CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT #4
‘It would be the same, Paldon. I’d match you move for move, push you to your limit to make that finish feel so—’ He nudged my hair away from my ear, catching my earlobe as he spoke. ‘—so sweet.’
I breathed him in, his citrus scent consuming me. It rushed to my head, making me think it was a good idea to keep going.
It was Theo though. I’d spent five years hating him and even longer competing, arguing … There were so many reasons to say no, to not find out if he was right. Those reasons fell away as his lips brushed my cheek.
‘Lena?’ He laced my name with longing.
‘Prove it.’
The tension between us snapped. Theo pushed his hips into mine, sending a thrill rushing through me. My hands went up behind his neck and into his hair, feeling his soft curls fall over my fingers. He braced one arm next to my head and curled the other around my lower back. We moved in sync.
His kisses started on my neck where he’d whispered my name, wetting my skin and chasing upwards to my mouth. When his lips met mine for the first time my entire body erupted.
I gripped on to him, wanting everything immediately. I tried desperately not to lose myself as his tongue danced with mine. He couldn’t win this quickly.
So I suffered pulling away from his mouth to trail mine along his jaw. The way his breath hitched made me delirious. That’s what I wanted.
‘You didn’t think you could do this without a fair fight, did you?’ I used the pressure of his hips as leverage to move my legs either side of his. ‘You forgot that I know you too, Theo. How long do you think it will take for me to ruin you?’
I brought a hand around to his face, tracing a dimple as he let out a quiet moan. I pulled his mouth back to mine. He didn’t resist.
‘Let’s find out,’ he whispered between kisses.
Theo scooped his hands around my thighs, lifting. My legs wrapped around him to lock him to me, my skirt shifting up and making way for him. He pinned me there against the door with only his hips and ran his hands up my body.
‘Too scared to not have me pinned down?’ I muttered into his hair as he kissed my neck. ‘Don’t you want to know what I’d do to you?’
A tremble ran through his body, then mine. One hand skimmed along my dress, stopping at my breasts to cup, rub and pinch in ways that made me groan. The other kept going up to cradle my chin. I arched into him.
‘I know exactly what you want to do.’ His breath was heavy, shallow. ‘You’d try and get me on my knees.’
‘Wrong, Theo.’ I tugged at his hair so he looked at me. His eyes were soft, his pupils wide with pleasure. ‘I’d be the one on my knees.’
‘Fuck!’ His head fell forwards on to me, words failing him.
A thrilling tension was building between my legs and it had everything to do with the way his stiff crotch was grinding against my already dampening underwear.
I needed him. I had to feel him buckle at my touch. My hand went down between us. I hated the belt keeping him locked away. I wrapped my hand around him as much as I could, rushing with satisfaction as his legs trembled.
His hand joined mine, holding it for a moment before sliding up between my thighs. I shuddered as his fingertips brushed against me, barely keeping control.
‘I know you like to finish first, Lena,’ he teased, breathless. ‘But tonight I’m going to make sure you come second too … maybe third.’
I tightened my grip, using his own rhythm against him.
His moan rumbled into my throat.
‘I always hoped this would happen, but fuck, it took us so long.’ His mouth was soft against my neck, words smothered by desire. ‘I’m never letting you go.’
My eyes fluttered, coming out of their heavy lidded stupor.
His free arm had swept around to hold me as his kisses got deeper, slower.
A sinking pit opened in my gut. That wasn’t what I wanted … This was pleasure, nothing else. Something more wasn’t an option.
‘Theo …’ I placed my hands on his shoulders, letting my legs drop back down.
‘Mm?’ He hesitated, reluctant to come up for air.
‘Stop.’ My voice cracked as I said it.
He pulled away. In the dim I saw his lips part and his eyes search mine for understanding. His hands brushed over my waist, hovering with indecision.
‘You know I don’t—’ I grunted, cutting myself off. The leftover lust had nowhere to go, so spiked into anger. All his talk about knowing me more than anyone else, about knowing what I wanted – it was a lie. He knew I didn’t do serious.
‘Lena, wh—’
‘It’s better if we don’t.’ I scrambled for the door handle. ‘If you’d told me that’s what you wanted, I wouldn’t have—’
I finally found it and yanked the door open. The bright lights of the aviary made me wince.
‘You’re leaving?’ The fog of desire left Theo’s voice, replaced by disbelief. ‘You’re actually going to leave?’
‘Yes, I am. I’m not going to delude myself into thinking it would work out and if you were honest with yourself, you wouldn’t either.’ I’d intended to get the last word in without looking back.
‘Fine! Walk away like you always do.’ His voice strained. ‘I’ll see you in a few weeks when you need some other favour you couldn’t possibly get from anyone else!’