“I haven’t loved him in a long time. We haven’t been a couple in a long time. It can’t be a relationship when neither person wants to be in it.”

“Oh,” I whisper.

The small lamp on the bedside table fills the room with a warm glow. It’s as if Charlotte radiates, standing in the middle of the room, and I don’t think I can fight it anymore.

“I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Okay,” she breathes. “You better not stop this time.”

Shaking my head, I smirk before finally closing the gap between us. My lips firmly press against hers. Her body relaxes against mine as I wrap my arm around her back and press my bruised hand against her cheek. She tilts her head back, allowing me to leave a trail of kisses along the soft skin of her neck. She moans and drapes her arms over my shoulders, wrapping her arms around my neck and digging her fingers in my hair. My skin tingles and ignites as her fingers grate against my scalp.

I begin walking us backward, blindly leading us to the bed.

“Ow!” Charlotte squeals.

I pull away from her, but keep my hands resting on her waist when she brings her hand to her back, massaging it with her fingers.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?” I hadn’t realized it, but I had walked her backward, directly into the dresser.

“I’m fine,” she giggles. I smile, relieved I hadn’t hurt her. Grasping onto the fabric of my shirt, she yanks me back, bringing her lips back to mine.

I lift her up, grabbing onto the back of her thighs, wrapping her legs around my waist. I’m already hard for her as she presses her body more deeply into mine. I pin her body against the dresser for support.

Sliding her arms between our bodies, she grabs the hem of my shirt, lifting it to remove it. I move my hands from her hips to help her along, but the moment I move them and jerk my hips to keep her wrapped around me, the dresser jolts and slams against the wall.

“Sssh,” she laughs. “The guests might hear us.”

I laugh with her as she slides her legs from my waist, pulling my shirt over my head, discarding it on the floor.

“This room is so small,” I whisper in the dimly lit space.

“Come here.” She wraps her hand around the back of my neck and pulls me down to her. I grip her waist and grab the strap of her tank top, sliding it off her shoulder. Gently biting down on her skin, I feel it prickle against my teeth, then drag my tongue across her collarbone. With my fingertips, I slide the other strap off her shoulder, exposing her breasts. I feel the pressure building in my jeans by the minute and sigh in relief when Charlotte reaches forward and frees me.

I grab the top of her shorts, tightening my grip around them, standing back, far enough to look her in the eye. She’s breathing just as heavily, and I can see the desire behind the golden specks of her eyes. Her eyes are on fire—a fire burning only for me.

My grip tightens on the edge of her shorts as I quickly slide them over her hips and down her thighs.

“These shorts drive me crazy, you know that, álainn?”

“Then mission accomplished,” she smirks, stepping out of them. Without another word, she steps forward and removes my jeans.

Clicking my tongue, surprised at the woman in front of me, I give her one last smile before lifting her up again and laying her back against the bed. Her legs hanging off the edge, I bend over her, caging her with my arms. The thought of her teasing me all this time only fuels the already growing fire in me. It’s incredibly infuriating and sexy. She’s absolutely gorgeous, spread out on the bed in nothing but her creamy skin and chestnut hair.

I lean down and press my lips against her forehead, her cheek, then her other cheek. She breathes out softly, smiling.

“Do you have any condoms?”

“Shit,” I sigh, resting my head against her shoulder. “No,” I groan.

Suddenly her body shakes beneath me as I feel a giggle escape her throat.

“It’s okay, Mason. I’m on birth control,” she laughs.

“Char, don’t do that to me.” I kiss her once. “I want you so fucking bad, I don’t know what I would have done if we couldn’t do this tonight.”

Pressing her hand against the side of my face, she runs her thumb below my eye, her eyes searching my face.

“I want you, Mason.” She arches her back and whispers, “I need you. Right now.”