Page 86 of Forget Me Not

“I want you,” I whisper against his lips, sliding my hands up under his shirt and over the hard ridges of his stomach. “I want you,” I repeat, waiting for the guilt to show it’s ugly head, but it doesn’t. Remarkably, I don’t feel it at all.

Reid chuckles darkly, letting me slide down his body to land on my feet. “Bed.”

My stomach bottoms out at the command. Tonight is either going to break me or glue me back together. Which, I’m not quite sure yet.

I move toward the stairs, Reid hot on my tail, before I reach the bedroom and pause, unsure what to do. So, this is where the nerves sink in? This is how cold feet cock block even the bravest of all of us.

Reid shuts the door, kicking Toast and Creamsicle out, while I start straightening the pillows on the bed like a madwoman. Cleaning seems to have become a nervous habit of mine in the last twenty-four hours.

When I asked Reid to fuck me, I wasn’t thinking about the build up to the act. Now that we’re here, I’m on edge, waiting for those sickening feelings to trickle in and make me back out.

“Nova.”

I peek back at him and he’s watching me, his eyes burning into my skin.

“Come here.”

I suck in a deep breath through my nose and slowly step toward him, toeing off my sneakers as I go. His eyes zero in on the red nail polish, then rake up my body, leaving a burning path in their wake.

I stop in front of him, looking up at him through my lashes.

“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he murmurs, almost like it hurts him. It’s hard to believe he’s a monster when he says things like that.

He places a finger under my chin and raises my face to his, pressing his lips gently against mine, tasting me. Drinking me in, he groans, capturing my bottom lip between his teeth and nipping at it like it personally wronged him.

I wrap my arms around him, sinking into the feel of him, but my mind is running rampant with every possible thought a person shouldn’t be having at a time like this. What’s the value of the U.S. dollar? What is bioscience? What is the meaning of fucking life?

“Talk to me, little bird,” he rasps against my lips.

As soon as his lips leave mine, that embarrassment is back.

“I’m sorry.”

I wish I could turn my brain off. Maybe take it out and put it in a glass of water like the elderly do with their dentures. Maybe then, I could get some fucking peace.

“You can still stop this, Nova.” Reid looks like he would burn a small village down if I did, but I can see the honesty in his eyes. If I wanted to stop, we’d stop.

“No. I’m just . . .”

“Nervous?”

“No . . .” I lie. “Yes.”

He chuckles, brushing the curls back from my face with a deep breath.

“Tell me what you need. And don’t say me.”

Damn.

“Can you . . . take away my ability to think?” I joke, though I feel like doing anything but joking, right now. Anticipation curls low in my stomach, heat winds through my core and my skin is pebbled with goosebumps. All because of the man in front of me.

“I can do that.”

“Are you magic?”

“Something like that,” he smirks. He places a finger under my chin, pulling my lips back to his. “Let me take over, little bird. You’re demons are nothing compared to me.”

I don’t have time to think before his lips press back to mine, demanding my attention and leaving no room for me to protest the burning heat gathering between my thighs. He’s doing this. He’s making me feel the desire over my nerves. Over the thoughts battering the inside of my head.

---