Page 55 of Riptide

He glances at me, like he’s not sure whether I’m teasing, but my face must give me away. His expression softens.

“I’m the lucky one. She makes everything better,” he says it like it’s an afterthought, but something in his voice catches, before he clears his throat and grips the wheel harder.

He pulls up outside my building a few minutes later. The rain hasn’t let up. If anything, it’s more intense now as I look out the windshield.

“You want to come up?” I ask, realizing I don’t want him to leave. And this is my exact problem; when I’m with him, there’s no letting go of that feeling, despite the possible consequences. The age gap between us shrinks; the fact that he’s my student is forgotten. It’s just magnetic with him.

Finn looks over at me, those blue eyes darker in the dim light. He’s so alluring, and I watch a smile bloom across his full lips. “Yeah. I do.”

We burst out of the car and jog up the stairs, heads ducked against the downpour. Rain hits hard, cold and relentless, but it only adds to the rush. There’s something electric about running through a storm with someone. You can sprint and shield yourself all you want, but you’re still going to end up soaked.

Just like this thing between us. No matter how fast we move around it, how many lines we pretend we haven’t crossed, we’re already in it. Already drenched.

The water clings to my skin through my shirt and coat, heavy and inescapable. But I don’t care. He’s beside me, and the storm wraps around us. And I don’t want to outrun it. I want to feel every second of it. We reach the top, breathless and dripping. I don’t know if it’s the sprint, the storm, or the nearness of him, but something in me shakes loose. The tension I didn’t realize I was still carrying melts into the puddles at our feet as I look at him.

Inside, I flick on the lights and hang up my coat, turning back to find him still standing in the entryway, his light blue hoodie covered in darker patches, his hair sticking to his face.

“I’ll grab you a towel,” I say, heading into the bathroom, turning on the shower before getting a towel.

When I return, I watch him removing his hoodie. It clings for a second before sliding free, revealing that tan, toned torso I’ve definitely spent too much time thinking about.

He glances up, then at the towel in my hand, and takes it with a quiet, “Thanks.”

“Sure,” I manage. “I’m just gonna jump in the shower to warm up. You can use it after, if you want.”

His eyes turn molten for a second as he rubs the towel over his hair. “You mean I have to sit out here, waiting for you, while you’re in the shower naked?”

His words hit like a spark flashing in front of me, awakening something deep inside me. I take two steps forward, until I’m almost within reaching distance of him. “Want me to leave the door open?”

Finn’s smile curves devilishly. “Wouldn’t say no.”

I could laugh it off, turn around and go have a shower in peace, but I know all I’d be doing is thinking about him, wanting him. I should probably be the responsible one here, tell him to leave even, but no part of me wants to do that. Instead, I hover, watching the rainwater slide down his face. His skin is golden and flushed, his hair dripping and curling at the edges. He looks wild and perfect and dangerously real. And all I want to do is make good on the promise of fucking him right now.

The space between us tightens. Shrinks. Then disappears entirely. I’m not sure who moves first, but the feeling of his lips against mine is the kind of thing I’ve been craving all day long. The slick of the rain on our skin and the warmth of his mouth is some kind of drug I needed. My back hits the wall before I even register moving. His hands slide to my waist. He groans against my mouth, and the sound goes straight to my balls, making me hum in response, nipping at his lower lip.

He dips his head to my neck, and I tilt without thinking, giving him access. His teeth graze, his tongue soothes, and my knees nearly give.

Breaths ragged, I hook my fingers in the waistband of his jeans. “Shower’s still running.”

“Are you telling me to wait?”

I shake my head slowly. “No,” I say on an exhale. “Come with me.”

Chapter twenty-four

Finn

Thesteamfromthehot water plumes around us, blurring the rest of the room as we both step into his shower. As luck would have it, it’s an open space, so sexy stuff is definitely on the table.

I move beneath the warm spray, coating my body in the heat, before pulling Foxx into my front and capturing his mouth in a firm kiss. “Hi,” I say, pulling back, cataloguing parts of his face. The dark lashes that fan out across his lids, housing the most chocolate-colored eyes I’ve ever seen, right down to the tip of his straight nose that points to those lips that feel so good.

“Hi yourself,” he says gruffly. The slickness of the water runs in rivulets over both of us, our cocks pressing against our stomachs, desperate for attention.

I run my hands over his ribs, thumbs dragging down the lines of his abdomen, memorizing him. The water makes everything feel slower, softer, but the tension between us is anything but. His hands settle at my waist, gently holding me where he wants me.

Our mouths find each other again, wet and open, tongues brushing lazily at first, until the kiss deepens and my hips roll forward without meaning to.

The friction of our cocks sliding together makes both of us groan.

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