“I mean, I could be implying that you’d be bad at it.”
“I’m not and you’redefinitelynot.” There is absolutely no way she’s not talented as all hell with her mouth. Those full lips and a tongue as clever as hers? Not a chance she doesn’t kiss like a devil.
“YouknowI’m a good kisser?”
“Call it an instinct.”
“Pshh, you don’t have any data to prove it either way. I might have to call Miranda and tell her to cancel your defense. Clearly you haven’t learned a damn thing and you should probably start the program over again from scratch. Back to Foundations of Information Science for you – maybe this time you’ll do better than a B+.”
He chuckles low and deep in his chest. “Oh, I plan on collecting some data.”
“Yeah?”
“Absolutely.” He steps closer, looking deeply into her eyes, making sure she’s aware of his every intention. “You’re sure this is what you want?”
“Yes,” she whispers, her mouth gently falling open. His gaze drops down to watch as her tongue darts out against her bottom lip.
Fuck it. Enough.
His arms snake around her waist, pulling her into his chest. She tenses for a second, but then almost immediately relaxes into him. Burying his face into her neck, he inhales deeply, thescent of her perfume still clinging to her skin as he brushes a kiss at her pulse point, making her shiver against him, their bodies colliding gently, nearly ripping a groan out of his throat. Her hands come up to brace themselves on his forearms, raising goosebumps everywhere her fingertips brush.
He wants to say something as he pulls back, but he has no idea what, no quick quip to put up against the way she’s looking up at him, eyes alight with a fire he apparently set. So he just lifts his hand up to cup her cheek, his thumb gentle against her lower lip.
She presses a small kiss to the pad of his thumb and he lets out a soft groan, but he doesn’t move, doesn’t lean in. He just waits.
He waits for her.
Because this is her call.
It’s always been her call.
Always will be.
Lifting a hand to cover his, she wraps her fingers around his wrist and uses it to help close the distance, pushing up onto the tips of her toes, her other hand mirroring his, small against the sharp cut of his jaw as she draws him down toward her.
And for a second they just stay still, breathing each other in, too close to look into each other’s eyes. He wishes he could see into hers, wishes he could know what she’s thinking right now.
He’s not sure who moves first. He thinks maybe it was her, but it could just as easily have been him. Either way, when their lips finally touch for the first time, all coherent thought flies out of his mind.
It’s only her mouth and his, the contact soft and tentative and still somehow sending a raging fire through his veins, until her fingers sift through his hair and give it a gentle tug and then he surges into her, his arms the only thing keeping her from falling as the kiss turns bruising. And then his tongue darts out againsther lower lip and her mouth opens to his, deepening the contact. A deep rumbling groan vibrates through him as she chases his tongue with hers and suddenly, without a thought, he’s lifting her up into his arms and spinning around as they pull back.
The only sound in the room is their ragged, shallow breathing.
He settles her onto the kitchen counter and their eyes meet and for the first time in a very long time, he knows exactly what he’s seeing in them.
Want.
Pure, unadulterated want.
She wants him.
Thank. Fucking. God.
She wraps her legs around his waist and tugs, crossing her ankles at the small of his back while his hands lift to her face again, brushing her soft curls away. Then he leans in and slants his mouth against hers, taking his time now, exploring her bottom lip before nipping at it gently with his teeth and then nudging it with his tongue. She follows his every cue and he takes whatever she’s willing to give, kissing her thoroughly, with as much care as he can show without giving himself away completely.
For a moment, he feels her give in to it entirely, surrendering herself to him, and he doesn’t take that lightly. He knows how tightly controlled she is, how little she depends on other people for anything and that she trusts him enough in this moment, even if it’s just a kiss. It makes the crack in his heart fracture just a little bit more.
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips and he groans, clearly about to dive in again, but she stops him with a whispered, “Wait.”
