Page 37 of Make Your Move

“Fuck it,” he murmurs as his mouth crashes into mine again.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

LINCOLN

Her lips move against mine, and I revel in the way she feels. Bending my knees, I lower myself closer to her height as I slide my hands down to the backs of her thighs. Gripping her flesh, I hoist her into the air, our mouths never breaking apart as I lift her into my arms. Her breath escapes her in a rush, and she holds on to the tops of my shoulders.

My brain takes two seconds to decide where I’m going to take her. As much as I want to carry her upstairs to my room, I don’t feel like we have time for that. The only thing I can think about is getting her naked and feeling her skin beneath my fingertips.

Nova breaks away from me, her chest heaving as she struggles to catch her breath. “What are you waiting for?”

“I need to get you upstairs,” I murmur, nipping at her bottom lip. I don’t want her to feel like she’s some kind of a cheap date that I’m just going to fuck wherever I can. Nova Simmons is so much more than that.

Hell, at this point, I don’t even care if we fuck. All I want is to feel her close, even if my dick is harder than a fucking rock in my pants.

Nova shakes her head at me. “The living room is closer.”

“Are you sure?” I ask her, my voice soft as I stare back at her.

“Stop overthinking things, Lincoln,” she breathes, pressing her lips to mine once more. She kisses me deeply, her tongue dancing with mine before she pulls away. She kisses the side of my mouth. “Take me into the living room.”

My feet start moving before I have the chance for my brain to catch up. I walk into the room, carrying her in my arms, and I spin around when I reach the couch. Bending my knees, I lower myself down until I’m sitting, and she’s straddling my lap. She feels perfect, like this is exactly where she belongs. Her thighs are on either side of mine, and she lifts herself, looking down at me for a moment.

“Why do you have to be so perfect?”

I tilt my head to the side. “I’m not.”

Nova lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head. “But you are.” She stares at me for another second before her lips find mine. It’s like two atoms crashing into one another. Any inhibitions we may have had immediately dissolve, and it quickly becomes a rush to get each other undressed.

I always imagined the first time with her would be soft and slow. Gentle and tender. I want nothing more than to taste every inch of her skin and sink deep inside of her. I want to take my time, savoring every moment with her as if it may be my last.

It’s too bad things never work out as planned.

My hands slide underneath Nova’s dress. My fingers trail up her thighs, slowly taking my time until I’m moving over her hips and pushing the material away from her stomach. Her skin is soft like silk beneath my palms. She breaks away from me, grabbing the bottom hem as she pulls it back down. A pink tint drifts across her cheeks, and she drops her gaze down to my chest. “I—um—my body isn’t what it used to be.”

I stare at her for a moment, not fully understanding what she means until I feel the small ridges beneath my fingertips. “Nova, look at me.” She lifts her eyes back to mine as I feel the scarsetched in her skin. “We aren’t teenagers anymore. I wouldn’t expect your body to look the same, and regardless of how you may think it looks, I think you’re beautiful.”

Nova’s nostrils flare and conflict washes over her eyes before she lets out a sigh. I watch her slender throat move as she swallows and reaches for the bottom of her dress. She slowly lifts it up, stripping it away from her body until she’s just in her underwear and bra on my lap. My hands are still on her stomach, and they trail across her skin, touching her as I look at her.

Around her belly button are a few silver-colored marks. They aren’t deep, and they aren’t noticeable, but I can feel the indentation on her skin. My fingertips are feather-like as I trace them. My gaze drifts back up to hers, and she’s watching me with a burning intensity.

“They’re not pretty,” she says quietly as she rolls her throat once more. “I know there’s so much sentiment behind them. I grew a baby in my stomach, so it’s expected. But sometimes I look at them, and I just feel gross.”

Flattening my fingers and my palms against her flesh, I shake my head at her. “I want you to listen to me very carefully,” I start as I begin to trail my hands farther up her body. “These don’t change a single thing about you. You’re fucking breathtaking. You’re fucking sexy as hell. You’re one of the smartest and funniest people I’ve ever met.” I pause for a moment, wrapping my hand around the back of her neck as I bring her face down to mine. “You are the most amazing person I’ve ever met—inside and out.”

Her lips part, a shallow breath escaping her as her eyes search mine. They grow damp, and her nostrils flare as she rolls her lips between her teeth. “Thank you for that.”

“Don’t thank me,” I tell her as I grab her hips and flip her over to the side, rolling her onto her back. “Let me thank you.”

Her hair fans out across the couch, creating a halo effect as I lift away from her and pull my shirt off. Her eyes travel along the planes of my abdomen and chest before looking at my eyes again. “For what?”

I shrug, a smirk pulling on my lips as I unbutton my pants and push them down my thighs, letting them fall to the floor until we’re both in our underwear. “For everything.”

Her eyes are filled with emotion, but it’s drowned out by the fires burning in her irises. She lifts her body, reaching for me as she pulls me to her. “Stop talking and kiss me, Lincoln.”

“Ask and you shall receive,” I murmur as my mouth crashes into hers once more. I lower myself in between her legs, my cock pressing against her through the material of our underwear as she slides her tongue along the seam of my lips. I part them, deepening the kiss as we melt together. Our mouths are fused, our tongues tangled, and goddamn—she’s in every crevice of my brain.

I’m wrapped up in her, my hands roaming along her body as she breathes me in. She drains the oxygen from my lungs, and I let her. She could have my last breath, and I’d die happy. My hands slip around her back, unclasping her bra before I pull it away from her body. One at a time, we strip down until we’re both completely naked.

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