Someone strong and brave, who doesn’t get panic attacks they can only partially ascertain the cause of.
“I do this after every show, you know.” His breath is warm and damp as it glides over my skin, contrasting sharply with the way my flesh breaks for him. “Get a new tattoo. It’s like a little good luck ritual, prepping me for the next one.”
“What’d you get tonight?”
“A halo.”
I’m too focused on not freaking out to fully process his admission, but I feel my brain file it away for later.
When I don’t reply, he continues, the gun still scraping. “So, when you said this wasn’t what I had in mind for tonight, you were wrong. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”
The buzzing suddenly stops, and my eyes pop open as silence falls around us. Aiden leans back, returning the gun to its place on the side table, and squirts purple liquid onto a towel. I sit up straighter, and he drags the cloth over the tattoo, wringing a tiny moan from my mouth at the instant relief it provides.
His elbow is still between my legs, his head dangerously close to my hip as he cleans me up. Emotion, tight and sticky, lodges in my throat, and I bite down on the inside of my cheek until it bleeds.
“Well?” he asks, tipping his chin up to look at me. “What do you think?”
But I’m not looking at the tattoo. Not even a little bit interested in it.
Inching forward, I tilt my hips down, my clit throbbing as I apply more pressure against his elbow. Heat flares in his gray eyes, like lightning splashing across a stormy sky, and his Adam’s apple bobs violently.
“I think,” I croak, my voice sounding like it’s been shredded by a cheese grater. “That I’m not ready for this adventure to be over, just yet.”
His mouth opens—to say what, I’ll never know, because in the next second I’m shoving my fingers into his hair and yanking his lips to mine.
10
Fuck, her lips are soft.
That’s the first and only coherent thought occurring in my mind as our mouths connect, crashing together in a flurry of passion. The tension we’ve been holding on to all night dissolves into the singular action, evaporating into the air as we get tangled up in each other.
Her fingers clutch tight to my roots, holding my face in place like she’s afraid I’ll move away if she lets go. Matching her movements, I rip off the latex gloves and place my palms on either side of her head, angling her mouth so I can delve deeper.
One swipe of her tongue against mine, tentative as it explores, and my knees are fucking buckling. I drop one hand, bracing myself against the table, and press harder against her, mapping out the inside of her mouth like an explorer who’s just discovered a new island.
My dick throbs behind the zipper of my jeans, stiffening as she tries to bring her sweet little cunt closer.
It was all I could do to keep my composure while I finished her tattoo. Concentration was nearly lost the second I bent down, inhaling the soft scent of her arousal.
Part of me wondered if any of it came from her obvious fear.
Still, I wasn’t going to act on anything—didn’t need the extra set of complications.
I’d gotten started almost immediately, falling back into the motions even though it’d been a long time since I sat behind the gun. Then she’d pushed her hips forward and clamped her thighs around my arm, inadvertently rubbing her soaked crotch against my elbow, and I’d almost blown my load right then.
Given her apparent shy, reserved nature, I really wasn’t anticipating the night to take this turn.
I’d hoped, of course. I’ve been wanting to taste her since the second I laid eyes on her.
And now that we’re here, I don’t intend on wasting the opportunity.
“Fuck.” Breaking away, I slide my hand around to her jaw, holding her head back to stare into those clear blue eyes. They’re glassy, round with lust, and laced with vulnerability.
“Oh, my god,” she breathes, her breath cool as it brushes my lips. Her fingers touch the corner of her mouth, and she drops her gaze to the chain around my neck. “I’m so sorry, Aiden, I don’t know what I was thinking.”
My eyebrows jump, nearly grazing my hairline. “Well, that’s a first.”
“What?”
“Never had someone apologize for kissing me. I can’t decide if that’s worse than you saying you’ve outgrown me, or not.”
Her cheeks take on a rosy hue, and she lets her hand fall to her lap.
Her mostly naked lap.
Arousal rushes down my spine like a waterfall, and I slowly inch the hand resting on the table toward her leg. My fingernail scrapes over her knee, and my palm smooths over it, stopping mid-thigh and giving a tight squeeze.
She jolts forward, bringing her cunt to the edge of the table. The lace material of her underwear strains against her, caught between the two of us. It’d take almost no effort for me to slip a finger beneath the band and rip, baring her to my eyes.
My fingers. My tongue.
“I-I don’t…” She licks her lips, her hand encircling my wrist. Barring entry.
“Don’t what?” I bend down, dragging my nose across the crown of her head, trying to find where her peppermint perfume begins. “Don’t want me to kiss you?”
“I don’t know why you’d want to.”
The admission feels like a brass-knuckled punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. My free hand moves up, cupping the back of her neck so she’s forced to look up at me. Glacial eyes blink back, rife with unspoken emotion and secrets.
They’re captivating, like a whirlpool that sucks you into its current, and I feel like a man who never learned how to swim.
“Fishing for compliments?” I ask, arching an eyebrow.
Her mouth flattens, the blush from before darkening. “No, just making an observation.”
My fingers flex around her, my thumb finding her pulse point. It stutters beneath me, as if struggling to keep a steady beat.