Page 66 of Incipient

No matter how many times we had made our way up this mountain, we had always stopped just before we reached the peak, but this time, come hell or high water, I was determined to fly.

Sliding my hands between us, I unbuttoned my white blouse as he continued to kiss me, each touch of his lips more tender and softer than the last. He’d slowed the pace down considerably, as though he wanted to savor every second of this moment, make it last, but it only made my heart race faster and my need for him deepen.

Without breaking off the kiss, he moved his hand from my hair to my breast, running his fingers over the satin fabric of my bra and then down the middle of my abdomen, his feather soft touch sending a wave of tantalizing goosebumps all over my body. I whimpered against his mouth as he gingerly continued further down, stopping only when he reached the hem of my pleaded skirt. With the least amount of effort, he pulled the button loose causing my wraparound skirt to slide off my hips and fall to the bed on either side of me.

A deep, feral need gathered in the pit of my belly as he teasingly brushed his fingertips against my underwear like a promise of what was to come, and then pulled away from me.

Biting down the urge to cry out in protest, I watched as he sat back on his legs and looked down at me. His eyes ravishing my body like it was the road to his salvation. Wetting his lips, he loosened his tie and then slowly unbuttoned his own shirt before tossing both garments to the floor beside us. Swells of heat coasted over my skin as I took in the towering Adonis before me. Every muscle had been worked tediously and carved to absolute perfection. Every flawless edge more defined and sharper than the last.

Pushing up on my elbows, I clumsily shucked off my blouse and blazer and then whipped them somewhere across the room. He smiled, his pristine blue eyes almost glowing against his black slicked back hair and olive skin.

My body felt feverish just looking at him.

With the worst case of grabby hands ever, I reached forward and clutched the top of his pants, using them to pull him back down to me. His lips found mine easily, our tongues once again entwined as he rested his weight against my body.

Seconds turned to minutes and then I wasn’t sure how much time had gone by or how long we’d been kissing. My lips felt swollen against his and my body was pulsating for more. More of him. More of this. More of everything.

“Take them off,” I hissed as I tugged at the waist band of his pants, my voice filled with so much raw need that I barely recognized it as my own.

He pulled back just enough to look me in my eyes. “Are you sure?”

I didn’t hesitate when I answered, “I’m sure.” I was so beyond sure, I needed a new word for it.

His eyes dropped to my mouth as he slowly wet his bottom lip and then reached over to the nightstand. Without venturing to far, he pushed the play button on his iPod deck and then slid the top drawer open. Low tempo music filled the room as he fumbled in the drawer and then pulled out something that sounded like a candy wrapper.

Uh, that can’t be right. This was hardly the time for candy. Or was it…?

Curious, I rolled my head to the side to get a better look and noticed he had taken out a condom, and suddenly my heartbeat was firing off in my ears. Even though I wasn’t a virgin anymore, Dominic and I had never used condoms for the simple fact that Revenants couldn’t reproduce, nor did they get sick or transmit human infections.

It always felt very consequent-free with him, almost as though we were just practicing and not actually playing for keeps. This, though,thisfelt like the real deal.

“We can stop if you want to,” said Trace, obviously having heard my inner plight.

We could, and I knew that. Trace would understand and he’d be the gentleman he always was if I asked him to slow it down and keep it at second base, or even to stop completely and go back to school like nothing happened at all.

I knew that, but…

“I don’t…want to stop,” I whispered, my cheeks blushing as I looked up and met his eyes.

With his chest rising and falling steadily, he lowered himself back onto me and then brushed his thumb against my cheek as though he wanted to trace the color that had appeared there.

“I don’t want to stop either,” he crooned, his pointed gaze sliding from my rosy cheek to my eyes.

Reaching up, I took his face in my hands and pulled his mouth back down to mine as everything around us blurred out of focus and then out of existence altogether. It was just me and Trace and this bed and this moment, and it was exactly the way I wanted it to be. No inner voice. No outside distractions. No hesitations.

Closing his hands around my waist, he sank his shoulder into the mattress and then rolled over, flipping me over so that I was laying on top of him. A rush of air and excitement left my body, but Trace never missed a beat. His lips continued to move against mine as he slid one hand behind my back and unfastened my bra.

My stomach tightened with anticipation as he flattened his other hand against my collarbone and gently pushed me backward so that I was sitting on his hips with my legs straddling his waist. With his eyes all over my body, he slowly dragged my bra down the length of my arms and then tossed it aside.

The chilled air swept over my exposed skin, though I barely felt it through the feverish haze I was in as I watched him drink me in with loving eyes.

“You’re fucking gorgeous,” he murmured as he lifted himself into a sitting position and circled his arms around my waist, pressing me closer. “You literally take my breath away, Jemma.”

My bare chest pressed against his as I tightened my hold on him. “You know you don’t need to woo me anymore, right?” I said and then cracked a teasing smile. “You already got the green light.”

His left dimple deepened as his lips curled up on one side. “I plan on wooing you for the rest of my life,” he said as he brought his hand up and then brushed a vagrant strand of hair away from my eyes. His gaze danced across my face, studying me, committing every feature to memory. It made my heart feel full, like it couldn’t possibly hold another ounce of anything without spilling over profusely.

Cupping the nape of my neck, he drew my mouth down to his and kissed me unhurriedly, as though we had all the time in the world to worship each other. His tongue brushed against mine, gentle and slow, tasting my mouth as though it were a delicacy that deserved to be savored. I never knew kissing could feel that good—or be that intimate.

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