Chapter 25 #3
The elevator dings and the doors slide open, but neither of us stops. I walk her backward out into the hallway, my mouth never leaving hers. We stumble slightly and she laughs, the sound vibrating through both of us, and I swallow it down and keep moving.
“Which way?” she murmurs between kisses, her teeth biting my bottom lip.
“Left,” I manage, steering us blindly, my hands sliding down to grip her ass and pull her tighter against me. “I think.”
“You think?” She’s laughing again, breathless, her fingers working at the buttons of my shirt. “Very reassuring.”
“I’m distracted.” I back her against the wall and kiss down her neck, tasting the salt of her skin, feeling her pulse hammering under my lips. “You’re distracting me.”
“Good,” she says, and pulls my mouth back to hers.
We make our way down the corridor like that, stopping every few feet to press each other against the wall, hands everywhere, mouths hungry.
Her fingers finally get my top two buttons undone and slide inside, palms flat against my chest, and the heat of her touch burns through me.
I grip her thigh and hitch it up against my hip, grinding into her, and the sound she makes echoes down the empty hallway.
“Room,” she gasps against my mouth. “Dominic. Room.”
“Patience,” I laugh against her throat, nipping at the sensitive skin below her ear, but I’m already pulling her with me, walking her backward without breaking the kiss until we finally reach my door.
I press her against it, pinning her there with my hips while my mouth trails down her jaw to the spot just below her ear that makes her shiver.
She’s trapped between the door and my body, exactly where I want her, and when I press my thigh between her legs she grinds down against it “Mmm,” she hums, her head falling back against the door, exposing the long line of her throat.
Her fingers curl into my hair, nails scraping against my scalp. “Dominic.”
I reach for the key card in my back pocket, fumbling blindly while my other hand stays gripped on her ass, pulling her harder against my thigh. The card misses the slot entirely, scraping against the door frame.
“Having trouble?” she murmurs, and I can hear the smile in her voice.
“You’re not helping,” I say, nipping at her collarbone.
“I’m not trying to help.” She bites down gently on my earlobe and my grip tightens on her hip, a low groan rumbling through my chest.
I kiss her again, deep and slow, and manage to slide the card into the slot without breaking away from her mouth. She bites down on my bottom lip and I groan, finally hearing the click of the lock disengaging.
The door swings inward behind her and I catch her before she can fall backward, one arm wrapping tight around her waist, lifting her over the threshold.
I kick the door shut behind us with enough force to rattle the frame and spin her around, pressing her back against the wall just inside the room.
“God,” she breathes, her head tipping back against the wall, exposing the long line of her throat. “Dominic.”
I press my lips to her pulse point and she shivers, her whole body trembling under my hands.
I slide my palms up her sides, pushing her blazer off her shoulders, and she lets it fall to the floor without looking.
The red lace I’ve been catching glimpses of all night is right there now, a delicate bralette visible through the sheer black top, and the sight of it hits me square in the chest.
“You’ve been driving me crazy all night,” I tell her, my voice rough against her throat. “Every time you moved, I could see this underneath. Do you have any idea what that did to me?”
“Why do you think I wore it?” She smiles up at me, wicked and knowing.
Her fingers find my hair, tugging gently, and I let her pull my head back up. Her eyes are dark in the low light, her lips parted, her chest rising and falling with each breath.
I cup her face in my hands, my thumbs tracing the sharp lines of her cheekbones, and just look at her.
She gazes up at me with those warm brown eyes, and I feel like for a moment our souls are reaching for each other across all the years and all the miles and all the wasted time.
My entire life, every choice, every road, every wrong turn, has led me here.
To this room. To this woman. To this moment.
And then inexplicably, Alex’s voice echoes in my head. That stupid conversation in my office. The Notebook. And those words he said, smug and certain like he knew something I didn’t.
The one that got away.
“Son of a bitch,” I say quietly, almost to myself as I cup her cheeks. “He was right.”
Brooke’s brow furrows, those brown eyes searching my face. “What?”
I smooth my thumbs across her cheekbones, like I can’t tear myself away, like the whole city could crumble outside that window and her face would still be the only thing I see.
“I think it was always you, Brooke,” I whisper, and the words feel like cracking myself open, like finally seeing something that was right in front of me this entire time. “From the very beginning. It was always you.”
Her fingers curl tighter against my chest, bunching the fabric of my half-open shirt. For a moment she just stares at me, those dark eyes growing bright, glistening in the low light.
“Dominic,” she whispers, and her voice breaks on my name.
I pull her in and kiss her, my hands still cradling her face.
She melts into me, her arms wrapping around my neck.
My hands slide down her sides and find the hem of her top, pulling it up and over her head in one motion.
The red lace bralette cups her breasts, full and perfect, and I run my fingers along the edge of the lace, watching her skin pebble under my touch.
She reaches for my belt, her fingers working the buckle with shaking hands, and I help her yank it free, tossing it to the floor with a clatter.
I reach around and unclasp her bra, letting it fall away, and then my mouth is on her, kissing down her throat, across her collarbone, lower. She arches into me, her fingers raking through my hair, and I walk her backward until we reach the bed.
She sits and I follow her down, my hands working at her pants, tugging them off until she’s lying there in nothing but the lacy underwear.
I hook my fingers into the waistband and pull them down slowly, sliding the fabric over her thighs, and she lifts her hips to help me, her skin soft as silk under my palms. I drag them all the way off, dropping them to the floor, and then she’s bare, her pussy glistening in the low light from the window.
She lies there completely exposed, biting her lip, watching me with those dark eyes that hold nothing back.
“Brooke,” I say. “You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“Get over here,” she says, her voice low.
I don’t need to be told twice. I shed the rest of my clothes, kicking off my pants and boxers, my cock hard and aching for her. I look at her and our eyes lock, like we’re tethered together by something invisible. “Condom,” I say, reaching for the nightstand. “I have one in my wallet. We need to—”
“I’m on the pill now,” she murmurs, pulling me back toward her. “Figured it was time to be a responsible adult.”
“Thank fuck,” I say, climbing over her, positioning myself between her thighs.
I grip my cock, pressing the head against her wetness.
I slide it over her clit and she arches into me with a whimper, her hands gripping my shoulders.
I wait, teasing her, teasing us both, and then finally I slide inside.
“Fuck, Brooke,” I groan, burying myself deep, unable to hold back.
The feel of her with nothing between us is almost too much, hot and tight and perfect.
“Oh god,” she gasps, her walls clenching tight around me.
My cock pulses inside her and I grab her jaw gently, tilting her face so she has to look at me while I thrust into her, setting a rhythm that has her gasping with every stroke.
I need to see her eyes. I need this connection, more vulnerable and deeper than any sex we’ve had before, and the way she’s looking up at me right now, completely open and wanting, is the hottest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.
“Look at me,” I tell her as I drive into her again. “Don’t look away.”
“I’m not,” she breathes, her nails digging into my shoulders as I rock my hips forward and grind deep. “Dominic, I couldn’t look away if I tried.”
“You feel incredible,” I tell her, pressing my forehead to hers, our breath mingling in the small space between us as I thrust into her again and again. “Brooke. Fuck. You have no idea.”
“So do you,” she gasps. “Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
I shift my weight onto one arm and slide my other hand down between us, finding her clit and pressing in firm circles while I keep fucking her.
Her reaction is immediate, her whole body arching up into mine, a moan tearing out of her that’s loud enough to make me grateful the walls in this hotel are thick.
“There,” she gasps, her nails raking down my back hard enough to sting. “Right there.”
I keep the pressure steady on her clit, and keep driving into her with slow, deep strokes that make her gasp. Her eyes are locked on mine, dark and desperate, and I watch every flicker of pleasure cross her face.
Her legs wrap tighter around my waist, pulling me deeper, and I groan at the way her pussy grips me, hot and slick and perfect.
I lower my mouth to hers and kiss her while I fuck her, swallowing her moans, tasting the mezcal still lingering on her tongue.
She kisses me back with equal intensity, her fingers threading through my hair, tugging gently, holding me close like she never wants to let go.