I don’t hesitate, diving toward her like a starving man. Fuck breakfast. I’ll feast on her until we’re both satisfied. I comb through Addison’s hair and grab a fistful. My hold is gentle but it anchors her to me.

Thunder rumbles from my chest and echoes around the room.

“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur against her freckled cheek. I drag my nose along the blushing skin before pulling back a little. Addison must see the determination in my eyes. She sucks in sharply and her nails dig into my shoulders.

I drop my mouth over hers and press softly, testing the waters. She pushes into me, giving permission and seeking more. I loop my arm around her waist and yank her closer, eliminating the last space separating us. My large paw almost spans the entirety of her narrow midriff. I’m a giant in comparison to her slight form. Protective instincts rise up, and I tuck her even tighter against me.

Addison licks my bottom lip and a moan tumbles out. I open for her, matching each teasing sweep with one of my own. She tastes like peppermint candy, and I have a serious sweet tooth. Our tongues slide together, lost lovers reuniting, and the silken heat sets me on fire. I use my hold on her to steer our position, changing the angle to get deeper. I’m plundering and drowning and never want to come up for air. Suffocating in Addison is one hell of a way to go.

Her palms roam up until she’s scratching my scalp. The pleasurable sensation gets me harder, and I grind into her thigh. One leg hitches around my hip, granting me better access to her center. I take a chance and slide my pinkie under the waistband, drawing tiny circles on her skin. Addison wiggles, and my dick is the happy recipient. She’s wearing too many clothes. I want her pants off, but maybe that’s too much? I’m not sure how far she wants us to go.

When Addison sucks on my lip, I’m momentarily distracted from stripping her naked. I delve into her mouth, ravenous for more. I’ve been envisioning kissing her since we first met. My one-sided fantasies seem foolish and flat as raw footage reels in. Nothing could prepare me for her petal-soft lips and tantalizing moans. Each sound cinches around my cock and squeezes, dragging me closer to the edge. I rock into her, driving myself to the brink faster. Molten lava floods my gut and I’m melting for her.

This is only a kiss, but far more than a simple form of affection. The floodgates are opening wider, an exchange of breath, tempting touches shooting me higher. I tug and she pulls, my fingers digging into her supple curves. My hand roams further, brushing over her ass and settling in the dip of her tailbone. She feels so good, velvet engulfed in salvation. I haul her pelvis into mine, grinding her against my aching dick. She gasps into my mouth, and I swallow her mewls.

“You feel me, Adds?” I ask with a punctuating thrust. Her tiny body is molding to mine, cementing our bond—barriers be damned.

“Yes,” she moans. “Y-you’re so big.”

Her breathy pant is enough to make me bust. I don’t need to hear more, capturing her pleasure between my lips. Her body tells me all I need, pliable and bending to me. She’s what I imagine Heaven to be. Why did we wait so long? I drift under her shirt, over the expanse of bare skin.

Shit, she’s not wearing a bra.

I’m so fucking hard, painfully so. How easy would it be to flip over and demand she strokes me? To take away the ache only she causes? I’m growing hazy with need, bordering on insanity just for her fist around me. My body screams for her, and she seems willing, yet I hold back.

Fucking pussy. Trey’s familiar taunt circles round, driving me crazy in a different way. But I shove that bullshit away and stay lost in Addison’s kiss.

She claws down my back while swiveling those sinful hips. She rolls against me, a liquid wave I attempt to catch. Our mouths fuse as an endless loop, slick lips parting for lapping tongues. I inhale Addison’s apple spice scent and trap each succulent morsel in my lungs. This craving for her body is a never-ending need. I want it all, anything and everything she has to give, like a selfish bastard. It’s obvious I want more, but even this lust fogging my brain can’t turn me into a barbarian.

Then her hand slips into my briefs and all bets are off. Addison’s tentative fingers dance over my ass, and I buck against her. My eyes cross, and I’m dizzy as fuck. The lack of blood flow to my brain gives opportunity to my filthier desires hovering on the sidelines. My cock is leading this show and taking full advantage. All too soon there’s a telltale tingling at the base of my spine.

Dammit, I don’t want to blow in my shorts. How fucking embarrassing that would be. But pulling away and stopping this seems impossible. Screw my pride. The mess is worth it. I screw my eyes shut and rock into her, ready to tip off the ledge of sanity.

Addison makes the choice for us. She rips away from me with a pitiful groan and snap of elastic. I barely register the sting against my lower back, too focused on the flush racing up her pale neck. Our chests rise and fall in a frantic rhythm, syncing with paired precision. Panting breaths bounce between the small gap separating our mouths. I want to go back for seconds, and thirds, but she’s slamming on the brakes.

She presses two fingers to her swollen pout, blatant evidence of my kiss. The heavy-lidded daze clouding her eyes makes me feel like a king.

“Whoa,” she murmurs.

“So good, Adds.” My lips ghost over the hollow of her throat, and she arches closer. I’m ready to plunge in all over again, until she scoots back and creates a definitive gap.

“Enough of that.” She points an accusing finger at me. “Keep touching me like that and I’ll end up jumping your bones.”

“How is that bad?”

Addison fiddles with her sleeve, avoiding my stare. “I, uh, don’t wanna rush into anything. Your first time should be with that special someone.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Is she crazy? Doesn’t she realize how much I want her? The blanket is covering my erection, or she’d see how badly I want to continue. My dick strains against the thin cotton of my briefs, and I grimace. This set of blue balls is going to be a bitch.

But this is about more than sex. The furious pounding of my pulse speaks of our deeper connection, and she must feel that. If not, I’ll keep proving myself until she finds me worthy. Lord knows I have plenty of shortcomings.

I rake through my messy hair and exhale heavily. I’m still teetering on edge and swallow a ball of fiery lust. When I glance over at Addison, she’s ogling my bare torso with her tongue peeking out. That’s definitely not helping. “We should’ve done this sooner. Why’d we wait so long?” I ask the question still circling my mind. I run a finger from her temple to jaw, tracing an especially straight line of freckles.

Addison leans into my waiting palm. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Her question is one I’ve been expecting. I’ve been secretly pining over this woman for years, yet never made a real move. I ruined the few chances she gave me by second-guessing everything. “Other than my lack of experience?”

She huffs. “I could care less about that. Why’d you ghost me for so long? I thought we had a connection.”

I scratch over my rough stubble. “Fuck, Adds. It was never my intention to make you feel otherwise. That’s just one more example of how I fail. I’m a shameful embarrassment.”

Addison props up straighter. “Definitely not, Rooks. Don’t talk about yourself like that. We all make mistakes. Just wish I’d known why.”

“Considering my background, I was clueless. How could I ever gain your interest? I collected countless pick-up lines that would make Ricco Suave jealous. But when it came to actually using them, I’d turn into a stammering idiot.”

She raises a brow. “Lay it on me, Rooks.”

My dick twitches at that name, just when shit was starting to relax. But I get a little hard whenever she calls me that. Lying in bed with her? Dynamite detonation. I clear my throat and attempt to rein the arousal in.

“How you doin’?” I drawl in my best attempt at a New York accent.

She giggles. “More.”

I tug on her sweats. “Are these pants made of Windex? Because I can see myself in them.”

Addison wrinkles her button nose. “So bad. I want another.”

I dig into the recesses of my mind, searching for the perfect one. “Are you a server?” She nods eagerly. I lower my head and whisper in her ear, “Can I come in your section?”

She shivers and grips my bicep. “That’s a good one.”

“Would it have worked?”

“Absolutely,” she purrs.

I follow my gut and kiss her, just a soft peck. Addison sighs against my mouth, and her hold on me tightens. I pull back after a few beats, not wanting to push my luck.

“That makes me a bigger fool than I thought,” I murmur and nip at her bottom lip. “I figured the odds of you liking me were very low. You’re so far out of my league, Adds. Guys fall over themselves for your attention, me included.”

She’s quiet for a minute. “Remember Holi-Daze last year?”

I think back to the rowdy crowd and waiting for Addison to notice me. More than that, I recall the assholes giving her a hard time. “What about it?” I grumble.

Her smile holds a secret. “Something clicked for me that night. After you got rid of those douchebags harassing me, I took a long look at my savior. How’d I miss you before? I had this epiphany, or something super weird. Then we went to the racetrack and out dancing. I figured you felt the same way. But you didn’t call me.” Her voice is unsure, and it drives a sharp blade into my chest.

After Addison gave me her number, I couldn’t dig up the courage to text. Each time I was about to push send, something would stop me. I’m done being the incompetent ass. But fuck, old habits die hard. My Oaklain roots are thick and gnarly. Try as I might, they’re almost impossible to destroy completely. Bile bubbles up my esophagus returning to that place.

She strokes down my arm. “You okay? We can talk about this later. There’s already been a lot of... unexpected events.”

I grunt, lacing her fingers through mine. “I was treated like a sinner for wanting certain things. I often dreamed of a life outside the compound. I craved unspeakable acts, was cursed with an insatiable sexual appetite. If I ever told my mother what fantasies plagued me, she would have locked me in the basement.”

Her eyes blow wide open. “Really?”

I chuckle at her expression, but my stomach clenches at the truth. “Eh, maybe? I didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

“Thank goodness for that,” she mumbles.

I squeeze her hand. “Garden Grove is a whole new world. I had no idea what to expect, but this place is straight out of a fairytale for a guy like me. And meeting you? The prettiest lass in all the land? It all makes sense because of you.”

Addison’s cheeks turn a beautiful shade of red, and my palm tingles to touch the blush. “You make me feel like a supermodel or something.”

I scoff. “They all pale in comparison.”

Her toes dance up my shin. “You do have all the right lines.”

I press gentle kisses to each of her red fingernails. “I love how you tempt me. It’s extremely gratifying to find the source of my madness. I was taught to turn away from perversion, block out all vices that weren’t holy and pure. You’re my deepest, most sinful desire. The feelings you evoke within me are far from redeemable. My craving for you is unforgivable, but I don’t give a damn anymore.”

“That’s kinda... romantic, in a slightly twisted way.” Her tone is too hesitant for me.

“You’re my sweet corruption, Adds. There’s no doubting my feelings for you.”

“You’re making me sound a little devious. I don’t wanna be a bad influence.” She scoots away, encouraging a game of cat and mouse. I’ll definitely chase.

I shake my head, immediately following her. I cinch an arm around Addison’s waist and pull her into me. My throat is dry when I gulp in her apple spice. “You’re delivering only good. Not sure you’re capable of the alternative. At least not for me,” I murmur into the crook of her neck. “Fuck, am I screwing this up?”

Addison won’t look at me, but I can tell she’s blushing something fierce. “Does this make me your harlot?”

“Do you want to be?”

She bites her lip. “Maybe.”

I wrap her tighter in my embrace, providing no means of escape. I kiss the soft spot behind her ear and she trembles. “Don’t you see? I was nothing before you. I literally had no purpose until I stumbled into Dagos. You’re the greatest thing to ever happen. You give meaning to my life.”

She lifts her chin, that green gaze blazing hot into mine. “Do you really mean that?”

I nod against her. “I used to imagine my other half, the possibility of what was waiting for me in this existence. But I didn’t dare believe reality and fantasy could be the same. I was always looking for something, or maybe someone. I couldn’t be satisfied. Now? I’m well aware of who I want. I picture her in every scene, fantasize explicit things. I want one girl. There’s only one who can break those chains from my past.”

Addison’s signature grin is firmly set, and I exhale slowly at the brilliant sight.

“Jeez, Rooks. You’re turning into quite the charmer. How will I ever resist you?”

I place a gentle kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Easy—you don’t.”