Chapter Forty-Four #2
Pretty sure my heart breaks for him, the ache forming so suddenly that it damn near steals my breath.
Jesus Christ, no wonder he moves through the world like he’s just waiting for it to leave him behind.
It’s soul-shattering, and I’m moving on pure instinct, pressing my forehead against his before whispering, “I’m right here, Rayne.
I’m not going anywhere. I don’t know if you’re aware, but you kind of signed on to keep me the moment you confessed all four of you like me.
I’m incredibly difficult to get rid of. Ask Henley, Ashton, and Zelda. They’ve been trying for years.”
Rayne’s eyes shutter closed even as he huffs a small laugh that makes me feel like a queen, and I’m smiling just as he leans in and kisses me.
It’s different from the ones I’ve had before.
Not careful, not sweet and soft and sipping.
It’s unrestrained, hungry, and kind of emotional.
It’s almost like he pours weeks’ worth of holding back into the kiss, something in him finally snapping.
My breath catches before I kiss him back harder, my fingers tangling in his hair while his hands slide more firmly against my waist, pulling me into his lap with very little effort.
Heat washes through my entire body, the office suddenly growing too hot, too small, and it’s only when Rayne breaks the kiss long enough to press his head against mine and pant against my lips that I fully embrace that I have fallen head over heels for this guy.
Breathing unevenly, he murmurs against my mouth, “You have no idea what you do to me, Maddie.”
I flash him a grin, wiggling closer on his lap and feeling the slight bulging evidence of what I do, and cheekily counter, “I have a few ideas.”
That finally gets a small laugh out of him, and I’m pretty sure an angel died to bestow that upon me.
It’s a quiet laugh, breathless, but no less beautiful.
It has my stomach swooping with butterflies, my heart stuttering, and my chest tightening with emotion.
And that is all amplified when his hand slides beneath the hem of my shirt.
The sound I make nearly destroys what’s left of his self-control, the thread he’s apparently been holding on to growing taut with strain, and my own breath catches in my lungs when I catch the look on his face after it.
It’s stunning, one to commit to memory, because it looks like he’s losing a battle with himself in real time.
“Mayhem,” he says roughly, and hell claim me now if that doesn’t break me apart at the seams. The way he says that nickname now, like it’s suddenly taken on a sacred meaning, has me reacting in the only way I can.
I kiss him again.
I claim his lips with mine before he can retreat back behind that broody exterior, my fingers framing his face while his grip on me tightens almost desperately.
There’s still a sprinkle of hesitation in his movements, maybe a trickle of nerves, and I’m reminded of the little snippet I discovered about Rayne Hunter.
Caid didn’t mean to slip up, but the words came out a few nights ago, and I’ve latched on to them ever since.
Rayne has only ever had two girlfriends, both of which didn’t last farther than third base, and the inexperience is only just visible beneath the way he touches me as though he’s afraid I might disappear.
And under that is trust. There’s care, want, and a need that echoes mine.
And when he finally pulls back just enough to look at me, dark eyes searching mine carefully, I understand straight away that this is more than just two people hooking up.
This is more than just physical for him. It means something.
So, with a soft smile, I hold his face gently, my thumbs brushing against his high cheekbones. My touch makes his breath hitch, and my smile grows, even as I whisper, “We go at your speed, okay? I’ll follow you anywhere. Just tell me where we’re going.”
I have no idea what happens from one moment to the next, but one second I’m sitting on his lap like a queen on her throne, and the next I’m sprawled on the couch with his body framing mine, his face flooded with relief, desire, and something deeper that forces me to swallow hard.
And then he’s kissing me again as though he doesn’t know of any other way to thank me without using his mouth.
I’ll accept these forms of gratitude from him no matter the time or day, my arms wrapping around his neck as I kiss him with the same energy.
I press my lips against his, committing the feel of them to memory, and I absorb every single touch like the greedy bitch I have quickly grown into.
When he scrapes his teeth along my lower lip, an almost feral noise slips out of my mouth before I can stop it, and Rayne’s reaction is instant. He pulls back a fraction, heated eyes now peering down at me with a hunger that mirrors mine, and he rasps, “Those sounds are going to undo me, mayhem.”
I huff a laugh. “I can’t help it. You have no idea what you’re doing to me right now, and it’s taking every ounce of control to keep myself in check, meaning the sounds I’m making are unleashed and out of control. That’s on you.”
Heaven sighs when he flashes a grin, a rare sight that honestly sends me into a tailspin of need that I really do try to ignore.
I pay no notice to the wetness that suddenly forms between my legs, I don’t give any attention to the way my nipples harden beneath my bra, and I certainly don’t shine light on how hard my heart is suddenly beating at just a single grin.
It only worsens when he presses his mouth to mine again before pulling back to trail soft kisses along my jaw and down my neck, stopping right where the collar of my shirt restricts his access.
I feel the barely-there touch of his fingers glide along the skin beneath where my shirt ends, and I gasp when he slips his warm hand beneath the fabric.
With his face in the crook of my neck, he asks quietly, “How far can I go, mayhem?”
I huff a startled laugh before blurting, “Rayne, I’m on your train here.
You’re the conductor. Whatever speed you want to go at, I’ll hang on for the ride.
Whatever track you want to take, I’ll enjoy the scenery.
I’m on board for whatever journey you want to take me on. Does that answer your question?”
When Rayne pulls back to peer down at me, I know that my words have pierced his mind, his light-blue eyes darkening so much that they appear more stormy-sea blue now.
And I’m fucking rejoicing when he nods only once before reaching for my shirt, tearing it over my head before I can catch a single breath.
Fuck. Yes.