Wrong.

The air felt suffocating. A sharp, panicked squeeze wrapped around my chest, my pulse pounding like a drum against my throat.

“Meat Loaf!”

Devlin’s brows knitted, confusion flashing across his face. But he didn’t hesitate. He immediately pushed himself back, retreating into a sitting position, giving me space.

The moment his weight lifted, the constricting grip on my chest loosened, air finally returning to my lungs. His eyessearched mine, soft with concern, all traces of Kieran vanishing in an instant. “Jen? Did I do something wrong?”

I felt the verbal vomit bubbling to the surface, and before I could stop myself, I was babbling. “No, Devlin, you were absolutely perfect as Kieran. So perfect. Really, super convincing. Just—” I sucked in a breath, trying to gather my spiraling thoughts. “And I know I asked you to do it, so this is completely on me. But I just... I want my—ourfirst time—” I barely caught myself, heat flushing in my cheeks. “—of being physical to be, y’know... ours. Just us.” I forced a laugh, rubbing my palms against my thighs as my words tripped over themselves. “And I should’ve said something sooner, I know that, but with the date going so well, I wasn’t really thinking, and—”

Devlin’s lips pressed against mine. Soft. Warm. Unbelievably gentle.

I barely had time to react before he pulled back, giving me space—giving me the chance to Meat Loaf his advances if I wanted to. I just stared at him, breath coming heavy, my entire body humming with the phantom imprint of his mouth on mine.

I threw my arms around Devlin’s neck, crashing my lips against his. He met me with equal hunger, his grip firm against my back as he guided me down, his body solid as he pressed into me.

Our mouths parted just long enough for him to flick his tongue against my top lip—a teasing, wicked promise that sent a sharp pulse straight to my core—before his mouth claimed mine again, tongues tangling in a slow, intoxicating dance.

My second-ever kiss wasin-fucking-credible.

Devlin settled between my legs, and I felt his thick, rigid length grinding against my entrance with enough pressure to destroy me even through the material of his pants. My breathstuttered, a desperate whimper escaping my throat as my fingers itched to reach between us and unbuckle his belt.

His hips rolled against me, seeking friction, demanding it, the restrained groan vibrating from his chest making my entire body clench in anticipation.

And then he broke the kiss.

A strangled noise of protest formed on my lips, dying the instant I opened my eyes and saw him.

The way his pupils swallowed the amber warmth of his irises. The way his breath shook as he fought for control. The devastating way his gaze traced my body, like he was memorizing the moment before his world changed.

His voice, thick with longing, cracked as he slipped a finger beneath the neckline of my dress. “How much do you like this?”

“Hate it,” I barely managed to squeak.

The corner of his lips twitched, his grin turning sinfully malevolent as shadows pooled down his forearm. A cool touch ghosted over my skin as a single, razor-sharp obsidian talon curled against the fabric.

With one slow, deliberate motion, the sound of shredding filled the air.

My dress and panties fell away, pooling around me in tattered remnants, leaving me bare beneath Devlin’s heated gaze. The cool night air kissed my exposed skin, sending a shiver racing through me as my nipples tightened into aching peaks.

Devlin’s fingers, human again, trailed down my neck until he reached my ribs, his touch featherlight. His lips followed in a slow, torturous path along my jaw and down my throat. He lingered at my collarbone, his tongue pressing into the delicate dip with the same deliberate reverence as if he were parting my folds.

A fresh wave of need clenched deep in my core, my thighs instinctively pressing together in search of relief.

But Devlin had other plans.

His mouth descended, tracing along the swell of my breast, his fingers skimming over my skin before curving firmly around the weight of me. His hand guided my nipple into his waiting mouth, soft lips wrapping around the sensitive bud as he sucked, his tongue flicking in slow, hard strokes. Heat flooded through me, a foreign, almost overwhelming pleasure that had my back arching.

His free hand found my other nipple, fingers pinching just enough to send a sharp pulse of sensation straight to my clit before rolling the sensitive peak between his fingers.

And then he groaned. The low, reverberating sound radiated through my body, igniting something deep inside.

Pleasure crashed through me—unexpected, unbidden—my pussy clenching hard around nothing, my thighs trembling as my release ripped through me in a raw, shuddering wave. I whimpered, my hips jerking helplessly beneath the weight of Devlin’s body as his mouth worked me through every last spark, sucking, flicking, devouring my pleasure as if he owned it.

By the time the last aftershocks faded, I was wrecked, my limbs limp beneath him, my breath still coming in ragged little gasps.

Shame was the only thing that roused me. I couldn’t believe he made me come from just fondling my boobs. A hot flush radiated through my body as I raised my head and threw a cautionary glance at Devlin.