He frowned at me. “So I ran through the pouring rain for nothing.”
I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, a glint springing into my eyes. He was in so much trouble. “Well, it doesn’t have to be for nothing.”
“Charlotte, what are you doing?”
I padded over the wooden floor, the wind whipping through my hair as the rain fell in sheets behind him. “Giving you a reason to be in my room.”
He took a step back. “Are you sleepwalking?”
I looped my arms over his damp shoulders and flipped the door shut, caging him in with my body. “You look weirdly adorable right now.” My voice had gone husky and sexy. I was pretty impressed with myself. Sexy didn’t come naturally to me, at least not in this life.
“As usual, you look like trouble.”
“But you like trouble, don’t you?” Good grief. I didn’t know what had gotten into me. Maybe it was the excitement of the storm or the charge in the air whenever he was near, but something had possessed me.
He arched a brow. “Depends. Do you need to be rescued?”
I lifted onto my toes and brushed my lips over his cheek. This was what I’d been waiting for, why I hadn’t wanted to be alone tonight. I just hadn’t admitted it to myself that I needed him. “Definitely.” I kissed the other side of his cheek.
He gave a low, sexy rumble. “Freckles, we might both need rescuing if I stay,” he muttered, but I sensed his surrender. He was as powerless as I was when it came to the persuasions of the heart and the wants of the body. His hands touched the outside of my thighs, slowly sliding up and over the curves of my hips.
I kissed the tip of his nose, weaving my fingers into his wet curls. “If you don’t want to stay, then at least you owe me a goodnight kiss.”
He flicked his tongue out, tracing my bottom lip and causing me to tremble.
Yes. Yes. Yes. This is what I wished for: to feel alive again.
“Tell me you have something else on other than a T-shirt?”
I smiled against his lips. “What fun would that be?”
“Charlotte,” he growled.
“I love when you say my name.” But I wanted to say so much more. I wanted to say that I loved him. It was bursting from me. He had to have felt it. “Tell me you choose me, that you only want me.”
His gaze held mine for a few beats. “Charlotte,” he said again in a guttural and deep voice. “It’s been only you since you opened your eyes, and I’m sorry I let you doubt that for even a second.”
My heart stuttered as I stared up at him. “Stay with me for the night. Please.” There was nothing between us, nothing stopping us. I hadn’t planned for this, but when I saw him darkening my doorway, wet and delicious, I didn’t know when things would ever be calm again. Once we left Hurst, our lives would change. We’d never be safe.
He took so long to answer I thought he would deny my simple request, but then he leaned in, taking my lips with his, and nothing in the world could have stopped me from launching myself into his arms. His hands shifted under my thighs, and with no effort, he yanked me up. My legs automatically went around his waist, hooking at the ankles as he moved us through the room to the bed where he laid me down, and I deliciously absorbed his weight.
The kiss deepened, my fingers edging under his shirt to satisfy my need to be closer than we already were. Dash must have wanted the same. He arched just enough for me to lift the shirt plastered to his chest over his head, and then our lips met again.
I stopped thinking, and it was glorious. It had been forever since my mind wasn’t occupied or my body wasn’t aching. Dash gave me a different, more enjoyable ache.
“Are you sure you want to do this, Freckles?” he murmured against my ear, taking the lobe into his mouth.
My fingers grabbed onto the blanket. “I swear, if you stop, I’ll electrocute you.”
He kissed me again, laughter rumbling through his chest and vibrating against my body. There was no better taste than Dash’s laughter in my mouth. “Duly noted. You should probably lose this for safety precautions.” He tugged at my T-shirt.
I smiled, sitting up and pulling the last barrier over my head. It slipped from my fingers to the floor as Dash’s eyes roamed over me. I was surprised that I didn’t feel the urge to cover up. If anything, I was empowered.
My fingers mapped the hard lines of his chest, dipping to the edge along his waistband. Dash sucked in a hiss. “Your turn.”
“I swear, Freckles, your eyes should be registered as weapons. They can undo a man,” he moaned.
“Then I have something to thank the mist for.” Other than bringing Dash into my life.
We were skin to skin, and my body had never felt so sensitive. Each brush of his hands sent shivers through me. I couldn’t stop touching him, and my body moved of its own accord, knowing what it wanted before I did. The little sounds that escaped my throat, like purrs, should have been mortifying, but they seemed to only encourage Dash.
His body pressed into mine. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. And then his lips were kissing me again.
Tension coiled inside me as I moved against him, rolling my hips. All these new and wonderful sensations built. I was filled with love for this dangerous, arrogant guy. He was feared by many and could be ruthless when he needed to be, but with me, he was gentle and protective. I suddenly grasped how lucky I was to have found someone like Dash, considering the current state of the world.
We came together like the storm, charged and magnetic. I lost myself in the magic, my entire body glowing like a million stars bursting inside me. It was the single most mesmerizing thing that had happened to me since I’d awaken… or possibly ever.
Still basking in the aftereffects of what we had just done, I turned over on my side and ran my fingers through his silky hair. Outside, the storm began to quiet down, moving on to other parts of the Heights.
Dash gathered me close. I could feel his heart racing against mine as I rested my face close to his.
I love you.
The words whispered through me, and I wanted to say them, to tell him what beamed through me, but I found I couldn’t.
A pounding on the door woke us up at the same time. Bleary eyed, I shoved a mass of red curls out of my face.
Dash sat up, staring at the door. “Expecting any visitors?”
I gave him a dry look. “What do you think? This isn’t exactly my house, and I don’t remember Hurst delivering room service.”
“Good point.” He got onto his feet, pulling on his pants and not bothering to button them. Moonlight splashed over his face, and my heart sighed.
I scrambled out of bed as he padded to the door and threw on my T-shirt. From where I lay, I could see Dash turning the knob. A sense of dread sunk in my belly. Nothing good ever came from a knock in the middle of the night. My thoughts quickly ran to Star. Was she okay? Had she been attacked? Had the Institute found us?
Dash whipped open the door and groaned.
Harper stood in the doorway.
Chapter Eighteen