Page 39 of The Gamma's Second Chance

He doesn’t answer, but he continues to stare. Seconds pass, and my body heats with awareness under the smoldering intensity in his eyes and on his face, an intensity meant for me and only me. The heat burns through me, setting my blood alight with a fire of yearning. The flames lick and climb, crawling beneath my skin and urging me to give in.

Give in. Give in. Give in. The words pulse in time with my heart. The fire in my blood threatens to devour me if I don’t act on the desires awakened by this male I can’t seem to resist no matter how hard I try.

But I’m frozen in place, pinned to the floor by his eyes. Neither of us says a word, but I wet my lips as his throat bobs. His arm muscles ripple as he grips his fists tighter before rushing towards me, the intensity in his eyes deepening with every step.

And then I’m in his arms, his lips smashing down onto mine. He doesn’t pause, doesn’t wait for me to catch my breath or register his decision. His arm wraps around my waist, his fingers weave into my hair, and his mouth meets mine in a passionatekiss that fans the licking, leaping flames in my veins into a blazing inferno of desire.

The kiss is everything. It’s the moment right before the sun disappears for the night and the sky fills with stars. It’s the quiet in the early hours of the morning when the clouds are painted pink and the air is still. It’s the aftermath of a key change, when the accidentals settle and the music crests and crashes into the ending like the waves of the sea. It’s music, light, and life.

His arms hold me in an ironclad grip, and yet the way he embraces me is still tender, almost restrained. He envelops me in gentleness, cradling me to him like I’m a fragile flower, a delicate treasure. Like I need to be protected and cherished, but also as if he’s afraid I’ll bolt or disappear and leave him all alone forever.

Our lips twist and tangle, and I sigh into his mouth, relaxing further into his embrace, his arms tightening as I melt into him more and more, attempting to merge our bodies. I curl my fingers into his black shirt, as if that will anchor me, keep me from slipping further into the spiraling whirlpool we’re both already drowning in.

It doesn’t.

He nips at my lower lip, and I whimper, shuddering in his arms from the intensity of him and all that he is to me, all that I tried to prevent him from being but failed.

“Nolan…” My voice is barely a whisper as I murmur his name between kisses, tugging him closer to me by his shirt.

But his lips rip away from mine, and he stumbles back a step, unfolding me from his embrace while still keeping his hands on me, one on my hip and one on my neck, his thumb absently stroking my throat. Hazel eyes dart across my face; broad shoulders heave with every breath he takes, indecision and panic filling him with every second that passes.

“I’m sorry.” The hands I long for fly to the top of his head and scrub over his buzzed hair, his jaw ticking and clenching as he paces side to side. “I didn’t mean to… Fuck!” he grits out between his teeth, his hand almost clawing down his face to his jaw, like he’s trying to erase the last few moments between us, moments I never want either of us to forget.

He shakes his head and spins away, his feet dragging my heart across the entryway with each hurried, frantic, staggering step, steps that put way too much distance between our bodies. The front door draws nearer, his hand hovering over the knob.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” I act without thinking—because he’s apparently also dense as fuck—closing that much too large distance in two long strides. I cup his face in my hands and yank him towards me, slamming my lips against his once more.

Chapter 14

NOLAN

The last vestiges ofmy insecurities, my doubts, and my fears of once again being rejected and tossed aside vanish without a trace as Cassandra yanks me down, reaches up on her toes, and presses her lips to mine again. My hand falls from thedoorknob, and I grip her waist, wrinkling my shirt on her body with the insistent digging of my fingers into her soft, pliant body.

“You’re infuriating, you know that?” she says, her lips brushing mine. Her eyes brighten with one of her signature smiles, the smiles I’ve come to long for, the smiles I want to stick in my back pocket for when I need a pick-me-up.

“I’m infuriating?” I ask, frowning at her, my nose tracing along her cheekbone, and she nods. “How so?”

“You’re so guarded and hard to read.”

Her hand glides across my face, her eyes tracking the movements. I kiss right next to her ear, keeping her body flush with mine, not letting her drift even a fraction of an inch away from me. She feels just as good in my arms as I thought she would, her body tucked into mine and shielded from the world. She fits right under my chin, and I have to duck my head and hunch my body to kiss her and keep her close. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

“And what about you?” I ask, my lips twitching in amusement.

“Me?” she says with indignation.

“Yes, Daisy. You.” I shake my head and chuckle to myself. “You drive me up the wall.”

“Because you hate me?”

I nudge her with my nose, forcing her to tilt her face towards mine again, our mouths hovering over each other and our breath mingling. “No. Because you’re sassy and fiery and stubborn. Because you’re as wild as the daisies dancing in your scent. And because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t hate you. And now you’re all I think about. You, and your smiles, and your wildflowers.”

I lower my mouth to hers again, kissing her harder. She arches into me, molding her body to the curve of mine as I hold myself at her height to kiss her, cradling her to me with gentle possessiveness.

Just like when she matched me blow for blow during our battle of wills as unwilling roommates, she matches me kiss for kiss as I hold her to my body and give in to all the desires I’ve held back since the morning she first smiled at me in Wesley’s office. I give her everything, deepening our kiss and pushing my tongue into her willing mouth, provoking a soft sigh from her throat. My hands drift down to her hips, still squeezing and clinging to her. I dig my fingers into her ass, massaging it once before cupping it into my hands and spinning her, pinning her between the door and my body.

Our hips grind together, and I brace my hand on the door, rutting harder against her. My cock aches and strains within the confines of my clothing, twitching as I rub it against the sweet spot between her thighs, the spot I’m dying to sink my dick into, the spot I’m desperate to taste and feel and see.

I groan at that thought and slam my hips into hers, pressing all of my body against hers. I can’t get close enough to her. This explosion of lust between us is overwhelming and yet also not enough. The intensity is unmatched, and I could kick myself for pushing her away, keeping her at arm’s length while thinking it would be a terrible idea to give in to my ever-growing need for her.

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