Page 107 of Revel
His passion speaks like a slow crescendo, his lids lowering in a heavy blink. I’m caught in a moment, unmoving, waiting for his words. And then he speaks, slowly, with that familiar southern accent he rarely reveals. “I guess that depends on you. Either I’m here to see what’s left after the fall, or I leave and you go on with your life. It’s your call, Red. It’s always been up to you.”
Never in my life have words affected me like they do now. My chin shakes, stupid happy tears surfacing. I raise my palm to his cheek, holding his eyes captive as the tips of my fingers dance over his jaw. “It’s not over.”
His shoulders are tense, his body taunt against mine as his breathing, and mine, seem forced. He lifts his head a little, just enough to see my eyes. His swallow is thick. “You tamed me and then let me back in the wild. It’s cruel really, what you put me through, taming the beast. I don’t belong there without you.” He shakes his head. “I know I’m making this about me, but it really is all about me. It’s hopeless. I thought rehab could get you out of my head too, but all that got me was sober and even more restless.” Stepping closer, our chests press together, his lips hovering over mine. His breath blows over mine when he whispers, “You’re in my blood. Every pulse and heartbeat is foryou, Red.”
I know what you’re thinking, who is this guy? It’s certainly not the Revel Slade the world knows, is it? Did he smack his head on the drum riser again? Where’s the guy who said my mouth would look better with his cock in it?
I pull back slightly to look at him. There are no bloodshot eyes, no dirty teasing smirk, only true blue and honest vows. I mean words. Ha. We’re not there yet. “For better or worse?” I tease. I used to think his eyes were cold and restless. I’m wrong. The hottest fires always burn blue.
A grin graces his lips as he wraps both arms around me. “It’ll probably be worse.”
“And there lies the fun.” Closing the distance between our lips, I kiss him. His lips are warm and soft, yet I can sense the eagerness behind them. Rising up on my tippy-toes, I fist my hands in his jacket, pulling him closer, my mouth surrendering to his. It’s not a chaste kiss. It’s one that should be done in a bedroom, but I give it everything I have to give. Everything about it seems familiar, yet new because thisisnew. We’re not trying to prove anything. We’re simply surrendering. His lips are soft, moving against mine fiercely, tongues exploring with soft moans and content sighing.
His forehead leans against mine and I let him give me his love. I let his hands roam my body, and his lips mark me. I don’t know where this is going to take us now, but just like our song, I give my heart to him, because I don’t know any other way.
I’ll tell you where it took us for the time being. Back to my hotel room. Revel breathes heavily against my lips, his body rocking against me in the most desperate way. Adjusting his weight, he peers down at me. “It’s been a long time for me,” he admits.
I knew we’d end up here and don’t care we’ve already found ourselves in bed. I just want to be alone with him. “How long?”
“Not since you. . . .”
My heart bursts with love for him. I reach up, touching the side of his face. The feel of his scruffy jaw, the need in his pleading words, I can’t help but remember how I fell for him the first time. My feelings remain the same, strong and rampant. My heart beats wildly,for him.
He swallows. His eyes dart from my lips to my hair as his palm touches my cheek softly. From the burning curiosity in his eyes, I know the question that will follow. “Has anyone. . . touched you like this?” He holds my stare, daring me to answer. He takes my hand that’s on his face and pushes it to the mattress and breathes in through his nose, waiting on my response. His body is tense, so wound tight and controlled that he’s shaky above me. Through sheer white curtains, the room glows blue right before dawn overtakes it, just the same as the eyes that hold me in place.
I don’t answer him right away. And it’s not because I don’t want to, but there’s something incredibly vulnerable about him now and I’m speechless. This man evokes reactions out of millions just by the power of his voice, and here he is, nervously awaiting to discover if another man has touched me like him. “Not since you,” I whisper, watching his eyes that used to haunt me.
My words wash over him, and he sighs. His body trembles as he fights the urge to push forward, but then he sucks in a sharp breath, using every muscle in his body not to.
His lips are on mine next, overly excited and though I know this probably isn’t going to last long for him, as he warned me before it even began.
Wrapping my hands around his neck, I pull him closer. My legs catch and tangle with his, trapping us. I kiss him like I mean it, like I’m trying to convince him of my words. I need him. Now. It’s been too long since I’ve been held like this. Using my feet, I push his jeans to his ankles, where he kicks them off.
His hands return to my hips when he enters me. The swell of him, the way he carefully handles my body, it’s almost too much. A rumble rises in his chest as he whispers, “God, Red, I can’t get enough of you.” He pants against my shoulder, shaking his head. Nudging my legs apart more with his knees, he rocks against me. My body shivers under his rough touch. I don’t want him to stop. His breathing comes harder and faster than before. Revel’s hands clamp down on my shoulders, pulling me into each forceful thrust.
Gliding his nose along my jaw, he brushes his parted lips over mine. “Is there still a place for me here?” he asks, moving his hand from my cheek to my heart.
“Always.”
He groans when my nails rake down his back, giving me all his weight as sounds of his pleasure resonate through him to me. I grip his neck, his sides, I need him this way, and I want to feel him come. It’s been so long. Time goes by slowly. He stops numerous times, trying to make it last longer, but my body is aching after an hour and I’m not sure he’s going to stop.
“Revel. . . . ,” I sigh gently, pushing against his shoulders with my palms, trying to catch my breath.
“I love you,” he whispers, kissing me once again.
“I love you, too.” When our eyes catch, he laughs lightly, his body shaking, his breathing ragged, his arms and legs shaking. Gliding his nose along my jaw, his mouth parts over mine and he growls against my lips, the rumble moving through me.
And when it’s over, we do it again, this time slower. When we do stop for room service, our hands don’t leave one another as we memorize every detail we’d missed with our time apart.
With his body spread out before me, I catch a glimpse of the ink on his stomach and bare chest. My hand moves from the mattress and travels lower over the dragon tattoo on his back and side. “What’s the dragon stand for?”
His breath increases, his nose brushing my cheek when he sits up. “I got it in South America. The guy told me it represents power and endurance,” he says, laughing lightly. “But I was high, so who fucking knows.”
I smile against his skin.
With syrup on our lips, we tangle on top of the sheets as he pins me to the mattress. He curves his finger under my chin to make me look at him. I feel bare when he looks at me like this, but also so incredibly alive.
Licking his lips, he pushes his thumb over my collarbone, then lower over my chest to my heart. “I missed being right here.”
