Chapter 15
Kinsley tore through his shirt, her palms tracing the hard, sculpted ridges of his abs.
His breathing came in ragged gasps; his jaw was locked tight.
He was holding back.
But she wanted him.
She kissed him deeply, her tongue tangling with his, desperate and searching.
As her hand slid down his chest, she felt his body tense instantly.
He let out a harsh, jagged breath, his hand clamping over her wrist.
“Baby, if you keep this up, I won’t be able to hold back.”
She looked up at him, her eyes clear and unwavering.
“Then don’t.”
Her hand drifted lower, trailing down to the hardening ache between his thighs.
His logic finally shattered; he let out a sharp, ragged exhale.
Watching him lose his grip on his own restraint, Kinsley felt a soft smile touch her lips, and her hand moved with firmer intent.
With her other hand, she tugged at his underwear.
As he was finally bared, he let out a low, guttural groan.
“Kinsley, are you sure you’re not drunk?”
Her voice was steady, resonant with absolute certainty.
“I’m not.”
She leaned in, pressing kisses to every inch of him, her tongue flicking across the sensitive tip, teasing him with languid, deliberate strokes.
Aaron braced his arms against the bar top, the veins in his forearms bulging with the effort of staying still.
She looked up, a surge of joy blooming in her chest as she watched him unravel.
This was the real him—more authentic than he had ever been.
She drew him in, deep and slow.
He gasped, drowning in the flood of desire, gasping for air like a fish out of water.
“Baby, let me.”
He pulled away, his mouth crashing onto hers with a hunger that had been suppressed for far too long.
He lifted her, pressing her body flush against his, their temperatures soaring in the cool air of the cellar.
She shivered as her back met the cold marble of the bar top, and he trailed kisses down to her earlobe.
“Relax.”
His voice was low, laced with a tenderness that vibrated straight through to her soul.
She realized then that this man was finally letting her into his world—
A world no longer defined by cold, calculated decisions or rigid control.
He was letting her see the truth of him.
The vulnerable, flawed, human side of him.
Her eyes grew misty.
She didn’t just want his body; she wanted the real him—
The man who could make her feel truly, wildly alive.
Kinsley hooked her arms around his neck, answering him in kind.
His hand swept up the length of her thigh, pushing her silk nightgown aside.
“Do you want me?”
His voice was a low rumble against her skin, sending a violent shiver through her entire body.
“I want you…”
The words spilled out, choked and hungry.
Desire flared in the darkness, and a spark of raw, satisfied heat lit his eyes.
He leaned down, his lips closing over her nipple, his tongue swirling and tugging with deliberate, exquisite torture.
Electric currents pulsed deep in her belly, radiating outward, spreading like wildfire.
She arched her back, gasping for breath.
His hand drifted lower, sliding between her thighs, his touch gliding back and forth before settling on her sensitive core, circling gently.
She clutched his arms, her soft moans climbing higher and higher.
“Aaron, I’m… I’m almost there…”
The fire deep within her roared, hotter and brighter.
She struggled to keep her eyes open, and through the haze of her own pleasure, she saw his eyes fixed on her—soft, warm, and entirely his.
“Then enjoy it,” he whispered.
A moment later, she shattered.
As she cried out, her vision blurred into a sea of mist, and every thought she had ever possessed dissolved into nothingness.
The body didn’t lie.
The feeling of being with him was so exquisite that she felt on the verge of tears from sheer happiness.
Even though she knew the finish line was fixed at a certain date, she wanted to carve him into her memory, every second of this borrowed time.
Kinsley hooked her legs around his waist, wrapping herself around him.
Aaron lifted her up and carried her to the nearby sofa.
As he pressed his hands to her hips, ready to claim her, she flipped over, pushing him down onto the cushions.
“Let me.”
A flicker of surprise danced in his eyes, and his throat bobbed with a sharp swallow.
Kinsley straddled him.
His eyes were flooded with desire and a raw, hungry joy; he was already engorged to the hilt.
She guided him to her, sliding slowly down, feeling the heavy, intense friction of his length filling her completely.
The overwhelming sensation drew a sharp cry from her lips, and he let out a long, ragged moan.
“Baby, this is... incredible.”
His breathing was trembling.
Kinsley began to move, taking charge of the rhythm.
Aaron’s hands clamped onto her waist, drowning in her initiative.
He had been hesitant, terrified of the outcome six months down the road, but her eyes gave him courage.
In her gaze, he read the same thing he felt—she was looking at him with love.
To hell with the contract, he thought.
I want her!
As the climax crested, euphoria burst within them like fireworks.
In the throes of those violent tremors, Kinsley nearly let the words slip.
“Aaron, I...”
She bit her lip hard, swallowing the final two words.
She couldn’t say it.
Instead, she collapsed into his arms, burying the confession she had rehearsed a thousand times deep into the recesses of her heart.
Aaron held her tight, pressing soft, lingering kisses into her hair.
This time, he didn’t pull away immediately.
She leaned against his chest, listening to the frantic cadence of his heart, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
She couldn’t help but worry.
Would he pull away and leave as coldly as he had last time?
She closed her eyes, waiting with bated breath.
Aaron kissed her face, his breathing still heavy and ragged, as he pulled her closer than ever before.