My hands dug into the silk of her hair, fisting it tight so I could angle her head opposite of mine while I devoured her mouth. Slowly, I bent over her, and Adaline lowered back to the counter.

“Wait,” she gasped. “Bed. Not here.”

I blinked at the sight of her—disheveled, wild-eyed, and fucking perfect. With a groan, I stole her mouth in another kiss, sliding my hand under her bottom so I could lift her with ease. She pressed her center against my stomach, and I growled deep in my chest as I walked us up the steps.