Page 72 of The Art of You

“It’s me,” I cried as he blinked a few times, then finally set his eyes on me.

“Bella?” My name came out like it’d pained him to say it. He didn’t move, just remained staring at me.

I brought my hands down along his arms and over the flexed, rigid muscles. “It’s okay,” I said softly. “You’re okay.”

He angled his head, brows slowly knitting as he finally pieced together where he was and why. “We slept?”

“Passed out pretty fast actually.” We really did just need each other. No sex. Just warmth and safety. “I kept my promise. I behaved.”

“Did I make a promise?” That deep morning voice. Holy hell.

I swallowed. “No.”

He kept himself over me but dipped his chin, dropping his gaze between us. When he slowly rolled his hips forward, and I felt his hard length press against me, I forgot all about his bad dream. And I was pretty sure that nightmare was long gone for him, too.

His briefs weren’t the best barrier. Nor my silk PJ pants. Because as he nudged himself between my legs, it felt like we were naked, and I could truly feel him.

Palms to his slightly damp chest, I felt his heart race wildly beneath my touch. He moved his hips again, forward and back.

I wasn’t sure how he was keeping himself in this position with his beat-up arm, but I also couldn’t focus on much more than the friction he was creating with his movements. Hitting me in the perfect spot with each thrust. Missionary sex without the sex, but . ..

The next time he rubbed his cock against my silk-covered center, I shivered. He must’ve thought I was cold, because he reached back and pulled the covers over us.

Sheltered in place beneath this man, his hips kept a steady rhythm on top of me, moving as if he were inside of me instead.

“Unbutton your top. I want to see your tits.”

The rough order sent my fingers flying from his body to mine. I fumbled with the buttons, and with the heavy weight of his cock resting against me, my breath hitched with anticipation. It was quite possible he was going to get me off without ever physically touching my skin.

The second my buttons were free and the top was open, he pushed upright a bit and briefly shifted the comforter to the side so he could better see me.

He licked his lips, eyes pinned to my breasts. “Perfect. So fucking perfect.” He moved to his forearms, bringing the comforter back over us as his chest met my heated body. His hard muscles to my soft skin. And then he did what I hoped. He slammed his mouth over mine.

I worked my arms outside the cage of his position so I could touch him. We were both bruised and still injured, so I wanted to be gentle, but it was hard to restrain from running my hands all over him. To his back muscles. Rigid abs. Broad shoulders. Tight triceps.

My hand wandered beneath his briefs next, and he went still the second I wrapped my hand around his shaft. I swept the pad of my thumb over his crown, catching his precum.

“What are we doing?” I asked between kisses.

“Acting like teenagers.” He licked my lips open, commanding control and owning my mouth the way he already owned my body. “Being reckless.”

Reckless just became my favorite word if it meant having our limbs tangled together and his tongue in my mouth.

It was also too hard to jerk him off from this angle, and since he wouldn’t free me from the prison of his arms, I wasn’t sure how to make it work.

“You’re not going anywhere until you come, sweetheart,” he ordered between kisses. “So move your hand so you can rub that pussy against my cock. Just keep your panties on so I don’t wind up inside you.”

“Oh, but wouldn’t that be a happy accident? You pushing your cock inside me instead of just playing pretend.”

“Want me to stop this, miss?”

His threat was empty; he knew I’d never say yes to that.

I’d take dry humping over nothing every day that started with T. You know, today and tomorrow. And there was always one of those.

“Right now this is the only way I can . . .”

His cliffhanger hurt my heart. It scared me he still wasn’t quite on board despite the overwhelming evidence there was “more” between us.

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