Page 63 of When Our Stars Aligned

“No worries at all. So, as I was about to say, there are different moves you can do depending on where the attacker puts his arms.” He slides his hands up my waist. The hem of my shirt lifts up slightly and his fingertips brush against the now exposed section of my stomach, causing a tingling sensation to flow through my body.

“So…umm…put your arms like this…” He removes his hands from my middle and I immediately feel cold without his touch. He moves my arms up slightly and pushes my back against his front. This time, not only do I feel the warmth of his body, but I sense his racing heartbeat as well.

“Are you okay?” My voice sounds breathier than expected.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” But he sounds unsure of himself. He lets go of my arms and takes a few steps back. I spin around to face him and see his chest heaving, but we haven’t done anything strenuous.

“Jax?”

“I can’t do this.” He rubs a hand over his face.

“Oh, umm, okay. I guess then I can get going,” I say, confused and disappointed. He grabs hold of my arm before I can walk back to the bedroom to grab the rest of my stuff.

“No, I mean, I can’t let you leave.” The gray of his eyes seems to swirl with a sense of desperation behind them. He shakes his head back and forth as though he’s trying to clear his mind. “Wait—that came out wrong. You are totally free to leave. It’s just I don’twantyou to leave.”

“You don’t want me to leave,” I repeat, making sure I heard right. He nods in confirmation and I take a step closer to him.

“These past few weeks with you here have been some of the best weeks of my life…even with the incidents of the nail gun and falling off the roof.” He grabs my hand and brings it up to his lips. “I don’t know what is going on between us, but tell me you feel it too.”

“I do,” I say as my heart begins to flutter. I take another step forward and place my hand on his chest. He wraps his arms around my waist and places a gentle kiss on my neck. The sensation makes me want to melt on the spot. I’ve never felt so drawn to another man the way I am with Jax.

“You make me want to become a better person,” he says into my neck with another kiss. “I wake up every morning excited for a new day because I know you will be in it.”

I want this. I want this so badly. His hands on me, his lips on me, but something holds me back. “I thought you didn’t do relationships.”

He pulls back a bit to look me in the eyes. His hand comes up to cup my face, his thumb brushing against my cheek. “This is different, Aly. I can’t change how I handled my past, but if you give me a chance, I promise I will treat you right.”

I believe him. I know he’s opening his heart to me at this very moment. I want to tell him that I know he’s being sincere, but all I can manage to say is, “Kiss me.”

He pauses, taken aback for a moment by my boldness, but presses his lips to mine. He pulls me in closer and I wrap my arms around his broad shoulders. The sensation of his body up against mine sends electric pulses throughout my entire body. I part my lips and allow him to deepen the kiss. He lets out a groan when his tongue begins to explore my mouth.

“Aly,” he says, pulling his head back for a moment and kissing a spot behind my ear that makes my knees go weak. “I will do whatever you want to do, but please tell me you want more.”

“Yes,” I shout as he lightly thrusts his hips, allowing the bulge in his shorts to press up against my stomach. “God, yes, I want this.”

With that, Jax’s lips crash against mine, and his arms reach under my thighs. I wrap my legs around him as he effortlessly lifts me up. Without breaking the kiss, he carries me towards his bedroom. He places me gently down on the bed and reaches for the hem of my shirt. I lift my arms up so he can easily pull it off. He reaches behind my back and with a snap, my bra loosens; I quickly shrug it off.

I grab him and pull him down on top of me, needing to feel his bare chest against mine. He lets out a groan as our bodies press so tightly together, but there’s still some fabric hindering us from complete vulnerability. Jax kisses a trail from my chest down towards my waist. When he reaches the top of my waistband, he looks up at me as if asking for permission.

“Yes,” I say affirmatively. I want him to know that I want this as much as he does. He hooks his fingers under my waistband and begins to pull my yoga pants off. I lift my legs to speed up the process. With my pants gone, I’m only left in my pink lacyunderwear. Jax places a kiss on the top and ever so slowly works his way down. I let out a moan when he reaches my core.

“You’re soaked through, sweetheart,” he says in a husky voice and presses his lips to my inner thighs.

“You…next,” I pant. The buildup and anticipation are more than I can handle. Jax stands and I get up on my knees to help push his shorts down.

“Not the first time you’ve done this to me,” he says with amusement in his voice as I push both his shorts and underwear down together.

“Nope.” I run my hand up the length of his rock-hard cock as soon as it springs free. He closes his eyes with a moan. “But this time is so much more fun.”

He chuckles, grabs the side of my panties, and with a flick, they fall off.

“Hey! I liked those!” I pout.

“I will buy you a dozen more of those in every color.” He moves back and I realize that for the first time, he is seeing me completely exposed. A wave of shyness comes over me, but Jax leans forward and places his hand under my chin. He lifts my face so my eyes meet his. “You are so beautiful,” he says firmly, then presses his lips against mine. He breaks away only for a moment to put on a condom but quickly hurries back.

Together, we kiss, touch, and explore. Being with Jax comes second nature. Somehow, I already know how he likes to be touched. Jax handles me gently. I’ve never been super sexual, but I could easily get addicted to how he makes my body feel. And when he pushes himself inside of me? Sheer and complete ecstasy.

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