43. Nash
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Nash
The kiss hits me hard as a match to dry grass.
One second, we’re standing there in the quiet of the guest house, and the next, my mouth is on hers. It isn’t careful. It isn’t slow. It’s urgent and a little rough, both of us have been holding back too much for too long.
Tessa leans straight into it, fingers bunching in the front of my shirt as she drags me closer. That tiny sound she makes in the back of her throat tells me everything I need to know… she wants this just as badly as I do.
I guide her back a step without breaking the kiss, my hand settling at her waist. My mouth moves along her jaw, down the curve of her neck, before I find her lips again. She gasps softly, and the sound shoots straight through me.
Somewhere in the back of my head, a sensible voice suggests slowing down.
It doesn’t stand a chance.
Not when she feels this way in my arms. Not when the pull between us is this strong.
Her back meets the wall with a quiet thud, and I follow, pressing closer. The heat between us is instant, my body lining up with hers as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
When she looks up at me, her lips are parted and her eyes are dark in a way that makes my pulse jump.
She breaks the kiss just long enough to grab the front of my shirt, tugging it up so her fingers can slide underneath. Her palm presses against my skin.
“Nash,” she breathes. “I want you.”
And that’s all it takes.
I grab her and kiss her once more.
Tessa moves fast after that. My jacket is off my shoulders in seconds, hitting the hardwood floor with a dull slap somewhere behind us. Her hands find the front of my shirt next, impatient fingers working at it until the fabric gives and the buttons go skittering across the floorboards.
Under normal circumstances, I might mourn the loss of a perfectly good shirt.
Right now, I hardly notice.
All I’m aware of is the look on her face when she steps back, eyes dropping over my chest, taking stock of what she’s just uncovered. The heat in her gaze hits me square in the ribs.
Then her hands move to the hem of her sweater.
She tugs it up in one quick motion, dragging the soft knit over her head and tossing it somewhere behind her without even looking where it lands. The sight of her standing there in nothing but leggings and a bra sends a sharp pulse through my chest.
I just stare.
A small, satisfied smile touches her mouth, she knows exactly what kind of effect she’s having on me.
She doesn’t give me long to recover. Her nails skim down my back, and every nerve in my body wakes up at once. Before I can react, she turns me with surprising strength and pulls me back into another kiss.
As our lips collide, I curl my fingers around the waistband of her leggings.
Her breath hitches, and I drag her leggings down her thighs just enough, pushing the fabric out of the way. A shiver runs up her thigh the moment my palm brushes her smooth skin.
She props a foot against the wall, legs parting as an unspoken invitation.
I pause, taking in the sight of her, unbraided hair tumbling over one shoulder, cheeks flushed, eyes dark and hungry, before I slide a finger inside her.
The warmth around me closes as a vice, and she bites her lower lip hard enough to leave a faint crease.
Her moan bounces off the walls, loud and unrestrained.
“You feel so wet,” I murmur, lips brushing along her neck so my breath dances against her skin. “And so damn tight.”
She throws her head back, a raw sound escaping her, and I press closer, letting her freedom to cry out set the rhythm of every movement.
Her fingers dig into my shoulders, nails biting into bare skin, as she pants, “Oh fuck, oh shit. Nash…”
I slide another finger inside her, and my other hand drifts up her side to her chest, catching the curve of her breast through the thin fabric of her bra.
The fabric is soft, warm, and a tease, but I can’t resist. I pull the hem up, letting the material stretch over her skin, exposing the dip beneath her collarbone.
My lips follow the path, grazing her neck, down to the slope of her chest, teasing and tasting, until her breath hitches and her body trembles against me.
She writhes as if she’s made of fire and silk, control unraveling thread by thread. I need more of her, need to see the effect I have on her before I lose myself completely.
I shift her away from the wall just enough to give myself room, then drop to my knees, and her scent surrounds me.
Sweet, musky, intoxicating. A shiver runs through me as heat coils in my veins, every nerve alive with her.
I nudge her legs apart with my knee, her head lolling back, eyes closed, letting go, completely pliant, completely mine.
I trail kisses along the line of her stomach, pausing at her hips, down her thighs. I hook my fingers into the waistband of her panties and drag them down in one sharp pull, and a surprised gasp escapes her lips.
“Oh fuck, Nash!” she cries, fingers tangling in my hair, and it makes my chest tighten.
I dive back in, tongue flicking along her slick, hot heat, tasting her the way I’ve wanted for weeks.
She jerks against me, tugging at my hair, hips bucking, and the raw need in her fuels a primal side of me.
I sink deeper, alternating between plunging inside her with my tongue and teasing over her clit, chasing every shiver and gasp she throws my way.
“Oh shit,” she pants, body trembling on the edge, and I can’t look away.
I want to see her face when it breaks, so I stand quickly, capturing her mouth in a deep, urgent kiss.
I shove my jeans down just enough to get them out of the way.
Her legs wrap around me instinctively as I lift her, carrying her to the bed, laying her down gently beneath me, my body pressing against hers.
I kick the rest of my jeans and boxers off, and the moment she takes in what she’s seeing, her eyes widen, a sharp gasp escaping before her hands fly to her mouth.
Pride spikes through me at that reaction, and I can’t resist brushing a thumb along her jaw as she arches slightly, fingers clutching the sheets.
I climb onto the bed, hovering over her, and she curls her fingers around me, moving her hand slowly, teasing me with that slick, cool touch against what’s already hard and ready. My breaths come faster, arms trembling under the weight of holding myself up.
“Oh fuck, Tessa,” I rasp roughly, “I need you.”
Her hand falls away the second I press against her, the head of me sliding into her heat. I count, one, two, three, trying to hold myself together, but she meets every inch, hips lifting instinctively. Her fingernails dig into my shoulders as her back arches, soft and trembling.
“Please,” she whispers, “give me all of you.”
I sink into her slowly, just an inch at first, and she shivers, eyes fluttering closed, lips parting. When I push deeper, her cry fills the room, raw and intoxicating, and it’s all I can do to keep from losing myself entirely.
“Fucking hell,” she gasps, muscles clenching around me. “You feel… amazing.”
My arms tremble, give way, and our bodies collide fully, skin slick against skin. I bury my face in her neck, inhaling that salt-sweet scent, and she wraps her legs around me, heels pressing into my lower back, urging me deeper.
We move together, finding a rhythm that tightens with every thrust. Her fingers tangle in my hair, pulling just enough to sting. Her breath comes in short, sharp pants against my ear.
“Nash,” she whispers. “Nash, I’m…”
Her body goes taut beneath me, thighs trembling as they clamp around me. I watch her face twist, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open in a silent scream, a flush spreading across her chest and up her neck. For that moment, she’s completely mine.
She sags slightly, breath shaking, and I steady her with a hand at her waist, then I guide her down onto her knees in front of me. Her mouth parts, ready, eager, and the hunger in her eyes drives me wild.
“Oh, Tessa,” I murmur, gripping the back of her head as she takes me in again. “That’s it. Take me deeper.”
She doesn’t hesitate. Her throat works around me, swallowing, hot and tight, as I guide her. Saliva drips down her chin, glistening, and every shallow thrust makes her grip even tighter, exquisite and unbearable.
Release hits with a primal groan. Hips jerk, cock pulses, and I spill into her mouth, scorching and endless. She takes it all, eyes locked on mine, needing it as much as I do.
Then the world tilts. I blink, vision swimming, sweat tracing down my spine. My heart hammers fast as a wild beast trying to escape. I gasp, lungs burning, head spinning as I finally let go completely, losing myself in her.
I collapse back against the mattress, chest heaving, sweat slicking my skin.
Tessa curls up beside me, lips wet and glistening, eyes dark and heavy-lidded as she drifts down from the edge.
I brush a strand of hair from her face, letting my thumb trace the line of her jaw, just trying to ground myself in the reality of her being here… mine.
She shivers slightly and presses against me, not saying a word, just letting me feel her warmth. The scent of her, soft, musky, completely intoxicating, makes my chest tighten all over again. I kiss her temple lightly, then her lips, slower now, more lingering.
“Fuck,” I murmur, resting my forehead against hers. “You… you’re incredible.”
She smirks, teasing in that way that’s almost mischievous, even drenched in heat. “Took you long enough to say it.”
I laugh, low and rough, pressing another kiss to her hair. “I’m not great with words sometimes. You know that.”
Her fingers trail over my chest, down to my stomach, just lightly brushing, and I feel that same shiver run through me again. I pull her closer, letting her settle against me, the fire crackling softly, the little guest house around us suddenly the only world that exists.
We stay that way for a long while, just breathing, just feeling, letting the rhythm of our heartbeats sync. Nothing else matters. Not the town, not her uncle, not the past we’re leaving behind.
Eventually, I sit back slightly, still holding her.
“We should probably… eat something before we collapse completely,” I mutter, trying for humor, though my voice is still thick with need.
She laughs, a little shaky but real. “You just want an excuse to stay close.”
“Maybe,” I admit. “But you don’t seem to mind.”
She presses a soft kiss to my chest. “Not at all.”
I smile, finally letting myself sink back into the mattress, into her. Into this. The world outside can wait. Tonight, here, now… it’s ours.
Weirdly, I don’t feel the pull of everything I can’t control. Because right here, in this little guest house, with her against me, I can control exactly one thing: the fact that she’s mine.
And I plan to make the most of it.