Page 53 of Because of Her

Iamdrowning, knowing what’s holding her back from feeling the same way about me as I do about her.

After her barrage of confessions, she looks up. The golden flecks in her irises look like glitter against the mossy green, and her eyes are full of hope.

“I want us,” she whispers.

Those words act like a magnet.

I don’t care about the red flags in our relationship. I don’t care that she has been avoiding her feelings since she met Maisie. I don’t care that if we do this, we also have a lot of extras to discuss. She wants there to be an us, and that’s enough for now.

I slam my lips against hers to savour the words, the moment.

This kiss with Cassidy is unlike any other kiss I’ve ever had. Unlike the kisses I’ve shared with her before. The first one was an awkward mess of teenage lust. The last one a confusing mashup of emotion that neither of us was ready for.

But this one. This kiss feels important. It feels big. It feels like I’ve been flatlining and Cassidy’s mouth is the defibrillator shocking me back to life.

I’m cautious about giving away too much of what I’m feeling, but can’t stop myself from devouring her.

Her mouth opens a sliver and I take it as an invitation. Grazing my tongue across her lips, I beg to be let in, and shelets me. Our mouths collide as we taste each other, hastily now because I can’t get enough.

I want everything about Cassidy, and from the way she drags her tongue against mine, it feels like she wants the same.

Wrapping my hands around her back, I tug her closer to me. My blood pumping below my waist, my cock hardens, and her breasts rub against my chest. I curse the satin of her simple black dress, the cotton of my tee, the fabric barriers stopping me from feeling her skin.

Every thought in my brain falls silent. The cars on the street below stop revving their engines, the hum from the building’s heating system quietens, the clock inside my apartment stops ticking.

It’s only me, and Cassidy, and this life altering kiss.

After a while, our foreheads touch, and our lips pull apart.

Cassidy’s hand moves from my cheek to grab at the back of my neck. She drops her bag and the other hand reaches up over my shoulder. Her upper body heaves, and my breath hitches with anticipation.

“I—” she starts, but I steal whatever it was she wanted to say by claiming her mouth again.

With a hand on her waist I reach down to pick up her bag. Tugging her closer towards my apartment, she follows me in.

We fall against the wall as I push the door shut behind us. My hands itch to feel every inch of her skin.

Dragging one up her sides, I stop when my thumb grazes the underside of her bra. She smiles into our kiss and arches her back, pushing her breast into my hand. I run my thumb over the peak of her nipples before palming her breast. The other hand lowers down her back to knead her ass, pulling her closer to me until my leg rests between hers.

Cassidy moans into my mouth. Her hands are in my hair,rubbing down my back, my shoulders. She rocks her pussy against my thigh as my erection grows against her front. I can’t think, I can barely breathe, and all the while, our mouths haven’t stopped. Teeth crashing against each other, both fighting for more.

It’s me who pulls away this time, although at first, I don’t know why.

“Callum?”

I can feel the warmth from her mouth as she utters my name. Leaning my forehead to touch hers again, my eyes close as I catch my breath.

“Rogue.”

She caresses my sides as she pulls my shirt over my head.

“Cassidy,” I call her by her name this time, because I need the moment to slow down. I need to know what it means to her, what it means for us. And I need her to know how much it would mean to me.

“Shh.” She silences me with her lips. “I don’t want to think right now, I just want todo.”

And I let her, because part of me also wants to justdo. It feels like I’ve been thinking and overthinking my whole life. Maybe I need to let go of all the what-ifs and the maybes and just allow this to happen.

Cassidy is everything to me, I want more than she thinks she can give, but I’ll take whatever it is she is offering.

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