What the hell do we do now?
The vein in my neck threatens to burst as I search her expression for the next move.
Her eyes are trained on mine, fire burning there that I’ve never seen before—she doesn’t want to stop, and neither do I.
“Don’t move.” I hold my finger up, and when she opens her mouth like she’s about to say something, I silence her with a kiss, dragging my tongue across her bottom lip.
Groaning, I fly off her and grab her robe from the edge of her bed. I wrap it around me as I rush downstairs and out the door, sprinting to my truck in a fluffy green robe. I have no time to consider how ridiculous I look—I only have one thing in mind.
I spot my first-aid kit behind the driver’s seat and grab it, then rush back inside, up to a naked Clara sprawled across the bed.
She leans up on her elbows, her hair wild from my fingers running through it.
Her legs spread.
For me.
“You’re going to fucking kill me,” I rasp, clutching my chest.
I grab the condom tucked into the front pocket of my bag, then set it aside. Her eyes light up as I discard the robe and lean over her.
“Are we crazy?” She pants, her grip on my shoulders so tight that her fingernails dig into my flesh. “What’re we doing?” She brushes her nose against mine, and her eyes flutter closed.
I kiss her, my heart caught in my throat. “What do you want, Clara? Don’t overthink it. Tell me the first thing on your mind.”
“You.” She gasps and opens her eyes like she surprised herself. She licks her lips and says, “I want you.”
Moving quickly, I put the condom on and meet her gaze. I cup her cheek and kiss her as I slide into her.
She sharply inhales, taking my next breath with her. Her mouth falls open as I fit snugly—deeply—inside her.
My vision blurs as I fight the urge to explode.
She’s perfect.
We watch each other with mouths open, lips barely touching, and I start to move.
In and out.
Deeper with each thrust.
Heat creeps down my body as I move faster.
She whimpers. The sound mixes with her soft sighs as we quickly find our rhythm.
I strain to hold myself up, so I roll over. She pulls me up for kiss after kiss, and I swallow her soft cries.
Our pants become one as she grinds her hips.
“Fuck,” I mutter, pulling her bottom lip between my teeth and nibbling.
Her hum is low as she pulls away, her hands on my chest for balance as she takes me over and over again.
It’s new, yet familiar.
Different, yet so right.
She squeezes her eyes shut and falls forward, her mouth agape. I nip at her bottom lip again, then trail kisses along her jawline as she continues grinding her hips against me.
Her body trembles with pleasure on top of me. I grip her hips and find my own release after a few more thrusts and a strangled grunt.
We stay like this, blinking at each other like we’re suspended in an alternate universe. One I never want to leave if it means I get to have Clara like this anytime we want.
And that’s what I want. All the reasons why I shouldn’t… be damned.
Fourteen
Clara
I blink. Something cold is pressed against my chest, and I smile once I feel Dax’s warm breath.
After a pause, his body moves to cover half of mine as the cold metal moves to the other side of my chest. He presses soft kisses there. His lips are like feathers this morning, tickling me with each whisper.
“Stop giggling,” he murmurs. “I can’t hear your heartbeat when you do that.”
I feel his smile against my skin, and my stomach flutters, especially when he rests his chin on my chest, his eyes trained on mine.
His hair sticks out.
His eyes have a twinkle in them that I’ve never seen before.
He takes my breath away.
“What’re you doing?” My voice cracks because he’s so devastatingly handsome, and also because I’m wondering why it’s taken us so long to do this.
Last night was… perfect.
Right.
“I’m listening to your heartbeat.”
I hum, letting my eyelids flutter open and closed as I run my hand through his hair, careful not to pull the ear tips of his stethoscope loose.
“I want to make sure you’re real,” he whispers, his voice gruff with morning sleep, and suddenly I don’t feel like giggling at all. “We’re naked in bed together. Last night was incredible.”
My hand stops on top of his head, my fingers threaded through his wavy hair.
“You’re incredible.” He places a kiss between my breasts, and I melt.
I melt right into the bed, trying desperately to become one with it so I never have to leave.
I want to stay here with him in this moment forever.
Pulling his face up to mine with both my hands on his cheeks, I kiss him, tentatively at first.
My lips tremble.
So many emotions.
I moan when he deepens our kiss and runs his hand up my side, then grips my hair. He tugs it like he did last night—it drove me absolutely wild.
And it does the same now.
I sigh happily as he rolls us over so I’m on top, his fingertips grazing down my back to cup my ass. I yelp when he squeezes it, but he doesn’t break our kiss. Our connection. Our lifeline.
But my phone ringing stops us.
“Don’t answer it. You’re busy,” he says against my lips.
I give him one more peck, then lean over to the nightstand.
“It’s Jacob.” I hit the green button and hold the phone up to my ear. “Good morning, sweetie.”
“Are you almost here? You said you’d pick me up at nine, and we’d go get pancakes at Mama Bertha’s.”
“Oh, of course. I’m coming now.”
“What’re you doing? Did you go running? You sound like you do when you’re tired from running.”
“Am I? No, I’m just getting dressed.”
“Okay. Bye.” He hangs up, and
