Page 79 of Tamed By You

His jaw flexes. Clearing his throat, he goes to speak but can’t seem to form any words.

“Your sister is lucky to have you,” I say softly.

“No, I’m lucky to have her, trust me,” and I sense there is so much meaning behind that statement. I feel compelled to speak some truth, let him know I appreciate what he’s done for me, allowing me into his world.

“I’ve had the best time with you. Thank you for bringing me here.”

His eyes search mine and he moves in closer, his voice barely a whisper. “God, I’m going to miss you.” An ache forms in my belly and just as I go to speak, he presses a soft kiss to my lips. We part and I rest my head against his chest as we move with ease to the music, and I listen to the lyrics of the song I’ve never heard before.‘What could it be, this thing between you and me, but I think they call this love?’

Love, a word, a feeling I thought I was incapable of unless it extended to my friends. But true love, the kind of love that sweeps you off your feet, the kind that makes you forget time and space, forget your name and forget everything bad that ever happened to you, and that’s exactly how he makes me feel, but I know all too well, that could all be ripped from beneath me, so before I fall too far, I’ll enjoy tonight for what it is, and tomorrow we go back to what we were, because seeing this side of Harry, he doesn’t deserve to be pulled into my darkness. He deserves to live in the light.

We left the event just as the final guests were leaving. Tori and Harry’s parents stayed at the venue, but we headed back to the apartment, as I have an early flight home. Home. Suddenly, home doesn’t feel like home, and it’s a place I don’t want to be.

I kick off my shoes and toss my bag on the chair in the corner of our room. Harry shrugs off his jacket, and as I turn to unpin my hair, large muscular arms wrap around me. He buries his face in my hair and takes a deep breath.

“Let me,” he murmurs.

Not sure what he means, I go to speak, but then I feel his hands in my hair. Gently, he pulls the pins and my hair tumbles free, cascading down my back. This feels so intimate, more intimate than anything else we’ve ever done. When the last strand falls, I turn to face him.

“I need you, Ali, all of you.”

I nod, reaching for the buttons of his shirt and slowly unfastening them, my gaze never leaving his. When I reach the last one, I glide my hands over his bare chest and push his shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. I lean in, peppering soft kisses along his broad chest, kissing each tattoo. His skin pebbles under my touch as I smooth my hands down his torso, reaching for the button of his suit pants, pushing them and his briefs to the floor.

His lips find mine once again as his hands move to the zipper of my dress. I break the kiss and watch the fabric fall to the ground and pool around my feet. Next, in one smooth move, my lace panties follow, and I step out of them, as does he with hisbriefs. Tension and need swirls between us and all I want to do is get lost in him.

Tonight, he bared a part of himself to me that he’s kept buried, a part of him that lurks behind his quick wit and innuendos. Traits that indeed had me falling into bed with him, but now, seeing these parts of him makes me want to unveil my own darkness. To share the parts of me that I’ve hidden away for so long. I’ve never trusted anyone the way I trust him right now, which makes me do something I have never felt strong enough to do. I want to give the most fragile parts of myself to him.

“Take it off,” I whisper.

“What?”

“Take it off, all of it. I don’t want there to be anything between us tonight.”

He looks at me, checking I’m sure, searching my eyes for reassurance that this is indeed what I want.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to.”

“Yes, just… just be gentle with me, okay? I manage to say on a shaky breath.

“Baby, you are safe with me, I promise.”

His hands slowly drift to my back, and with one hand, he unhooks my bra strap. My body is rigid as he slowly pulls the lace fabric away from my skin, exposing me. He drops the bra to the floor and there I stand, completely bare, raw, and naked. Nothing between us. His eyes drift to my chest and I notice the moment his eyes clock the part of me I have kept hidden.

My chest heaves, anxiety starting to bubble, and I fight to push it down. I want to do this for him, for me. I want to be free of this feeling. The backs of his knuckles brush against my left breast and the small tattoo I’ve spent nearly half of my life hiding.

“You are so beautiful.” His voice is barely a whisper. He presses his lips to mine and I fall into his arms. My bare chest meets his and I melt into his touch. His warm skin soothes thethumping pain in my chest. Every stroke of his tongue, every touch of his fingertips on my skin, eases the anxiety that rushes through me. Wrapping his arms around me, he lifts me and carries me towards the bed.

He lays me down, so gently, as if I were made of glass, and hovers over me. Pressing open mouth kisses down my neck and across to my breasts, every kiss erasing my pain, erasing memories, and planting new ones. When I feel him press a feather-light kiss to my tattoo, my breathing falters, my throat thick with emotion. A lone tear falls down my cheek. His hot tongue works over my body, over parts I haven’t dared to share, and with every touch and caress, he is unknowingly healing me.

“I need you,” I pant, desperate to feel him inside me. To have that deep connection with him.

He moves up my body and nuzzles his nose with mine. “You’ve got me, baby.”

He settles in between my thighs, wrapping my leg over him. I pull him in closer as he slides on home.

Both groaning at the feeling, his lips are back on mine. He moves slowly, and it’s more than I can handle. This isn’t just sex; this is more than anything I’ve ever experienced. It’s far greater than any pleasure he’s ever given me. Every touch, every caress has me thinking that maybe I could feel something more, be something more to him than a secret hookup. Together we are chaos, the king and queen of pretense, but tonight there is no pretending. A sensation so intense pulses through me, I feel like I’m floating somewhere between euphoria and ecstasy. It’s so overwhelming, so strong I reach for something to hold on to, to steady myself, but as I do his fingers interlink with mine pinning my hands above my head as he rotates his hips, pressing his body into mine. I moan in pleasure, enjoying the way he feels on top of me.

The feeling builds, almost reaching its peak. This isn’t sex, this is, dare I say it… “H, I…” I pant, utterly breathless.

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