CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
NATHAN
LOSING WASN’T SOMETHING I understood until now. Because the battle between self-control and Elise? I lost that fight.
Elise stood in the middle of the bedroom, all softness and bare skin, with an expression too pure for the effect she had on me. She stood there, an enigma; every inch the seductress, yet her eyes held a softness that left me questioning everything I thought I knew about her.
“I want to see you.” I stepped closer and reached for the hem of her T-shirt, my fingers brushing warm skin as I slowly lifted it over her head.
She raised her arms instinctively, a quiet surrender that tightened something deep in my chest. I let the shirt fall to the ground and let my hands linger for a beat, taking her in.
Then I hooked my fingers into the waistband of her shorts and eased them down until they joined the shirt at her feet.
Black lace greeted me. It was delicate, sexy and I stilled for a beat, taking her in.
My hands moved to her, slow and reverent, easing the fabric from her body until she stood before me with nothing left to hide.
A living canvas of molten caramel and curves, warm and real and entirely mine to explore.
I stood in awe, as though the universe had conspired to show me something so beautiful I didn’t deserve but would cherish forever.
Her skin was a deep, warm tapestry of rich hues, like smooth, dark velvet that caught the light in the most mesmerizing way.
Her body was…unreal. Full breasts, a slim waist, toned thighs and an ass shaped by years of dancing. She was perfect.
I swiped a tongue over my bottom lip, tasting hunger, tasting need.
Elise was a vision standing there, bare and unabashed, the air between us thick enough to choke on. The sharp inhale of her breath, the way her thighs pressed together as if she could somehow temper the ache—I saw it all. Felt it all like a damn branding iron to my skin.
I didn’t move right away. Every muscle in my body was tight with restraint.
Elise was all softness and sin wrapped into one, and I was a starving man, walking a fine line between savoring and devouring.
I didn’t touch. Not yet. Instead, I let my mouth hover just over her ear, inhaling deep, letting my exhale skate over her skin.
“Nathan…” Elise pleaded.
My hand cupped her jaw, tilting her face up to mine, forcing her to hold my gaze. “Tell me, Cupcake. Do you like knowing I’m losing my fucking mind over you?”
“Yes,” she panted. “I do.” Her chest rose and fell as she stared at me with nothing but desire in those big, brown eyes.
“You’re so beautiful. I’m going to fucking wreck you.
You’ll never look at anyone else again.” I edged closer, like a wave creeping steadily toward the shore, drawn by something primal and magnetic.
“Do you have any idea what you do to me?” I asked softly, one hand coming up to cradle the back of her neck, holding her there because letting go wasn’t an option.
She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.
The flush in her cheeks, the way her thighs shifted, the slight tremble in her breath, she felt it too.
I brushed her hair over one shoulder, letting my fingers trail down her arm. My body was a live wire of restraint, but my voice came out steady.
“You’re mine, Elise,” I murmured. “Every part of you. And I’ve waited too long to show you. I’m not rushing it. You understand me?”
“Yes.” She nodded, pupils wide, lips parted.
“Good,” I murmured, dragging my mouth along her jaw. “Because after tonight, there won’t be anyone else. No one to compare. No one to remember. Just me.”
A shiver rippled down her spine.
I carried her toward the bed, my hands skimming her waist, her hips, memorizing every curve like it was my right. When her knees hit the edge, she let herself fall back, her body stretched out across the sheets like temptation incarnate.
My shirt came off first then everything else. She watched me, breathless, eyes dark with anticipation and need, widening as she took me in. And when I crawled over her, lowering my body to hers, we both exhaled like we’d been holding our breath since the day we met.
“Hold on to me,” I breathed.
She did.
And everything else faded.
There was only her and me and the heat building between us was like something sacred. Her soft moans and whispered pleas, my name falling from her lips like prayer, and the way her hands pulled me closer like she couldn’t get enough.
“Nathan.” She gasped.
I didn't stop. I stayed with her through every gasp, every tremble, every wave that broke over her until she unraveled, until I followed her into the dark with a quiet groan and her name on my lips.
Afterward, I stayed close, settling beside her, her head on my chest, my hand tangled in her hair.
And for a long moment, we didn’t speak. We didn’t need to.
I kissed the top of her head, her shoulder, the hollow of her throat. Then I held her like I never planned to stop.
Because I didn’t.