Page 78 of Riot

I want him closer, need him touching every part of my soul. My stomach pools with heat, and my fingers cling to his shirt, as if I’m trying to become one with him.

I take everything I have craved for months—every stolen look across the room, every hand on my back, every dimpled smile, every uttered ‘Vee’—and I devour him just as completely.

I brace for the fear to settle in my bones, for the disgust I always feel when I think about my body and being touched, but it doesn’t come.

It never does when I’m around him.

Maybe I’m not dirty, or unworthy, or the other storm of words my ex slapped on me.

The way Riot’s hands are on my hips, holding me steady, doesn’t say disgust. It’s not the cruel touch of a man who wants to control me, to own me.

It’s Riot.My Riot.

So, when he slides his tongue along the seam of my lips, I willingly open to him and let him slip inside.

His kiss is insistent as he takes what he wants, and when his fingers slide into the hair at my nape, I let out a breathy groan against his lips, my body liquid.

“Fuck, Vee.” His voice is hoarse, rasped between gulped breaths.

Our lips unlock only for the time it takes to suck in air, to re-inflate our lungs, before crashing together again.

I’ve never kissed anyone like this before, like there’s no beginning or end to each other. Like my next heartbeats depend on him.

Each sweep of his tongue against mine repairs a little piece of the shattered remains Link left behind. I am worthy of love, I am desirable, and I amnotbroken.

Teeth and tongues clash. A feral hunger ignites as I arch into him. I could live in this kiss, lose myself to its intensity, its heat, and the fever burning between my legs.

My knees threaten to buckle as his hands tighten on me. A giddy, euphoric laugh bubbles inside me, and I feel alive for the first time in months.

He pulls back, gulping down air like he’s suffocating. His chest heaves, and he rests his forehead against mine, as if he can join our thoughts with touch.

I’ve given up trying to re-inflate my broken lungs. There is not enough oxygen in this world that could stop this feeling carrying me as if on the wind.

“Fuck, Vee.” His words are breathy and raw.

“Was that… was that okay?” I don’t know why I ask it, and I wish I could take it back the moment the words leave my mouth.

Might as well have asked him to score my performance.

He laughs under his breath then cups my cheeks with his hands. Strong, safe…

Mine.

“It was fuckin’ perfect,” he assures me.

A sound from behind the door floods my veins with panic. I step out of his hold, like we’re dumb kids caught doing something we shouldn’t.

Riot says nothing as my brother comes around the door, but I feel the heat of his gaze. I almost squirm under that stare, and that heat builds again between my legs.

“Don’t you two ever sleep?” Toby yawns, shuffling over to the plug socket and pulling out his phone charger.

I move to the cot to check on Seren, needing a moment to recalibrate. She’s asleep and oblivious to the fire burning between me and the man I’ve wanted for months. I can feel him on my lips, taste him in my mouth, and if my brother looks hard enough, he’ll see how flustered I am.

Fuck.I just kissed Riot, and we nearly got caught.

So, what if we did?

It’s not like we’re doing anything wrong.

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