Chapter 38
38
AMELIA
H is hands were everywhere—tangled in my hair, sliding down my back, pulling me impossibly closer.
The way his lips moved against mine like he was trying to swallow me whole was driving me crazy.
I could feel his need.
He was desperate. My heart raced and my knees wobbled.
I clung to him, afraid my knees would give out.
He pulled back, his hands coming up to cradle my face as he stared into my eyes.
I didn’t know what happened to him, but this was a very different man.
A man on a mission. I was the mission.
“Jared, what happened?” I asked.
“Did you hit your head?”
He smiled.
“No, I just realized how badly I needed you.”
It wasn’t exactly declarations of love and promises of forever, but I got it.
This thing between us was all passion.
It had to be fed. I had felt his absence more than I cared to acknowledge.
“Don’t move,” he ordered.
I watched him walk back to my door and lock it.
He hit the button to close the blinds, plunging us into our own private cocoon.
The only light in the lab came from my workstation.
Jared walked back toward me, yanking his shirt open, buttons scattering across the floor.
My eyes widened as I watched, my pulse racing and need flooding between my legs.
His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, his gaze locked on mine, dark and intense, like he was daring me to stop him.
I didn’t want to. I couldn’t even if I tried.
Every fiber of me was drawn to him, to the heat of his skin, the way his hands trembled slightly as he reached for me again.
He was unraveling, and I was unraveling with him.
He didn’t say a word as he closed the distance between us.
His hands cupped my face, his touch achingly tender despite the urgency in his eyes.
When his lips met mine again, it was slower this time, deeper and far more intense.
His tongue teased against mine.
I moaned softly, the sound swallowed by him.
One of his hands slid down to my waist, then lower, gripping my thigh as he lifted me effortlessly.
My legs wrapped around his hips instinctively.
He carried me to the lab bench, sitting me on the edge.
His lips trailed down my neck, his teeth grazing my skin in a way that made me shiver.
“Amelia,” he murmured against my throat, his voice raw and rough.
“Tell me to stop.”
I shook my head, my hands clutching at his shoulders.
“Don’t,” I whispered.
“Don’t stop.”
I gave in to the desire between us, giving as good as I got.
Our kisses were messy and desperate, tongues tangling and teeth clashing.
His hands were everywhere, on my back, my ass, my breasts.
I could feel the heat of him pressed against me.
It was fucking intoxicating.
We were animals in the lab—a place of science and research turned into a den of passion.
This seemed to be where we always ended up having sex.
I wasn’t complaining.
It was exciting and I would take him any way I could get him.
Jared pushed my skirt up.
My hands ran over his hard chest, relishing the feel of his hot skin under my palms. His hand went straight to my core.
I groaned loudly when his fingers brushed against my clit through my panties.
He jerked the thong once and then harder, tearing the flimsy fabric.
His eyes never left mine as he looked for my permission.
“Please,” I breathed, arching into him.
I watched as he pushed two fingers inside me, his fingers soaked and ready for more.
His other hand moved to my breast, massaging and pinching my nipple until I cried out.
My breasts were already sensitive with the pregnancy.
It was the best kind of pain.
He leaned closer, his lips finding mine again.
“Fuck,” he mumbled.
His fingers continued to work, rubbing my clit and driving me wild.
“Yes,” I whimpered. “Jared, please.”
He pulled back, giving me a look that said he was in control.
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
“God, I love watching you come.”
His words were purposely shocking and they turned me all gooey.
His fingers curled inside me, hitting that spot that made my vision blur.
I gasped, my head falling back as pleasure surged through me.
He didn’t relent, his pace deliberate, his eyes locked on me watching every single reaction.
My nails dug into his shoulders as my body tightened, the pressure building until it was unbearable.
“Jared,” I choked out, my voice breaking.
“I’m—I’m?—”
“I know,” he murmured, his breath hot against my ear.
“Let go.”
And I did.
My body shattered under his touch, waves of pleasure crashing over me so intensely that I couldn’t breathe.
I clung to him, trembling, as he worked me through it, his fingers slowing but not stopping until every last ripple had faded.
When I finally opened my eyes, he was watching me with an intensity that made my stomach flip.
His hand gently withdrew from between my legs,
“You’re incredible,” he said, his voice rough.
Before I could respond, he was undoing his belt and pushing his pants down just enough to free himself.
He was hard, already straining with need.
My breath hitched as he stepped closer, his hands gripping my hips and pulling me to the very edge of the bench.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he commanded.
I didn’t hesitate. My thighs tightened around him as he positioned himself at my entrance.
His eyes met mine for a split second before he thrust into me.
My walls stretched around him, welcoming him in.
He was so big that it was almost too much but then it was perfect—just right.
He began to move slowly, his hips grinding against mine in a rhythm that had us both panting for air.
The friction was like fireworks going off inside me, making my entire body tingle and throb with need.
Every touch from him sent sparks of electricity racing through me.
Jared’s hands gripped my hips tighter, his movements growing more urgent.
His lips crashed into mine again, swallowing my moans as he drove deeper.
The lab bench creaked beneath us, a sound that only fueled the wildness of the moment.
This wasn’t just passion; it was hunger.
A hunger that had been simmering between us for weeks, finally unleashed.
“Amelia,” he growled against my mouth.
“You have no idea what you do to me.”
I didn’t respond—I couldn’t.
Every fiber of my being was focused on what he was doing to me.
By the way his body moved against mine like we were made for each other.
My hands slid down his back, clinging to him as if he might vanish if I let go.
His pace quickened, his thrusts becoming harder, more deliberate.
I gasped, my nails digging into his skin as the tension in my body coiled tighter and tighter.
He was everywhere—his scent, his touch, his voice whispering my name like a prayer.
“Look at me,” he demanded, his gray eyes burning into mine.
I did. And in that moment, I saw something raw and unfiltered in him—something he rarely let anyone see.
Vulnerability. Need.
It shook me to my core.
“Jared,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
He didn’t respond with words.
Instead, he kissed me again, deep and consuming, as if trying to fuse us together.
His rhythm faltered for a moment, his control slipping as he pressed his forehead against mine, his breath ragged.
“I’m close,” he choked out.
“Tell me you’re with me.”
“I’m with you,” I gasped, my body already on the edge again.
“Always.”
That was all he needed.
With a groan that seemed to come from deep within him, he buried himself inside me one last time, his body shuddering as he found his release.
I clung to him, my own climax crashing over me in a wave of heat and light, my muscles contracting around him as we fell apart together.
For a long moment, neither of us moved.
I could feel the steady thump of his heart against my chest.
Finally, he pulled back slightly.
There was something unspoken in his gaze, something heavy and uncertain.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then shook his head slightly, the moment passing.
“We should clean up,” he said quietly.
The weight of what we’d just done settled over me.
This was a mistake. A beautiful, intoxicating mistake, but a mistake, nonetheless.
“We shouldn’t have done that,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
I knew him well by now—knew that he was going to change his mind again, decide this wasn’t what he wanted.
I couldn’t let myself believe that this time would be any different.
I couldn’t let myself hope.
“I’m sure,” I said, my voice firmer this time.
I hopped off the bench and pushed my skirt down.
My panties were lying on the floor.
I picked them up and stuffed them in the pocket of my lab coat.
The lab was suddenly too small.
I needed to get away from him.
“Amelia,” he started, but I cut him off.
“I’m going home,” I said, grabbing my laptop and shoving it into my bag.
“I’m tired.”
He cocked his head to the side and studied me while he did up his pants.
“Are you feeling okay? You look pale.”
I shook my head, avoiding his gaze.
“I’m just tired,” I said.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I didn’t wait for a response.
I couldn’t. If I stayed any longer, I might have said something I’d regret—something that would make it even harder to walk away.
I left the lab, leaving him to lock up.
I had to get away from him.
By the time I got home, I was exhausted.
I needed a shower, needed to wash away the remnants of him.
I could feel his scent clinging to me.
It was like being haunted.
I stepped into the shower, the hot water washing over me.
I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
But as I stood there, dizziness hit me like a wave.
I gripped the shower wall, my vision swimming, and quickly turned off the water.
On legs that felt as weak as a newborn deer, I stepped out onto the fuzzy rug.
I wrapped myself in a towel and stumbled to the bed, collapsing onto the mattress.
I lay there, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if I was getting sick or if this light-headedness was pregnancy related.
Or maybe it was just the sheer amount of stress I was under.
Whatever it was, it wasn’t helping my already frazzled nerves.