Chapter 25
COLT
The elevator ride to my penthouse felt endless. I kept my hands on Hallie, unable to stop touching her. My fingers traced the curve of her waist, the dip of her spine through the silk of her dress. She leaned into me, her breath coming in short gasps that were driving me insane.
And then I couldn’t stop myself.
I had to kiss her. Fuck the cameras. Security knew better than to say shit about my elevator rides.
I backed her against the elevator wall, caging her in with my arms. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilated, lips parted. She looked like every fantasy I ever had.
I kissed her again, harder this time, less controlled. My hands found her hips, pulling her flush against me so she could feel exactly what she was doing to me. She gasped into my mouth, her fingers clutching at my jacket.
“Colt,” she breathed when I moved to kiss down her neck.
“Tell me to stop,” I murmured against her skin. “Tell me this is a bad idea.”
“It’s a terrible idea.”
“Then tell me to stop.”
“Don’t you dare.”
I groaned, my teeth grazing the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder. She made that sound again—the one that was driving me out of my mind—and arched into me.
My hand slid up her side, my thumb brushing the underside of her breast through the silk. She shuddered, her head falling back against the wall.
She started to say something, but I kissed her again, swallowing whatever protest she’d been about to make.
The elevator dinged, announcing our arrival at the penthouse. I pulled back just enough to look at her. Her lipstick was completely gone now, her hair mussed from my hands, her dress askew.
She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Last chance,” I said roughly. “You can change your mind. I’ll call my driver and take you home.”
I was hoping she wouldn’t say no, but damn, if she did, I was going to have a very rough night.
“Stop talking,” she murmured. “Kiss me again.”
I did exactly that, walking her backward toward the living room. She stumbled slightly in her heels and I caught her against me.
I pinned her against the wall of my living room, my hands framing her face as I kissed her like I was trying to swallow her whole. She responded with equal hunger, her fingers sliding into my hair, tugging slightly in a way that made me groan against her mouth.
I broke the kiss just long enough to look at her—really look at her. Her chest was heaving, her lips swollen and red, her eyes dark with desire.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” I murmured, then captured her mouth again before she could argue.
My hands slid down her neck, her shoulders, tracing the curves of her body through that champagne silk. I was taking my time, savoring every inch of her, every small sound she made. When my palms cupped her breasts through the fabric, she arched into my touch, breaking the kiss to gasp.
“Colt,” she breathed. Hearing my name like that—all breathy and desperate—nearly undid me.
I kissed along her jaw, down her neck, finding that spot that made her shudder in the elevator. When I grazed it with my teeth, her nails dug into my shoulders hard enough that I felt it through my shirt.
“God, the sounds you make,” I growled against her throat. My hands roamed lower, skimming her waist, her hips, then around to grip her ass and pull her harder against me. “You’re driving me insane.”
“Good,” she managed, then pulled my mouth back to hers.
This kiss was different. Deeper, more demanding. Her tongue tangled with mine, and when she bit my lower lip, I had to press my forehead against hers for a moment just to catch my breath.
“Hallie,” I rasped. “If we don’t slow down—”
“Don’t slow down.” Her hands were working at my bow tie, loosening it, then moving to the buttons of my shirt. “Don’t you dare slow down.”
I captured her wrists, pinning them gently above her head against the wall. She looked up at me, her eyes glazed with pure ecstasy. I had to kiss her again just because I could.
My free hand slid up her thigh, bunching the silk of her dress as I went. Her breath hitched when my fingers brushed across the inside of her thigh.
“Tell me you want this,” I murmured against her lips. “Tell me this is real.”
“It’s real,” she whispered. “God, Colt, it’s real.”
I released her wrists to cup her face again, kissing her slow and deep this time. Savoring. My thumbs stroked her cheekbones as my tongue explored her mouth. She melted against me, her hands sliding under my open shirt to touch bare skin.
The feel of her fingers on my chest made me shudder.
“Bedroom,” she whispered against my mouth.
“Too far.”
I moved her back on my couch, standing between her legs.
“You’re wearing too many clothes,” she said, pushing my shirt off my shoulders.
“So are you.”
I found the zipper at the back of her dress and pulled it down slowly, watching her face as I did. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
The dress pooled at her waist. She wasn’t wearing a bra. The dress hadn’t allowed for one. My breath caught as I took in the sight of her. Full breasts, soft skin, the rapid flutter of her pulse at the base of her throat.
“Hallie,” I breathed.
“Touch me,” she said. “Please.”
I didn’t need to be asked twice. My hands cupped her breasts, thumbs brushing over her nipples. She arched into my touch, her head falling back. I leaned down and took one nipple into my mouth, swirling my tongue around it. She gasped, her fingers tangling in my hair, pulling me closer.
I gave equal attention to the other breast while my hands explored the rest of her. The softness of her stomach. The curve of her hips. Every inch of her was responsive, eager.
She pushed my shirt off my shoulders, and I let it fall to the floor. Her hands moved across my chest, and everywhere she touched felt like fire. I’d been with plenty of women, but this felt different. Intense in a way I wasn’t prepared for.
“Bedroom,” I said, my voice rough. “Now.”
I thought to just have her bent over my couch, but I quickly realized that would never do. I needed to experience this woman. In a bed. Under me. Over me.
Once again, I was walking her backward down the hall toward my room.
She kissed my neck, my jaw, my ear, making it nearly impossible to walk in a straight line.
I shouldered open my bedroom door and led her to my bed.
One gentle push and she sat down. I kissed her hard enough to force her back onto the mattress.
I jerked the dress over her hips and tossed it to the floor. She was wearing white panties that looked virginal. I took a moment just to look at her, sprawled across my sheets, flushed and wanting.
Mine.
That word again. Possessive and primal and completely accurate.
I stripped off the rest of my clothes, watching her eyes widen as she took in my body. When her gaze dropped lower, her tongue darted out to wet her lips, and I nearly lost it right there.
I climbed onto the bed, covering Hallie’s body with mine. The feel of her skin against mine was almost too much. I kissed her deeply while my hands roamed, learning every curve, every sensitive spot. She gasped and moaned and arched into every touch.
I kissed my way down her body, paying attention to every place that made her breath hitch. The spot just below her ear. The curve of her breast. The soft skin of her inner thigh.
When I settled between her legs, she tensed slightly. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” I said. “Trust me, I really want to.”
I kissed her inner thigh, then higher, until my mouth found her center. She cried out, her hands flying to my hair. I took my time, using my tongue to explore.
And it was so much better than the dream.
The taste of her drove me wild. I felt her getting close, her thighs trembling, her breathing ragged.
I slid two fingers inside her while my tongue worked her clit.
Rubbing, sucking, and nibbling just enough to make her cry out.
It took mere seconds to make her come apart with a scream that went straight to my cock.
I kissed my way back up her body while she was still trembling, catching her mouth in a deep kiss. She responded hungrily, her hands sliding down to grip my ass, pulling me closer.
“I need you,” she whispered. “Now.”
I reached for my nightstand, fumbling for a condom. My hands shook with anticipation as I rolled it on. Hallie watched with heavy-lidded eyes, her body twitching with the aftermath of the orgasm. When I positioned myself at her entrance, she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Please,” she said. “I need you.”
I pushed inside slowly, watching her face. Her eyes widened, her mouth falling open as I filled her. She was tight and warm and perfect, and it took every ounce of control I had not to lose it immediately.
“Okay?” I managed.
“Yes,” she breathed. “More.”
I started moving slowly at first, letting her adjust. But she urged me faster, her hips rising to meet mine, her nails digging into my shoulders.
I lost the last shred of self-control then, driving into her with a desperation I’d never felt before.
I wanted to be as deep as possible. I had to bury myself inside her. No daylight between us.
She met me thrust for thrust, her body moving in perfect rhythm with mine. The breathy moans and gasps she made were going to haunt my dreams. I couldn’t get enough of her. Couldn’t get deep enough, close enough.
“Colt,” she gasped. “I’m going to—”
“Come for me,” I said against her ear. “Let me feel it.”
She shattered beneath me, her body clenching around mine, her nails raking down my back. The sensation pushed me over the edge. I buried myself deep and came harder than I ever had in my life, her name on my lips.
We lay tangled together afterward, both breathing hard. I rolled to the side, pulling her with me so she was tucked against my chest. Her heart was racing. I could feel it.
We stayed like that for a long moment, neither of us speaking. I traced lazy patterns on her back, feeling completely content in a way I couldn’t remember experiencing before. I wasn’t interested in kicking her out or running out the door.
Not even close. I was already thinking about doing it again. I suddenly felt eighteen again.
This was dangerous. This was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid.
But as Hallie’s breathing evened out and she relaxed completely in my arms, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Whatever this was between us, whatever it was becoming, I wasn’t ready to let it go.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
I waited until I knew she was asleep before I crawled out of bed. After disposing of the condom, I climbed into bed beside her and pulled her against me.
I didn’t want to admit I waited until she was asleep because I was afraid she would want to leave.
When was the last time I actually held a woman after sex? I couldn’t remember. There had been many sleepovers, but that was usually the result of too much to drink and simply passing out.
Fuck.
I was ruined.