Page 42 of Envy

I don’t fight him.

I don’twantto.

He lowers me onto the built-in ledge at the shallow end, the water lapping at my ribs. The cool night air brushes against my damp skin, sending a shiver through me.

His hand cups my cheek, his thumb tracing my jawline. His touch is gentle, contradicting everything I know about him.

“I’m okay now,” I whisper, though my voice betrays me.

His gaze drifts lower. My chest rises and falls rapidly, my skin flushed from the heat of the water.

“Are you?” he murmurs, his tone unreadable.

I don’t answer.

Ican’t.

Because the way he’s looking at me—studying me like I’m something fragile, somethinghis—makes my heart stutter.

I should pull away.

I should shove him back, remind him that I hate him, that I don’twantthis.

But I don’t.

Because when he leans in, slow and deliberate, I realize Idowant this.

Tofeel.

And Garret makes mefeel.He makes me want to experience life another day.

His lips brush against mine—hesitant, waiting.Testing.

I don’t stop him.

Instead, I fist my fingers into his shoulders, silently granting him permission.

A low groan rumbles from his throat as he deepens the kiss, his tongue sweeping into my mouth, claiming me with a slow, intoxicating rhythm. He tilts my head back, his hands tangling into my wet hair as he devours me, like he’s trying to drown me in something other than water.

His mouth trails lower—to my jaw, to the hollow of my throat, his breath hot against my damp skin.

“Tell me to stop,” he rasps against my collarbone.

I don’t.

Ican’t.

Instead, I whisper breathlessly, “Don’t.”

His mouth crashes against mine again, hunger igniting between us like gasoline to an open flame.

My back arches into him, my body betraying every rational thought in my head. His lips move lower, his hands mapping my body beneath the water, like he’s discovering something forbidden, something heneverplanned to want.

I was breathless. His mouth devoured me—possessive, claiming, relentless. His tongue teased, his teeth grazed, and I could do nothing but surrender. There was nothing I wanted to think about except him.

He pressed against me, his body hard, unyielding. Heat radiated between us, searing through the thin barrier of fabric.Every deliberate roll of his hips sent a delicious shudder through me, and I arched into him, seeking more, needing more.

A groan rumbled from deep in his chest, primal and raw. His lips found my neck, and then—he bit me. The sharp pleasure sent a cry tumbling from my lips.

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