Page 46 of The Thought of You

The paintings and patterned wallpaper are all a blur as we get farther away from the party, the music and chatter fading. In a flash of deep auburn curls and ocean-blue fabric, we disappear into a room. She grabs a fistful of my jacket and yanks me to the side in order to shut the door behind us.

Rays of gold and pink cascade over the bed through the window, and a shadow from the tree outside hides the rest of the room. The wallpaper is colorful and dizzying, with random shapes and what appear to be flowers. I don’t think it’d help to turn the light on. I can already tell that the pattern is just too busy to absorb.

My eyes land on Addie. She slowly turns to face me and leans her back against the closed door. What’s left of the sun catches the glint in her eyes and the sheen of her dress.

She’s glowing like I’ve never seen her glow before.

I’m fucking captivated. I’m so lost in this trance that I almost don’t catch her when she leaps into my arms.

Addie’s mouth crashes into mine in a frenzied kiss, stumbling to take root like an anchor in the sea scrambling for enough ground to sink into.

I steady her in my arms, wrapping them around her waist until she’s flush against me, my mouth slanted over hers as we melt into our own rhythm.

She tastes of champagne and mint, with a hint of something sweet. What fruit is that?

I open my mouth wider and delve my tongue deeper, determined to drink her in and identify what fruit lingers on her tongue.

I capture her moan, which echoes all the way down my body. The breathy, lust-filled sound travels down my bloodstream like a passenger, shooting straight south until my pants tighten.

“You…” she pants against my mouth and arches into me until her breasts nearly spill out of her sinful dress. “You are such a great kisser.”

The hint of surprise isn’t lost on me. Even so, pride soars across my stomach.

The room further dims as the sun reaches the end of its journey for the day, and we continue kissing, completely cloaked in darkness.

I’m kissing Addie Lockhart, and I never want to stop.

It’s natural. It’s right. It’s… everything.

A loaded feeling of chaotic puzzle pieces finally falling into place worms its way into my fucking chest. Each burst of energy she elicits with every swipe of her tongue, every whimper and squeeze of her fingers over my arms, brings with it this question—why haven’t we spent our whole lives kissing?

The change in the tides between us is almost too overwhelming.

I drag my lips away and finally decide the taste currently dancing in my mouth is strawberry. She tastes of strawberry and mint, like she just enjoyed a mojito.

I press my forehead to hers and inhale, attempting to catch my damn breath. “I’ve wanted to do this for a while,” I confess.

Her gulp bounces off the walls. “What’s ‘a while’?”

With the tip of my thumb and forefinger, I tip her chin upward until her blue eyes meet mine. They sparkle under the moonlight as if she holds the stars in them. “Longer than I thought,” I whisper.

I guide her back to me, and I fuse my mouth to hers again.

Addie’s hands slide from my arms up to my neck until she threads her fingers over my head, tugging on my hair and massaging my scalp. It drives me fucking crazy, and my dick is officially in pain.

“God, Addie…” I growl into her mouth as my hands slide from her hips and grip the underside of her round ass.

My thumbs skim her cheeks, and I nearly bust a nut on the spot.

I need this woman. I need her more than my heart needs its next beat.

“You’re fucking gorgeous, Lockhart,” I mutter as she nips on my bottom lip, her sighs and whimpers of satisfaction knotting my nerves into disarray.

“Addie, I…” I swallow around the lump in my throat as she drags her nails along my head before she cups her dainty hand over my cheek. “Addie?” I blink.

“Mmm?” She bites her lip.

And I blink again.

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