Page 85 of Haunted

“Better once I was in here.” Pretty pink tints her cheeks at her confession. It makes me feel ten fucking feet tall, knowingI’m the reason she felt better, even if I was also the reason for her distress.

“Are you hungry?”

Her answer is a nod, then a whispered, “Yes.”

I expect her to move away, so when she lays her head back down, it surprises me. What surprises me even more, and sends raging blood to my already stiff cock, is when the tip of her finger flicks one of my nipple rings.

I hiss out a breath and her fingers stop. Closing my eyes, I will my body to calm the fuck down.

“Did… uh… it hurt when you got your nipples pierced?” she asks hesitantly.

“Yes,” I answer. “Like a bitch.”

Her breath fans against my chest when she giggles.

“Why do it then?” Her finger traces the ball on one before moving to the other and doing the same.

“Because it feels really fucking good when they’re played with.”

Her fingers stop again, and it takes her a moment, but then she lets out a breathy, “Oh.”

I smile, because I know her cheeks are probably blazing right now.

When she moves away to the pillow beside us, I lift up on an elbow and gaze down at her. Unable to help myself, I interlock our fingers together and kiss the back of her hand. Desire pools in her eyes, and the look ramps up my need. I place both of our hands beside her head.

Her amber eyes are soft with sleep, but still hold the same heat I feel running through me.

When her free hand flattens against my pecs, one of the strings around my control snaps. I keep my eyes on hers as I slowly lower my head. Her eyes are wide, but there’s no fear, so I close the distance between our mouths.

I’ve fantasized about how she would taste for weeks, but never in my wildest dreams did my imagination do it justice. Even just her lips taste heavenly. A groan rumbles from my chest. My tongue peeks out and runs along the seam of her mouth.

This is such a fucking mistake, but at the moment I don’t have the willpower to stop. The need to know what it’s like to kiss her is too great.

When she parts her lips, my tongue dives inside. My dick pulses in my briefs when her tongue hesitantly meets mine. Her fingers bite into the flesh on my shoulders.

Fuck, I could kiss her all day long and never want to stop. This woman is my addiction, my obsession, and I could so easily get lost in her and never want to find my way out.

With a will made of iron, I lift my head, not wanting to frighten or push her. Her eyes are glazed over with lust.

“You get dressed, and I’ll cook us breakfast.”

“Okay,” she says breathlessly.

As sick as it is, I wonder if she responded to Theo all those years ago the way she just responded to me. I shake my head, because it only pisses me off to think of Theo’s hands on her.

With a smile and a small peck to her nose, I climb from the bed. Her sharp intake of breath alerts me that she saw the hard-on I have going and the piercing I have on the tip of my cock. I keep my back to her and slip on a pair of sweatpants before grabbing a shirt.

She still has her watchful eyes on me as I walk out of the room. I take care of business in the bathroom, then leave. A quick look inside my bedroom as I walk by shows her still in bed. I want to go back and join her, but I barely held on to my control a few moments ago. I don’t want to test my restraint.

I put on a pot of coffee, then grab out the ingredients to make omelets. I’m at the stove, flipping the eggs, when I feel herenter the room. I set the spatula down and turn around. She’s standing just inside the doorway, her expression uncertain, but no less beautiful. She’s changed into a pair of skinny jeans and a turquoise shirt. Her hair is falling down loose around her shoulders. Her feet are bare, and they look sexy as fuck with their pale blue polish. Aria told me the other day they did their own manicures and pedicures.

I tip my chin to the bar. “Take a seat. These are almost finished.”

As she sits, I pour some coffee in a mug, doctor it the way she likes, then carry it to her. My hands itch to grab her up and kiss the shit out of her, but I don’t want to freak her out. She’s been okay with our touching up until this point, but I don’t know what my limit is. I need to be careful with her.

As I stand there and watch her take a sip of coffee, I realize my thoughts refer towhenI touch her, and not the adamancy ofrefrainingfrom touching her. She’s always been off-limits to me for multiple reasons, but those reasons are becoming unimportant. In my mind, she’s not Theo’s anymore. She’s now mine.

“You must have remembered how I take my coffee. It’s just how I like it,” she comments after her first sip.

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