“I don’t bite,” he says in a low, husky voice.
I place the cloth against his chin gently and murmur, “Why don’t I believe that?”
His eyes crinkle but he doesn’t smile. I gently wipe the dried blood from his chin and mouth, and then I toss the cloth onto the coffee table before tearing open another packet. I gently press the swab against his lip and a fresh drop of blood rises to the surface. I stare at it, suddenly feeling like we’re too close. I can’t breathe and I struggle to gather myself as I gently reach up and swipe the drop away with my thumb.
Nate shudders and I lose all logic and responsibility. I can only see him, his eyes on me, his lips beneath my fingers. He takes a deep, ragged breath and his hand reaches over and gently glides behind my neck, pulling me so close our foreheads touch. “You’re making it so hard to stay away,” he breathes. “So fuckin’ hard.”
“I’m trying,” I whisper. “I’m trying to be the good person.”
“I’m tired of trying,” he rasps. “I don’t want to be the fucking good person anymore.”
“Nate, it’s wrong.” I gasp as he slides his nose down and over my neck.
“It might be wrong, but it feels so fuckin’ right.”
“We’re hurting her. We have to stop.”
“Is that what you really want?”
“What I want is destroying me, Nate. I can’t possibly think straight when you’re this close . . .”
“Then tell me to back off,” he whispers, staring at my lips.
“You’re putting me in a place we both know I shouldn’t be.”
“Then tell me,” he rasps, “to back off.”
I close my eyes taking a deep, shaky breath. I should tell him to back off. Everything inside me is screaming that this is wrong but I’m struggling to fight it. I don’t want to fight it, I do want to fight it—I can’t figure out which one is the biggest. All I know is Nate is changing everything I am, and I wish more than anything that it was anyone else. But it’s not—it’s him. It’s always going to be him.
“I can’t.” My voice is shaky but it’s sure.
He growls and closes the distance between us, pressing his lips softly against mine. He kisses me softly, avoiding deepening it because his lip must be so tender. Instead he moves his mouth over my cheek and then down to my neck. He kisses the soft skin there, sucking little sections of it into his mouth while his hands slide up my back, underneath my shirt.
“Nate,” I gasp, letting my head fall back.
He moves down lower, pressing kisses to my chest and then over the tender flesh of my breast that is bulging out of my top. I tremble all over and my hands slide up his arms, starting from his wrists and going right up to his bulging biceps. He tucks his hands underneath me and lifts me into his arms, carrying me into the bedroom.
He lays me down on the bed, letting his body fall over mine. His hands slide back up under my top, sliding against my skin while his lips settle over mine again. I kiss him until I can’t breathe; my entire body aches with want. He takes hold of my shirt and slowly pulls it up over my head, tossing it onto the floor beside the bed, and then he makes light work of my bra.
Now I’m exposed to him, I become fully aware of the cool air against my nipples, causing them to pebble. He stares down at them and then murmurs, “Fuckin’ perfect.” He lowers his head, capturing one hard nub in his lips and sucking. Warmth spreads through me and tingles shoot right to my sex. I make a strangled, whimpering sound as I press my hips up against his.
I feel the roughness of his jeans against my skin as he grinds against me. I close my eyes and my lips part on a moan as I spread my legs, thrusting my hips upwards. He makes a ragged, strangled sound as he leans back, taking hold of my pants and jerking them down. He tosses them aside the moment they’re free of my feet and he stares down at my body, his breathing becoming shallow.
“You are,” he breathes. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I swallow as he steps forward, running his fingertips over every part of me, causing little tingles to shoot through my body. Then his eyes drop to my sex.
“Fuck,” he growls. “You’re so fuckin’ wet for me. I can see it.”
I whimper as he reaches down, swiping his finger up the damp moisture gathering between my legs. He grips his shirt and he pulls it off quickly, throwing it onto the floor with the rest of the clothes. Then he takes his jeans and jerks them off so quickly I can only blink as he goes from dressed to naked. So beautifully naked. His body is long, muscled, and perfect.