CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #3
“Gabe.”
The quiet way she said his name snapped the last thread of his restraint, and he lowered his head.
Nova sucked in a sharp breath as his mouth brushed her skin and he slowly licked the melting ice cream from her skin, starting on the swell of her left breast up to her collarbone.
It was sweet, cold, and pure Nova.
He lingered for a heartbeat before lifting his head, his face close enough to hers that their breaths mingled.
Neither of them moved. Her eyes were on his, wide for a fraction of a second before something else took over—something warmer, deeper, charged with the same heat now running through him.
The space between them didn’t just feel smaller. It felt nonexistent.
He searched her face for any sign that he’d crossed a line. But then she leaned in just slightly, her breath brushing against his jaw as her lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile.
“Well,” she said softly, her voice a little unsteady despite the teasing edge, “that’s one way to win the last bite.”
Snow let out a quiet huff of disbelief, his hand still braced against the wall beside her. “Wasn’t exactly planned.”
“Mm-hmm.” Her eyes flicked to his mouth for half a second before returning to his. “Sure it wasn’t.”
Another second stretched between them. Then Nova exhaled softly, like she’d made a decision.
She moved her hand to the front of his shirt, her fingers curling lightly into the fabric as she pulled him down just enough to meet her halfway. Her lips brushed his. It was soft at first, testing, like she was giving him one last chance to stop it, which he had no intention of doing.
The moment contact registered, something in him snapped loose.
Snow’s hand dropped from the wall to her waist, instinctively pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, the control he’d been holding onto all night slipping just enough to let the heat between them take over. She made a soft sound against his mouth, and that was all it took to push him further.
The kiss wasn’t rushed, but it wasn’t careful either. It was the kind that built fast, fueled by everything they’d been holding back since locking eyes on the airplane.
The storm outside seemed to echo it as the wind howled and the thunder crackled, as if the world itself had decided to match the moment’s intensity.
Nova shifted closer, her other hand coming up to his shoulder, steadying herself. The bowl of ice cream was long forgotten, dangling loosely from her fingers until it finally slipped and dropped to the floor.
Snow’s grip tightened slightly at her waist, just enough to ground himself, even as his head tilted to deepen the kiss again. Every instinct he had told him to slow down, to pull back, to think this through. He didn’t want to. Not when she was kissing him back like she wanted this just as much.
Nova wrapped her arms around his neck, and that was all it took.
Snow shifted, his other hand sliding behind her as he lifted her clean off her feet in one smooth motion. The movement was quick, driven more by need than thought, and before either of them could process it, her back met the door with a soft thud.
She let out a small gasp against his mouth. Her legs came up around his waist without hesitation, anchoring him there.
Yeah. He definitely wasn’t stopping now.
Snow’s grip tightened at her thighs, holding her steady against the door as his mouth moved against hers, slower now, like he was trying to ground himself and failing at the same time.
Her hands slid from around his neck to his shoulders, then up into his hair.
The feeling of her fingers in his hair sent a sharp, dangerous heat straight through him.
Shit, this was getting out of control, but he still didn’t want to stop.
A sharp crack of thunder split the air, and the lights flickered hard enough this time to break through the haze just a little.
Snow tore his mouth from hers, breathing heavier than he should’ve been, his forehead dropping briefly against hers as he tried to get a handle on himself.
Nova’s kissed, swollen lips were slightly parted. Her breath was warm against his lips. Her chest rose and fell a little faster than before. Her eyes were darker now, full of lust.
He swallowed, forcing himself to think. “We should…” he started, then stopped, because even he didn’t sound convinced.
Nova’s lips curved slightly, breathless but steady enough to tease. “Should what?”
He let out a quiet, almost frustrated huff. “Not do this in the hallway.”
She leaned in, her arms sliding back around his neck. Her mouth was next to his ear.
“Then maybe we should take this inside.”
That did not help his self-control. Snow stared at her for half a second, like he was making sure he heard her right, like he was giving himself one last chance to shut this down.
His grip adjusted just slightly, steadying her more securely against him as his jaw tightened.
“Grab the key card from my back pocket,” he said, his voice lower now, rougher than before.
Still wrapped around him, Nova reached behind him and slipped her hand into his pocket. A second later, she pulled it back out. But instead of a key card, black lace dangled from her fingertips.
They both froze.
Nova slowly raised the panties between them, one eyebrow quirked. “Gabe?”
Oh fuck! Snow stared at Nova’s thong panties he had stuffed into his jeans the other day. “Well, that’s awkward.”
“Why are my panties in your pocket?”
“Would you believe me if I said they’ve been there for days?”
Her eyes widened. “That somehow makes this worse.”
Snow laughed, shifting her higher against him. “I’ll explain later. Now dig deeper and find the damn key before someone comes around that corner and I have to explain why I’m carrying you through the hallway as you wave your undies like a flag.”
Nova’s lips twitched. But thank god, she stuffed them back into his pocket and grabbed the key card from the other one.
She held it up between them with a triumphant smile. “Found it. Although I’m starting to think your pockets deserve their own security clearance.”
Snow laughed, but the sound died the second her gaze dropped back to his mouth. Just like that, the humor gave way to the heat that had gotten them into this position in the first place.
“Open the door, sweetheart.”
Her eyes darkened. “In a hurry, Gabe?”
“You have no fucking idea.” He tightened his hold on her. “I need you inside that room. Now.”
Nova didn’t tease him again. She reached over and swiped the card, and the instant the light flashed green, Snow shoved the door open and carried her through.
Thank God for the storm because at the rate things were going, they wouldn’t be coming out of that room until sometime the next day.