Page 105 of The Candlemaker

“Tell me,” he muttered, his nose nuzzling mine. “Tell me what you want.”

“You,” I breathed instantly. I wanted him. I wanted him here. In our baby’s life. In my life.

“I’m yours, Frankie. For however you’ll have me.”

My throat tightened, panic seizing its familiar hold. “I want you,” I repeated. “But I want to go slow.”

“I’m not going anywhere, Frankie,” he murmured like he could read my thoughts.

But when Chandler started to step back, I tightened my arms. “Not slow for this part.”

“No?” He lifted a brow.

“No.” I framed his face and pulled his mouth down to mine.

The kiss was everything. From the sweep of his tongue to the growl from his chest to the way it wasn’t just my body that sighed into his embrace but my heart, too. It was nourishment after months of starvation. It was fire after weeks upon weeks in the cold.

His kiss felt like coming home, and it sprouted the seed I’dtried to keep buried: I was falling in love with Chandler Collins.

My head swam, and my body swayed, the whole of me on fire with ache. It ate at my cells. It devoured my breath. It feasted on my racing heart. And it was ravenous for more.

“Please, Chandler,” I whimpered, afraid I’d go up in smoke if he didn’t do more than kiss me.

“I’ve got you, baby,” he rumbled, kissing along my jaw and neck.

His hands went to my top first, lifting the soft long-sleeve tee over my head, and then he lowered to one knee. I tried to stop the cartwheels my heart rounded in my chest. He looked up at me as he hooked his fingers in the elastic waist of my linen pants and brought them along with my underwear to the ground.

I didn’t know what I expected next, but it wasn’t for his hands to sink into my ass and haul me to his face, his tongue spearing straight for the nub of my clit.

“Chandler!” I gasped, and my eyes rolled back as I grabbed for his head, clutching his sinful mouth tight to me.

And then, on his knees, he backed me up to the bed, his lips and tongue latched onto my pussy as he pushed me back.

“Yes, Chandler,” I whimpered, melting onto his tongue as he hooked my legs over his shoulders.

“You taste so good, my little flame. So fucking good.”

I almost came at the endearment I thought I’d never hear again. And then he growled and doubled down between my thighs, licking and sucking until I couldn’t catch my breath.

“Don’t stop,” I begged. Cried. Pleasure constricting around me until my hips bucked. I didn’t know how starved I was for this—for him—until now. Until I was right on the edge of orgasm, his tongue sliding and sawing over my clit.

“More,” I whimpered, grinding my hips up toward his mouth.

And then the world went upside down. Or I went right-side up and right on top of him.

Chandler flipped us so I was sitting on him, my legs framing his face that was buried between them. Gasping, I tried to lift up on my knees, but his hands on my waist stopped me. Held me. And then, holding my gaze, he let out a growl and set his tongue back on its path of complete clit destruction.

Between licks and sucks, I melted onto his tongue. I’d never felt pleasure like this before. So consumed. So powerful. My head tipped back, and my hips began to grind against his mouth, hard and demanding. Air scissored out of my lungs as I moved faster and faster, needing more. Needing it all.

“Chandler!” I exploded, my body trembling and almost tipping over as pleasure whipped like a hurricane through me.

I didn’t know how long it took for my breath to finally catch, but he held me the entire time, his mouth gently coaxing every drop of my release onto his tongue like a man who’d never get enough of the taste.

I looked down at him, his dark eyes tangling with mine from between my legs. His face was wet with my want, and heat warmed my cheeks. I carefully slid off to the side of him, and he reluctantly let me go.

“Sorry,” I murmured, fairly certain I almost suffocated him there for a minute.

“You’re carrying my baby, Frankie,” he growled. “You can fuck my tongue any time you need.” And to prove his point, his tongue dragged over his sinful lips to make sure to claim every last drop.

---