Page 42 of Lunar Crest University

“Do you?” I counter softly.

His jaw clenches, and so do my thighs.

“No, Finley.” He cleans his face with a napkin before his fingers find my waist in a mere second, sliding underneath the fabric of my shirt. Clenching it into a fist, he pulls me closer. I scoot toward him with a squeak. “I’m not hungry for pizza.”

“N-no?” My throat bobs as I swallow.

Tugging me into his lap, Luca brushes my collarbone as his eyes watch his movements with heavy lids. I jolt as he caresses my skin, trying ineptly hard not to clench my thighs around his waist in the process. His finger trails down my chest just before he peeks up at me.

He shakes his head.

“I think I’m ready for dessert.”

Chapter Seventeen

FINLEY

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14TH, 2023

Luca’s hands rest on my thighs, and his fingers squeeze them as he leans forward to smash his lips onto mine. The flutter between my legs ripples in a syncopated rhythm with the beat of my heart. I see stars behind my eyelids as I struggle to keep up with his movements, and surely, it’s because there’s no oxygen making its way to my brain. It’s like I forgot how to breathe. His lips steal every bit of air I have left in my lungs as he kisses me fervently.

His palms are warm, even through the fabric of my yoga pants, as they slide up my legs and find my hips. I jump from the feathery touch of his fingertips against my waistline, and I can’t help but wrap my arms around his neck to pull him in further. There is no space between us, but it’s still not close enough. My hands knot in his hair, and a low groan vibrates in his throat.

The sound lights a fire in my belly. I’ve never been with a vocal man before, but even if I had, nothing could compare to the deep noise that rumbles through him as I roll my hips on his lap. His fingers dig into my skin, gripping my waist as hebites at my bottom lip with a growl. The sharp nip of his teeth pulls a raspy moan from my mouth, but it’s quickly muffled as he kisses me again. His hands wrap around me, shoving into the waistband of my pants before grabbing handfuls of my ass. I gasp as he pulls me against him once more, and my pussy clenches from the friction.

“Fuck,” he pants, and his breath fans across my neck.

As I feel him growing hard underneath me, I picture him peeling my clothes off, touching me where I ache, kissing parts of my body that have never been kissed, and then, the realization dawns on me.

I didn’t shave.

My legs are prickly, and his hands are in my pants. This insanely gorgeous man is mere inches from my hairy legs, and my confidence shatters into tiny little pieces.

“Wait,” I squeak, and I feel like such an idiot at how small my voice seems.

Luca immediately pulls back, his brow furrowing deeply as his dark eyes search mine. Removing his hands from my pants, they find my sides as he holds me cautiously, like he’s scared I’ll break. His mouth parts as his chest rises and falls shakily.

“What is it, Finley?” he whispers. “Did I do something?”

My heart skips at how concerned he sounds.

“No.” I caress his cheekbones with my thumbs. “It’s not you. I just…I forgot to shave.”

The words fumble from my lips as I hang my head a bit, but my hands stay cupping his cheeks. My body instinctively wants to shrivel up from the humiliation that lashes at every part of me. It’s almost blinding as my mind wanders to anxious places, but his hands, grasping my wrists, snap me out of it.

“Look at me.”

And I do. Lifting my head, I give him a sheepish smile.

“Talk to me.” Luca tugs my hands from his face as he places them against his chest. His heart thumps steadily.

A weak laugh escapes me. “This is embarrassing. I don’t know. I didn’t think guys liked stuff like that, and I don’t want to gross you out. I guess I was too busy trying to decide on what to cook us for dinner, and it slipped my mind.”

“I thought you didn’t cook for me?” His lips twitch.

I shove him playfully as I scoff. “Luca. I’m being serious. It’s humiliating enough for me as it is.”

He pulls my hands up until they’re around his neck, making me lean forward as his lips connect with my collarbone. I sigh softly at the sensation, my eyes fluttering as he pecks me once. Twice. A third time.

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