Page 53 of Where the Stars Heal

“Halle,” Connor murmurs, dropping to his knees next to the couch, his expression filled with regret. “I am so sorry. Please don’t be mad at me. I screwed up.”

I feel her body tense; she’s not used to people apologizing to her. Wrapping my arm around her middle, my thumb brushes across her hip, offering her my support.

“Con, I’m not mad,” Halle says softly, reaching over to pat his shoulder.

He offers her a sheepish smile. “Still friends?” he asks.

“Still friends,” Halle confirms with a smile as she relaxes into me.

Everyone in the room sighs in relief, and Hunter tosses a blanket at us, his eyes narrow as he points between Halle and me.

“I’m good with this, but please for my sanity, no funny business in front of me,” he scolds us.

Halle giggles, sticking her tongue out at him. My shoulders shake with a silent chuckle at her blatant defiance.

The lights go out, and the opening ofAvengers: End Gamebegins to play. Immediately, Tessa and Madi groan.

“Who picked this?” they whine, clearly disappointed there’s not some chick flick currently playing. Jace and Hunter sit on the opposite couch to us with wide, unapologetic grins plastered on their faces as they lean over to high-five one another.

Halfway through the movie, Jace calls it quits, grumbling about needing to get up early in the morning. Madi and Tessa are curled up together on the floor, sound asleep, their popcorn forgotten. Hunter disappeared to bed half an hour ago, leaving the two of us, Connor, and Ace to finish the movie in silence.

I pull the blanket up higher, tucking it around Halle’s chest, and shift under her. My hands find the waistband of her shorts, and my fingers dance across the slither of exposed skin where her shirt has ridden up, the touch featherlight but full of electricity.

Holding her against me for this long, breathing her in, it’s been torture, and I’m getting restless. Every second stretches my restraint and heightens my anticipation. I need to touch her.

I glance over at Connor, sprawled out on the couch Hunter and Jace were on, and find him completely engrossed in the movie.

Dipping my head, I let my lips brush against Halle’s ear and whisper, “Can you be a good girl for me and stay quiet?”

She sucks in a sharp breath and tilts her head to look at me, her eyes wide with surprise and curiosity.

“I need to touch you, baby. Having you lying on me like this is killing me.”

Her eyes flick over to Connor, back to the movie, and down to the girls as my fingers continue their slow dance across her soft skin.

“Stay quiet for me, sweetheart, and I’ll let you come,” I whisper with raw need.

Popping the button on her shorts, my left hand moves up to her side, cupping her breast. I shift again as my other hand dips into her shorts. Her breathing comes in quicker, and her legs fall open slightly. So responsive for me, so needy.

A fire races through my veins as I pinch her nipple at the same time my other hand finds her clit, pressing down softly. She moves her hips upwards, seeking more as a quiet whimper falls from her lips.

I stop my movements, holding my breath and peekingover at Connor. Ace is curled up on his chest, shielding his view of us, and I let out a slow breath.

“Need you to stay quiet,” I murmur, sliding my arm over her chest and below her chin, holding her to me. “Bite down on my arm if you need to.”

Moving her panties to the side, I swipe down, finding how wet she is for me. I bring my leg up slightly to hide our movements under the blanket, and her hips shift, moving side to side, her ass rubbing against me. Fuck, I’m so far gone for this girl that I’m going to blow in my jeans if she keeps that up.

I thrust up into her, showing her what she’s doing to me, how hard I am with just a single touch of her. My finger slips inside her, and my head drops to the crook of her neck. “So tight, baby,” I groan out.

Her pussy pulses around my finger and I enter another, slowly thrusting them in and out of her. I bite down on my lip ring, stifling the growl that threatens to escape from deep within me, the need to mark her overwhelming. Her teeth sink into my arm as she bites down silently, the sting sending an electric zap straight to my cock. I thrust up again, seeking my own relief, and she pushes back down on me.

Her hips slowly circle, chasing her high as my fingers speed up, my thumb finding her sensitive clit, circling with the pressure I know she needs. Pushing deeper, one, two, and on the third, I curl my fingers, stroking that spot deep inside her.

The movie fades into the background, my vision blurs, and in this moment, nothing exists but the two of us. The tension is thick in the air. Halle’s breathing stops, her bite deepens in my arm, her walls clenching around my fingers,trapping me inside her. My cock throbs in my jeans and strains painfully against the zipper.

She comes with so much force, it’s mesmerizing and sexy as hell.

My fingers slow, my thumb lifts off her clit and she rides out her high. A shuddering breath leaves her when she unlatches from my arm, and I pull my hand out from her pants, my fingers slick with her arousal. The mark she leaves on my arm sends a wave of heat through me, pulling me closer to the edge of something I can’t control.

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