Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
CORA
I palmed my heart as I reached the kitchen island, bracing my free hand against the counter.
Taking a few deep breaths, I worked to put myself together. I’d already made a complete idiot of myself by behaving like a toddler. I didn’t need to add to it by coming across as some lovesick teenager who couldn’t handle seeing him without a shirt.
I grabbed a bowl from the cabinet and the Cookie Crisp from the pantry.
The moonlight streaming through the windows provided enough of a glow that I didn’t need to bother with the lights.
I poured myself a generous serving, added milk, and by the time I took my first bite, my heart rate had almost returned to normal.
Almost.
At this point, I wasn’t even really hung up on the dodginess from the past two days. I just wanted to make sure my mouth was full, so I didn’t say anything stupid or embarrassing.
Jason strolled into the kitchen, now wearing a T-shirt that did absolutely nothing to diminish his appeal. If anything, the soft cotton clinging tightly to his chest made things worse.
“Feel better?” he asked as he reached into the cabinet for a glass.
My head bobbed as I took another bite while my entire body screamed NO!
On his way to the sink to fill his glass, he reached over my shoulder and snagged a cookie from my bowl.
“Hey! The box is right there. You can get your own.”
“I know, but it’s more fun to steal them from you.” He chuckled.
I scoffed in protest and turned, leaning my back against the counter. “Why is it more fun to steal from me?”
He mirrored me, leaning back against the sink as he took a sip of water, his gaze catching mine and holding it. “Because of that look right there.”
“What look?”
He wiggled his finger at my face. “That cute one.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not cute. I’m fierce.”
His lips lifted further. Another one of his incredible, make-my-skin-tingle smiles. “Fiercely cute.”
I huffed and turned my back to him, digging in again.
My flesh broke out into goosebumps as he slowly approached and stopped only inches from me. His hand snaked around me and plucked another cookie from my bowl.
“You know…” I turned and the sentence died on my lips. This beautiful man was mere inches from me, and heaven help me if I didn’t want to bury my hands in his hair and kiss him until I couldn’t remember my name.
His eyes found mine and when he spoke, his voice was low and husky. “Know what?” He popped the piece of cereal into his mouth.
He had to know what he was doing to me. Absolutely had to. No way would a man with as much sex appeal as Jason wouldn’t know the effect he had on a woman.
Almost like the universe put a finger to its mouth and whispered hush, the world around me stilled, leaving only the sound of my rapidly beating heart.
His eyes roamed over my face, and it was like he was in a trance as he spoke in a near whisper. “I haven’t kissed you in two days and every second has felt like a lifetime.” With each word, he inched closer.
“I didn’t notice.” I tried to sound nonchalant and probably failed. The near dog-whistle-level octave gave it away.
Humor filled his eyes. “Yeah, you did.” He reached up and ran his knuckles under my chin. “I’ve missed you.”
Not as much as I missed him. We’d been in the same house. Mere feet away from each other at times, and it had felt as if he’d been on the other side of the planet. I’d ached for him. This time I didn’t even try to mask it. “I missed you too,” I whispered.
“I shouldn’t… shouldn’t kiss you. I don’t deserve the pleasure of your lips. The chivalrous part of me is telling me to walk away…”
“What’s the other part saying?”
“I’d rather be a villain.” The last word had barely left his lips when his mouth crashed into mine.
Not rough. Not careless. Just urgent and needy.
In one swift movement, he lifted me onto the counter. His fingers slid down my arms, then gripped my hips like he couldn’t bear to let go. He pulled me into him, hard, until there wasn’t a breath between us. I could feel every inch of him—hard muscle and hot skin.
He groaned, low, guttural, and it vibrated against my lips. Every sound he made lit a fire low in my belly. My spine arched, pressing closer. I wanted him everywhere.
His hands.
His mouth.
His weight.
I moaned into his mouth, and he kissed me deeper, slower now, like he was savoring every second. His teeth scraped my bottom lip—just enough to make me gasp—and then he soothed the sting with a kiss so thorough it burned through my skin and left nothing untouched.
My breath was so ragged by the time he broke the kiss and buried his face in my neck, I wondered if I’d ever be able to breath normally again. What made it even more incredible was the way his chest was rising and falling against mine, like he was as equally drunk on me.
When he finally lifted his head and looked at me, there was still a slight flush in his cheeks. His hand came to my face and his fingertips brushed against my bruised lips.
“Maybe we could go to the couch and watch a little TV.”
I slowly nodded. “Will you kiss me some more?”
“I don’t think I could stop myself.”
My fingers curled in his shirt, and I pulled him to me. If I had my way, he’d never stop kissing me. Ever.
As I brought his lips to mine, all I could think was that I wanted him to wrap around me so tightly that his essence was infused with mine.
I’d fallen and fallen hard. Even if this whole thing blew up, I was in it so deep, I’d never recover.
That was when I realized I loved him.
That was when I realized no matter what happened, anything less than forever wouldn’t be enough.