Page 104 of Unleashing Chaos

When she’s captured several snowflakes, she closes her mouth, and her lips form a playful smile. I’d sell my soul to her father just to relive that again.

“Are you ready to go inside?” I ask, tilting my chin at the tent.

She squats down so she can crawl through the tent flap, and I follow. Her round ass shimmies as she moves toward the pile of pillows stacked on a faux fur blanket. Unable to help myself, I slap it as she goes. “Hurry up, sloth queen. It’s cold out here.”

Desi squeals and kicks at me as she turns around to settle into one of the two large pillows I bought for us to sit on. “Hey! I’ll levitate your ass right out of here!” she says, but she’s laughing even as she crosses her arms over her chest.

I tie back the flaps of the tent before setting to work with the bag of camping goodies I got for the occasion. She watches me intently as I pull out two metal skewers and a bag of big, fluffy marshmallows. I stab one onto the end of the stick and hand it to her.

“Have you ever made s’mores before?” I ask.

She twists the skewer and stares at the marshmallow, clearly unsure about what to do. “No,” she drawls.

I prepare a graham cracker and a slab of chocolate before moving in behind her and scooting us to the edge of the entrance. Extending her arm until the fluffy sugar-filled treat hovers over the fire, I say, “You’re going to roast it. Just hold it right above the flames and turn it.”

She follows my directions, holding the marshmallow a little too high above the fire. With her focus straight ahead, I drop my lips to her neck and leave a trail of kisses. She is so warm and soft. I could easily spend the rest of the night holding her like this.

“Oh. Oh! Jace, it’s on fire!”

Desi swings her flaming marshmallow in front of us, trying to put it out. I grab her wrist and bring the skewer close enough for me to blow it out. She sighs while staring at the burned ball of goo at the end.

I laugh and pluck the marshmallow off the stick and pop it into my mouth, humming as the crispy outside gives way to the warm, soft center. “You had one job, Desideria.”

“You distracted me,” she says.

I set her up to try again. “It’s not my fault that you’re irresistible.”

“You’re pretty irresistible yourself, sir.” She takes the skewer from me, and this time, even when I slide my arms around her waist, she keeps her eyes on the fire, rotating the marshmallow and keeping it out of the flames. And when I press my lips to the back of her neck and run my fingertips up and down her spine, she squirms against me and says, “Ya know, you didn’t really think this through. We’re sort of out here in the open and you’re over here turning me on. Now what are we going to do?”

I nip at her earlobe and say, “I thought this through. Don’t you think we could have just sat by the fire and done this? The tent does have a purpose. I have every intention of fucking you if that’s what you want.”

My hand at her waist moves to her thigh, my fingers brushing dangerously close to her center.

She yanks the skewer out of the fire and pulls the marshmallow off, setting it on the plate with the chocolate and graham cracker before spinning to face me. “It’s only a tent, Wilder. You know I like to get loud.”

I brush away a wild curl that falls over her eye. “Looks like I’m not the only one who put thought into this. I guess you’re going to have to keep quiet for me, little hurricane.” I take her hand and bring her sticky fingers to my mouth. One by one, I suck them clean while she makes the sweetest sounds. “Can you be quiet for me, Desideria?”

She whimpers and gives me a slow nod, her heavily lidded eyes traveling my body, sending a shiver up and down my spine. “Yes,” she breathes as I take the last finger from my mouth.

I pull her to me and my lips meet hers in a searing kiss. Tracing the seam of her mouth, I coax her to open for me. There’s no holding back as I’m consumed by the taste of her. She is the warmth of a lazy summer afternoon laced with addicting sweet spice. I can’t get enough.

She groans into the kiss as I lay her back and rest my body between her legs. Every curve of her fits perfectly against me. I love the soft give of her stomach and the way her legs wrap around my hips. No other woman will come close to doing what she does to me.

We separate for air, and I kiss the tip of her nose. She stares up at me with long lashes framing her emerald-green eyes. I’m going to miss getting lost in her gaze.

“What?” she asks, her voice raspy with need. “What is it?”

I dip my head, planting kisses down her jawline and on her neck as I struggle with the truth. It’s been a long time since I’ve accepted an absolute about a woman who wasn’t just a friend. I’ve built high, impenetrable walls, guarding every possible way that someone could sneak past them. Desideria has slipped through them all and unleashed the most exquisite chaos inside of me.

My mouth drifts back up to her ear, and I freely give her a truth that rips me open from the inside. “No other woman will ever compare to you. Your humor, your compassion, your loyalty, your beauty, it isn’t possible. No one will ever be as stunning as you.”

Her brow furrows in disbelief. “Come on, Jace. There are plenty—”

I rest a finger against her lips. Running my hand down the curve of her waist, I say, “This body? These wild curls? All of that is unmatched, yes. But your beauty radiates from in here,” I say, flattening a palm against her sternum. “Your heart and soul lured me in. They gave me a safe place to open myself up even if it was only a fraction. Those who know me would say it’s impossible for a woman to get through my defenses, and they’d be right. But you aren’t just a woman are you, little hurricane?”

She bites her lip, and it sends a stabbing pain through me to see her fighting tears and a smile at the same time. “No, I’m not. And that’s part of the problem. I came here with the intention of finding a human who would keep me on my toes, keep me tame. I felt like I was too chaotic, too much, and that I would never find someone whose energy complemented mine. And here you are, encouraging me to let go, be myself, embrace the chaos within even though it’s not always comfortable for you. And sometimes, you even join me.”

She places her palm on my cheek and runs her thumb over my bottom lip. “Which I know isn’t easy. Jace, you’ve taught me what it means to truly live, and I wish more than anything that I didn’t have to say goodbye to you, that I could stay here, in this tent with you, forever. Because I would. I’d give it all up, just to stay in your arms.”

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