Page 43 of Inked Obsession

“No, there’s one of those for the owner, and that’s above us. This is just mine. I’m kind of sad for your little balcony.” I giggled and, though I wasn’t drunk, I felt high onsomething. Maybe a Montgomery.

He grinned. “Hey, don’t make fun of the size of my balcony.”

I looked at him then, trying to keep a smile on my face, and then burst out laughing.

“You’re ridiculous,” I said with a laugh.

“Maybe, but damn it, now I’m kind of mad that you got this room, and I didn’t.”

“Balcony envy?” I asked.

He rolled his eyes and walked towards me. I moved with him, looking over the balcony towards the darkness of the ocean, the moonlight shining on the small, cresting waves, and I just wanted to breathe it in. Of course, I was me, and I slightly tripped over a divot for the water runoff. I cursed and clung to Beckett as he kept me steady. One hand found his chest, the other wrapped around his forearm.

“Eliza,” he whispered.

“Beckett.” And then he lowered his mouth, and I couldn’t think.

Chapter 14

Beckett

Eliza tasted of wine and sweetness. I barely held back a groan.

What was I doing? This didn’t make any sense. I shouldn’t be doing this. We weren’t drunk, far from it actually, and yet I felt drunk. Not on wine, though. OnEliza. Just her mere presence did things to me.

Had it always been this way? I didn’t think so. Wouldn’t I have noticed?

Or perhaps I just needed a moment to breathe. A moment to think. A moment to be. Maybe I needed all of that. Or perhaps I was losing my mind.

I leaned down to cup her face, and her fingers dug into my chest. Not pushing me away, holding me close. I swallowed hard, knowing that this might be a mistake. I couldn’t stop. I didn’t want to stop.

I needed to, at least for a moment. And so, I pulled away and rested my forehead on hers.

“Beckett,” she breathed.

“What are we doing?” I asked.

She was silent for a moment, and I was afraid we’d made an even larger mistake than I thought at first. “I just…I need you. Can you be what I need for the night? Can I be the same for you?” Her voice was steady after that first tumble, and she sounded like the Eliza I knew. And yet…

“I don’t want to hurt you,” I whispered, my voice low.

“You’re not going to hurt me. Not if we both understand what this is.”

I laughed softly, my hands running through her hair. So soft, so amazing. “And what is that?” I asked.

She looked at me, her eyes dark, full of the same need I felt. “Just you and me. For the night.”

“I don’t want to be too much. I don’t want to take advantage.”

“I want this, Beckett. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t ask for it.”

Her eyes were clear, her intent evident. And I knew that this might be a mistake, but it was one I was willing to make. There was something here, something I couldn’t quite pull away from. I needed this. And so did she. I kissed her again, and she groaned, wrapping her arms around my waist.

“Do you think the rest of the hotel across the way can see us right now?” she whispered against me as my hands slowly slid down her hips to grip her.

“Maybe. Should we take this inside?” I asked, my voice low. Rough. “We’ll take this slow,” I whispered, “We’ll stop whenever you want to.”

“And what about you?” she asked, her hands sliding down my sides. “We can stop if you want this to end, as well.”

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