Page 27 of The Proximity Effect

We fell into a comfortable silence, both gazing upward at the vast expanse above us. The night was perfectly clear, each star a brilliant pinprick of light against the black sky. It was the kind of night that made me feel simultaneously infinite and insignificant.

“You know what’s weird?” Tessa’s voice was soft, almost dreamlike. “I’m glad Declan ended things.”

I turned my head slightly, studying her profile. “Yeah?”

She nodded, taking another sip of champagne before placing her glass in the cupholder built into the arm of the couch. “If I’m honest with myself, I lost... me. The real me. With him, everything was planned, calculated, and safe. And I thought that’s what I wanted and what I needed. But being here, doing all these things?” She drew in a shaky breath. “I feel more alive in the past few days than I have in years.”

“Sometimes we convince ourselves that the safe choice is the right choice.” I thought of my own life that had led nowhere besides loneliness. “But safe doesn’t always mean happy.”

She sniffled, and that sound broke my last thread of resistance. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me. She came willingly, melting into my side like she belonged there.

“Sorry,” she mumbled against my chest. “I didn’t mean to get all emotional on our star-date. Wait, not date. Star... viewing? Professional astronomy session?”

“Pretty sure we left professional somewhere between the kitchen and here.” My fingers stroked along her arm, tracing random patterns through her jacket.

The tension gradually left her body as we sat there, wrapped in blankets and each other, watching the stars overhead. The champagne created a pleasant warmth in my chest, though I suspected that had more to do with the woman in my arms than the alcohol.

“Oh my God!” Tessa suddenly sat up straight, pointing excitedly at the sky. “Did you see that? A shooting star!”

She turned to me, her face alight with childlike wonder. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, and her lips curved in a delighted smile. In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and more captivating than any starlit sky.

I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried.

My hand moved to cup the back of her neck, drawing her closer. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Time seemed to slow as I closed the distance between us, giving her plenty of time to object.

Instead, she met me halfway.

Her lips were soft and warm against mine, tasting of champagne. The kiss was gentle at first, but when she sighedinto my mouth, something inside me snapped. I deepened the kiss, pulling her closer, my free hand finding her waist.

She responded with equal enthusiasm, her fingers curling into my jacket, her body pressing closer to mine. The rest of the world fell away—the cold, the stars, the resort’s problems, all of it disappeared until there was nothing but Tessa and the way she felt in my arms.

When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine. “So much for professional boundaries,” she whispered.

“Fuck professional boundaries,” I growled, pulling her in for another kiss.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was going to complicate everything. But with Tessa’s lips moving against mine and the stars watching overhead, I couldn’t bring myself to care.

Heat radiated from her body as she straddled me, her lips moving against mine with an urgency that matched my own. The cold night air was a distant memory, replaced by the fire that ignited between us. Her fingers gripped the front of my jacket, pulling me closer, and her hips ground against mine, seeking friction.

My hands roamed her body, tracing the curve of her waist and the swell of her hips. Her breath hitched as I slipped my hands under her shirt, my cold fingers brushing against the soft skin of her back. She arched into my touch, a soft moan escaping her lips as I deepened the kiss.

Her fingers slid down my chest, over my stomach, and finally, tentatively, gripped me through my pants. I groaned into her mouth, my hips bucking involuntarily at the contact. She smiled against my lips as she began to stroke me through the fabric.

“You’re driving me crazy.” I let my head fall back, giving her access to my neck as she began to kiss down in the direction I so badly wanted her.

She responded by increasing the pressure, her fingers tracing the length of me, making me ache for more. I needed to feel her, all of her. I fumbled with the button of her pants, my fingers trembling with anticipation.

But Tessa had other plans. She broke away from me, looking down as her eyes filled with a hunger that made my heart race. She moved down my body until she reached the waistband of my pants.

She looked up at me, a question in her eyes, as she slowly unzipped my pants. The cold air hit me, but it was quickly forgotten as she wrapped her hand around me, her fingers stroking gently.

“Fuck, Tessa,” I groaned, gripping the blanket as she began to move her hand, her grip tightening. “Are you going to take me in that sweet mouth of yours?”

She licked her lips. “Is that what you want?”

“Yes.” My voice had gone deeper and was bordering on a growl. “Wrap those sinful lips around my cock. Let me see how far you can take me.”

She leaned down and took me into her mouth. I nearly came undone right then; the sensation of her warm, wet mouth enveloping me was almost too much. She moved slowly at first, her tongue swirling around the head of my cock as she took me deeper. The vibrations of her moans sent shocks of pleasure through my body.

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