If she didn’t kiss Garrett immediately, she was going to spontaneously combust. His lips were slightly parted as if waiting for her—welcoming her.
She hoped she was reading him right this time. She couldn’t bear to bring him more pain. She also couldn’t bear to not touch more of him.
His stubble prickled against her hands, strong muscles tensed beneath. She didn’t dare let go. She would never let him go again. He had to understand that she was done running. This was it.
Gently, she pressed her lips against his. He wanted slow. She could do slow.
She let the feel of him soak in—his breath light on her face, the warmth of his lips and softness of his mouth. And for once, she waited for him. Waited for him to make some sign that this was okay. That it was what he wanted.
She didn’t have to wait long.
He lifted his hands to her back, running them up along her spine and over her shoulder blades, then pulled her closer. His lips started to move in a slow, sensual caress that made heat pool between her legs. When he slid his tongue into her mouth, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
No wonder the episode in the recliner had gone so wrong. She gave him a flash-fire when he was after a slow burn. The heat of his kiss spread through her body, resonating, echoing deep within her. She had never felt anything like it.
Primal energy uncoiling in waves that rolled through her instead of crashing around. His lips gripped hers, sucked and nipped. The sensation spread along her nerve endings as if they were each getting a massage.
Her muscles relaxed into him, tension dropping away even while a throbbing ache built in her core. He held her against his chest with one arm while he reached down with his other hand and pulled her thigh across his lap so she was straddling him on the edge of the bed.
A sharp spike of nerves rippled through her. Perched on the edge of the bed, she could easily fall off. But he was holding her up, keeping her safe—as always.
She pressed her hips down to feel his erection. She wanted more.
He thrust up against her, tantalizing her through the thin cotton of her panties. She was so wet. She could feel it. Aching and hollow and longing for him to fill her.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he moved his kisses down her neck and over her collarbone, making a steady trail to her breasts. He nuzzled her through the soft fabric of her T-shirt till her nipples were so tight they almost hurt.
She was very glad she hadn’t worn a bra.
He ran his nose over the point jutting toward him, then clasped his mouth around her, laving it with his tongue. She groaned low, not recognizing the sounds she was making. Her T-shirt was damp and clinging to her skin when he moved to her other breast.
No one had ever done anything like this to her before. Sex was always over quickly and then she was on to the next thing. She could tell with Garrett this was the next thing. And the next, and the next. She wasn’t sure they would ever leave his bed again.
He ran his teeth over the inner side of her breast, then trailed his nose up along her cleavage.
“Stand up.” His voice was rough—lower than usual.
At this point, she would do anything he said. She slid to her feet, standing between his knees.
His shaft was sticking out from the top of his pajama pants. Even after what they had done in the recliner, she felt like she was seeing him for the first time. Thick and glistening and ready for her.
She wanted to drop to her knees and take him again, but resisted the urge. Things would be over too fast. She wanted to keep savoring him, keep basking in this incredibly erotic experience.
“Look at me.”
Her gaze flicked to his. The intensity of his stare sent another wave of electric sparks through her. Not in little trails or isolated parts of her anatomy. Everywhere.
There was really something to be said for taking their time. Every touch was magnified, the connection more intimate. She was saturated with him. From the way his blue eyes burned, he was only getting started.
He ran his hands up her sides underneath her shirt, cupping her breasts and kneading them. She gasped as he flicked his thumbs across her nipples, the jolt of pleasure echoing in her core.
She put her hands on his broad shoulders, wanting to knock him back onto his bed, but resisting. She could have him inside her in seconds. This was torture. The most exquisite, erotic, pleasurable torture she had ever endured.
“Look at me,” he said again.
She didn’t know when her eyes had rolled shut or her head had listed against her shoulder, but she snapped herself back to attention. She didn’t want to miss a single nuance of what he was doing to her.
She shifted her weight and let out a moan. Even that small movement sent shivers up from between her legs to her breasts, intensifying the effect of his touch. With his right hand, he dusted the backs of his knuckles along her stomach. His left lovingly traced the curves of her backside before he rested his forearm firmly against it.
She wasn’t sure what he had in mind until he slid his right hand past the waistband of her panties, his wrist stretching the elastic down to give him access. His fingers raked through her curls, finding her core and sliding in effortlessly.
She had known she was ready for him, but not how ready. She could only imagine what it would feel like for him to bury himself deep inside of her, to feel her body expand to welcome his shaft.
She groaned as her body clenched around him instinctively, her grip on his shoulders tightening as well. His hands were so large he was able to press the heel of his hand against her most sensitive spot, rubbing it in slow circles while his fingers stayed buried deep.
Her knees weakened as the pleasure he had been building in her burst into a bright flame. He was already helping to hold her up, pulling her closer as he scooted to the very edge of the bed.
Her body was on fire, sparking, more alive than she had ever felt. Her nerve endings sang his praises with every languid thrust and pull of his fingers.
He brought his mouth to her breasts again, his kisses more aggressive, demanding. She lifted one knee to rest on the bed, bringing herself closer to him. She wanted him buried inside of her—as deep as he could go. She had never wanted anything or anyone with such intensity.
“Garrett, please,” she moaned. “I need you. I want you.”
“Look at me.” His voice had devolved practically to a growl.
She blinked her eyes, staring down at him as if becoming aware she was dreaming while it was still going on. His fingers kept moving, palm pressed firmly against her.
Watching his face while he was pleasuring her made it even more intimate. Her quim was already starting to pulse around him, the sensations building to a tipping point.
“Come for me.”
“I…thought we would do that together.”
“Please, Rachel. I need this.”
He increased the speed of his fingers, arcing his hand away from her so he could press his thumb against her sweet spot, gently circling it. He stared into her eyes the whole time.
She held his gaze as long as she could, letting him see how his touch affected her, hoping that sharing this intimate moment would help him believe.
She was done running. This was the life she wanted. In his arms, in his bed, in his life. She rocked her body against him, letting the sensations flow through her, push the pressure building between her legs and deep in her abdomen higher than ever before.
On a gentle breath he said, “I love you.”
Her body seemed to collapse in on itself and then explode with infinite energy. She threw her head back and screamed as the release tore through her body, a shockwave of ecstasy that left her panting and writhing in his hands.
He finally stopped thrusting, but left his fingers buried within her, his chest heaving in time with her own. She felt her body continue to clench around him, sending aftershocks rippling through her.
He pulled her closer and she draped herself across his chest. She nuzzled his ear, then ran her tongue along its edge and nibbled his earlobe. As amazing as that orgasm had been, she still wanted more. Wanted to be closer, to feel him inside her. She wanted to share the deepest intimacy with him that she could.
When she thought she could speak again, she whispered, “I love you too.”