Chapter 15 #2
It doesn’t sound like a compliment. It sounds like an accusation, like it’s my fault for tempting him, for making him lose control. His arms tighten around my waist, fingers pressing firmly against me, like he’s holding me in place. Like he’s afraid to let go.
My head feels light.
Just when I start to process what all this is, his tongue flicks against my skin. Just a quick, wet taste where his breath had been seconds ago.
Warm and Slow.
The sensation sends a violent shudder through me, my skin tightening like it’s been set on fire.
He’s tasting me.
His mouth lingers, his lips hot and slow as they press against my neck. Time blurs. Seconds feel like forever. My heart’s pounding so hard I swear he can hear it, feel it against his chest. My fingers curl into his arms like I’m drowning and holding on to him for dear life.
Then he sucks.
It’s deep. Firm. Possessive. The pull of his mouth sends my knees weak, heat flooding every part of me. I swear, I almost collapse against him. He does it again. Slower this time, dragging it out, savoring me, like he wants to leave a mark, like he wants me branded.
Without thinking, my head tilts, giving him more of me, exposing myself, offering myself. My body betrays me, begging silently for more.
I squeeze my eyes shut, biting my lip so hard I taste copper. I try to keep quiet. To hold in the sounds threatening to spill out. But when his teeth graze, then nip—sharp, teasing, deliberate—a broken moan escapes me anyway.
The sound shatters whatever wall I was holding onto. The air rushes from my lungs, trembling. I’m burning alive. The tension is unbearable, suffocating. I feel so weak, so helpless, trapped in whatever spell this man is casting over me, yet I don’t want it to end. I can’t let it end.
His hands grip me harder, fingers digging in like he needs me closer, like he’s staking a claim he has no right to. He keeps sucking, nibbling, tasting me like I’m something rare, something he can’t get enough of.
I don’t know who I am in this moment.
I don’t know why I’m letting him do this, but I don’t want him to stop, and I know I will never be the same after this.
When his lips part, and his tongue soothes over the spots he’s been biting and sucking, my knees almost buckle. I have never been touched like this. Like I matter.
Like, someone actually wants me.
And that thought makes something dangerous and hot coil in my stomach, my hands gripping onto him like he’s the only thing keeping me standing.
Then, suddenly, he stops.
The warmth of his mouth disappears, leaving behind nothing but the burn of where he’d just been.
I feel raw. Exposed.
My eyes flutter open, dazed and unfocused.
His gaze is already on me. Dark, heavy, and hungry.
“Alex…” I say his name like a prayer
This time, his thumb rubs against my lips. Gentle and warm, moving slowly, dragging against my lower lip.
I swallow, pulse erratic, the air between us too thick, too hot.
“Do you want me to kiss you?” He asks, voice husky and raw.
My stomach plummets.
I feel the heat of the question settle deep, curling inside me, twisting in a way I don’t understand. My lips part, but no words come out. So I manage a tiny slow nod.
His hands leave my lips and wrap around my throat gently, then his thumbs lift my chin.
“I need words, Lucas.”
His voice curls around my name, deep, hungry, demanding.
Everything in me is screaming—run, pull away, stop this, you can’t handle this, you’re not meant for this kind of touch, this kind of attention, you’re just a fucking nobody.
But I don’t listen.
I can’t.
So, instead, I surrender.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Please..”
He doesn’t hesitate. He tilts my chin up a little more and then leans in. His breath fans across my lips, warm and heavy, as though he’s testing the air between us. My eyes flicker up to his, and the world tilts, everything narrowing to this—him, me.
Finally, His mouth brushes against mine—soft, barely there. Like a tease. But the moment it happens, something inside me stirs.
His lips brush more against mine, once, then twice, slow and deliberate, as if he’s memorizing the shape of my mouth.
My breath catches, and I’m frozen in place, not because I don’t want this, but because I don’t know what to do with the way it makes me feel.
My skin prickles, my fingers twitch at my sides, and my chest tightens like I’ve been submerged in warm water.
He pulls back just slightly, his nose brushing against mine, and I barely get the chance to breathe before his lips press mine again. The warmth of his mouth pulls me under, and instinct kicks in.
My lips press back, clumsy, searching, desperate, and the second I do, he makes a sound deep in his throat—one I feel more than hear—and the kiss shifts.
His hand tightens on my throat, his other hand leaves my waist and slides into my damp curls, tilting my head exactly how he wants, and my body shudders.
The kiss turns hungry, urgent. His mouth claims mine, coaxing me to open, to follow his lead.
My body reacts before I can think. My lips part, and he takes advantage, his tongue brushing against mine in a way that makes my knees turn jelly, and a quiet, desperate noise escapes me.
Heat curls low in my stomach, spreading fast, leaving me breathless.
My hands find the front of his shirt without thinking, gripping onto the fabric like it’s the only thing keeping me grounded as the kiss turns hotter, deeper, the desire in my body igniting and consuming.
It’s my first kiss. And fuck, I didn’t know a kiss could feel like this. I didn’t know a kiss could feel this…intimate. It’s overwhelming and a reminder that Alex is touching something in me that no one ever has.
His hand leaves my neck and wraps around my waist, pulling me closer until there’s no space between us. I can feel the bulge of his erection against my abdomen, and close to mine. And fuck he feels so huge.
Everything about him is huge.
I should pull away, I should—but the slow drag of his tongue, the way he tastes, the heat rolling off his body, and his rich scent made me press my hips closer, and I don’t even realize I’m doing it until he lets out a deep groan against my mouth.
I shiver when his lips move down slightly, kissing the corner of my mouth before capturing my lips again, deeper, like he can’t get enough.
And I can’t either.
It’s dizzying. A slow, unraveling heat coils in my stomach, making my knees feel weak. I’ve never felt like this before—like my body is on fire, yet I don’t want to pull away. I don’t even want to breathe if it means breaking this moment.
He exhales against my lips, his hands gripping my waist a little tighter. Then he slows the kiss, his mouth lingering against mine before pulling back just an inch.
My eyes flutter open, my breath uneven, and when I look at him, I see something in his gaze that makes my stomach flip like he’s holding himself back.
We’re both breathing hard, the air between us thick with something unspoken. I swallow, my hands still clenching the fabric of his shirt. That was… I don’t even know how to put it into words.
He studies me for a moment, his fingers twitching like he wants to pull me back in. Instead, his thumb brushes over my bottom lip, his voice rough when he finally speaks.
“You taste even better.”
I can’t help the blush that creeps up my neck and ears.
His arms tighten around me, firm and unwavering.
“Hold on tight,” he says, and before I can process what’s happening, my feet leave the ground.
A gasp slips out, my hands instinctively clutching his shoulders.
Oh my god— My legs wrap around his waist in reflex, my body pressing close.
My face ends up buried just below his neck, heat rising on my skin.
I can feel the solid warmth of him beneath my fingers, the steady rise and fall of his chest. His grip is effortless, like I weigh nothing to him.
I don’t know why this makes my pulse stutter.
Alex carries me inside and up the stairs like it’s the most normal thing in the world. Meanwhile, my heart is a chaotic mess, my mind looping back to what just happened. The way he kissed me, touched me, and tasted. I don’t know how he can be so calm about it while I feel like I’m about to die.
The moment we reach the bedroom—his bedroom, he strides into the bathroom and gently sets me down on the cool tile. His hands linger for half a second, then he steps back, looking down at me.
“Wait here,” he says, then walks through a corner in the enormous bathroom. He comes out after a while holding some folded clothes.
“Shower,” he says, handing them to me. “I need to go change, then plate the sushi. I’ll bring them up here so you can eat.”
I swallow, nodding.
He watches me for a moment longer, his gaze unreadable, sharp, like he’s deciding something. Then, without another word, he turns and walks out, shutting the door behind him.
I let out a shaky breath.
For a few seconds, I just stand there, hands gripping the edge of the sink, trying to slow the frantic beat of my heart. What the hell just happened?
Alex kissed me. I wanted to be kissed by him.
I exhale hard, rubbing my temples. I don’t get any of this. I don’t understand how he does this to me, how he makes me feel things I shouldn’t. Things I never thought I’d want.
Still shaken, I strip off my wet clothes and take off my hearing aid, then step under the warm water.
The second it hits my skin, I finally exhale.
I let my head rest against the cool tile, closing my eyes. The sound of the water drowns out my thoughts, but not completely. Not enough. I can still feel his hands on me, the warmth of his breath against my neck, the way his tongue—
I shudder and stop that train of thought immediately.
I don’t know how long I stood there, trying to push everything out of my head.
But eventually, I force myself to finish, stepping out of the shower and drying off before slipping into the shirt and sweatpants.
The fabric is soft, enveloping me in warmth, and carries the familiar scent of Alex.
I swallow, my fingers curling slightly at the hem.
Shaking my head, I walk back into the bedroom, grateful he is not back yet, and marvel at how massive it is.
It feels like a luxury suite in a five-star hotel.
Modern with floor-to-ceiling windows, but it has a warm feel to it.
The bed looks huge and inviting, but I know my place, so I walk to the sitting area across from it.
I sit on one of the curved sofas, which is surprisingly soft.
I sigh, rubbing my temple. I feel exhausted.
Everything about tonight—the kiss, the tension, Alex… It’s too much, all at once.
Before I realize it, my body gives in. I shift, lying down against the sofa. The scent of him lingers clean, dark, and entirely his. I close my eyes, just for a second.
Then, without meaning to, I fall asleep.