Page 99 of Fumbled Into Love

The words spear my solar plexus, snapping the rusted bars of the cage where I’ve trapped my feelings. They bang wildly around my chest, begging to be heard.

A laugh tumbles from my lips as I take another shirt from his hands. “Well, I find your spice organization and excessive use of a label maker adorable.”

“It’s in alphabetical order.” He bites his lip, and my gaze falls. “You don’t think it’s crazy?”

“Only a little bit,” I respond. “Do you think my perfectly crafted pile of things is wacky?”

He bites his lip. “Only a little.”

I’ve waited patiently, I have, but he’s yet to say the code word, so I do it myself.

“Artichoke?”

“God, yes,” he says, hands on me in an instant and dragging me into bed.

My giggles fill the air as he pulls me onto his lap, and I trail a finger down his arms and torso, playing with the bottom of his shirt.

Deon hums, the vibrations soft against my skin as he begins to pepper gentle kisses on my cheek and down to my collarbone.

In one move, Deon lifts me. Another move, and my top is over my shoulders, discarded with the rest of my things in the corner of the room.

He places a feather-light kiss above my breast, and my eyes flutter shut, reveling in the sensation of him. My skin buzzes as heat tingles down my spine.

A breathy moan falls from my lips, and Deon gasps.

“Declan is here.”

Is he…afraid?

“Okay?”

I laugh, not understanding. Declan sleeps like the dead and sounds like a fire alarm while he does it. I could bang a pan inches away from his face, and he wouldn’t wake.

Lifting the hem of his shirt, I’m blessed with the glorious expanse of Deon’s chest as he heaves air into his lungs. I place a tender kiss above his heart as my hand trails to his waistband, quickly grazing over his growing erection.

“Nathalie,” Deon groans, my name a plea on his lips.

“Can you be quiet, Deon?” I ask, my breath hot against his skin as I slide away from his lap.

Deon’s eyes turn feral, and that spurs me on, knowing he finds me beautiful, that Iaffecthim.

“I—I can try,” he chokes out, and if he wasn’t staring at me with such intensity, I might laugh at the response.

My gaze drags along his skin, and with a shimmy, I drop my shorts, leaving myself bare for him.

“Holy shit,” Deon mutters, palm dragging across his face. “Come here.”

I follow the demand, and once at arm's length, Deon meets me for a searing kiss. It’s hot and fierce like a wildfire as he consumes more and more of the oxygen from my lungs. It’s never been like this with anyone before; this insatiableneedto connect with someone on every level.

His tongue trails heat along the seam of my lips, and I melt into him, granting him the entry he demands. The kiss deepens until I’m grinding against him, my skin molten lava, as I chase my pleasure.

“Please,” I moan, desperate for him to touch me.

Deon gently places me on my back, gaze searing as he drags me to the edge of the bed and drops to his knees.

Large hands fall on the inside of my knees, pushing them apart and spreading me open. The cold air hits the slickness of my inner thighs, and I hiss.

“Fuck, I like this view,” he murmurs, and my stomach plummets. “Hands over your head,” he demands. I gasp, shocked at how the words strike my core with liquid heat.

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