Page 40 of Fake Out

MARISSA

The trip back to the hotel is a blur. I’m sure Charlie and I leave the bar. I’m sure we walk down the street, and we enter the hotel’s elevator.

But it’s like I’m barely conscious of the outside world. All that I know is him. His hands. His lips. His breath against my neck.

With shaking hands, I unlock the door to my hotel room. Charlie’s hands wrap around my waist from behind, and he walks me into the room, the door shutting with a bang behind us.

My heart thunders in my chest as he spins me around to face him. His eyes burn into mine, full of desire, full of promise. His hands cup my face, his thumb tracing the line of my jaw. I shiver under his touch, anticipation curling in my belly.

“I need you.” His voice is a low growl, sending a thrill down my spine. The air between us thrums with intensity.

My voice comes out barely a whisper. “Charlie…”

He responds by pressing his lips to mine once again, setting my senses ablaze. It’s the kind of kiss that leaves you breathless, makes your knees weak and your heart race.

I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, desperate to feel every inch of him against me. His hold on me tightens, a low groan escaping his lips as he deepens the kiss. We move together as if drawn by some magnetic force, a dance as old as time itself.

“Hold on,” he murmurs near my ear, his hands slipping down to lift me off my feet.

Instinctively, I wrap my legs around his waist, eliciting a satisfied growl from him. He carries me towards the bed, each step echoing like a seductive drumbeat.

He gently lowers me onto the silk sheets, our clothes becoming forgotten obstacles discarded along the way. His body covers mine, his muscles hard and rippling as he positions himself above me.

He looks down at me, his gaze full of want and something more profound that makes my heart flutter. There’s no going back now. We’ve crossed an invisible line and given into temptation.

I know this is wrong; I shouldn’t be doing it. When he looked at me that way in the bar, though, I couldn’t resist. I was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. His eyes held the promise of something more, something better.

His fingers trail down my side, igniting a path of want and need in their wake. It’s intoxicating, dizzying. His touch is like fire, searing into my skin, marking me as his.

“Are you sure?” he asks in a low voice that sends shivers down my spine. The fact that he even asks makes me want him more.

But I don’t know what question he’s asking. Am I sure about tonight? Or about what comes next?

Because that’s complicated. Way more complicated than I care to think about.

What I do know is we’re alive right now. Here. Together.

And I want him more than I think I’ve ever wanted anything in my whole life.

“Yes,” I breathe out, giving him permission to claim me fully.

With a downward flick of his lashes, he kisses me once more, drowning out the rest of the world. The only reality that exists is us — Charlie and Marissa — in this intimate moment that promises to change everything.

His lips journey down my jaw… my neck… over my shoulder and to my breast. His tongue flicks against my nipple and I gasp in pleasure, my fingers tangling in his short hair.

He looks up at me, his eyes burning with passion and possession. I feel a wild kind of desire within me, a hunger that only he can satisfy.

“Charlie,” I moan, encouraging him further. His response is a wicked grin that sends a wave of anticipation through me.

He moves with purpose, hands sliding down my waist and then up my back until his fingers are entwined in my hair. The world spins, tilts on its axis.

His mouth presses against my neck and a small gasp escapes my lips. He chuckles, deep and low. The sound reverberates through me. It’s that laugh I’d come to love — confident, charming, and oh so dangerous.

“I need you,” he murmurs against my skin.

“I need you too,” I whisper back, my voice barely audible over the thrumming of my heart.

His lips trace a path down my collarbone, lighting me up with a desire so intense it leaves me breathless.

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