Page 11 of Served

Our project sits forgotten before us. All I can think about is the weight of her hand on my arm, the slight tremble in her fingers, the way her chest rises and falls with each breath.

“We don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to,” I say.

“No, I do,” she insists. “It’s just... I don’t talk about any of it much. Not like this.”

I swallow hard. “You can always talk about it with me. Especially about Jason. Tell me more about him.”

Her smile is tinged with sadness but also fondness. “He was so funny. He could make me laugh even on my worst days.” She pauses. “And he loved camping but hated fishing. Said it was too much waiting around, not enough action.”

I nod, memories of Gordy…Jason…complaining about fishing trips flooding back. I should tell her. I need to tell her?—

“What about you?” she asks. “What were you like before…everything?”

The question catches me off guard. Most people don’t differentiate.

“Pretty much the same,” I say honestly. “Maybe less appreciative of small things, and more caught up in the future than the present.” I smile. “Definitely more of a showoff about having all my body parts.”

She laughs, the sound brightening the dim room, and something in my chest expands. I’d give anything to hear that laugh every day.

Lightning flashes, illuminating her face perfectly for a split second—the soft cheeks, the gentle curve of her lips, the dark hair that cascades over her shoulders. In that moment, I know I’m falling for her.

“You okay?” she whispers, her brow furrowing.

“You’re beautiful, Letty,” I say. It just pops out.

The air between us thickens. Her eyes drop to my lips, and my heart slams in my chest.

“I’m glad you’re here, Felix,” she whispers. “However many limbs. However many scars. The world’s better with you in it.”

Her words hang in the air. Then I surge forward, thunder rattling the windows as I cradle her face. She gasps, and it’s the final straw.

The first brush of my mouth against hers is tentative—a question, maybe a test. But when her nails drag over my shoulders, it transforms into something else entirely.

Heat. Fire. Need.

Her lips part and I deepen the kiss, barely suppressing a groan as her tongue tangles with mine. She tastes like dumplings and sweetness. My body responds instantly, cock throbbing, making me dizzy with want.

The bed creaks under our movements, every rational thought obliterated by the feel of her breasts against my chest.

“Felix,” she rasps, tearing her mouth free. Her lips are swollen, her eyes wild, her chest heaving. She looks like a goddess from one of my wildest dreams. “We?—”

I freeze, panting. “Too much?”

Her hands slide under my shirt, scorching trails up my back. “Not enough.”

The growl that escapes me isn’t human. I claim her mouth again, swallowing her moan as my hands find her bare skin, feeling like fire beneath my palms.

The storm rages outside, but in this dim room, there’s only her breath mingling with mine, her heartbeat thundering against my chest, and the terrifying, exhilarating truth: I want Jason Gordon’s widow.

But there are things she needs to know before this goes any further.

Using all my willpower, I pull back. She blinks at me in confusion, and all I can think is that I’d give anything to kiss her again. To hold her through the storm. To chase away both our ghosts.

“Letty,” I growl, my voice rough with emotion. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

CHAPTER 5

LETTY

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