Page 85 of A Lab Rat's Guide to Fated Love
Waves of burning need and impatience rolled off Nori, crashing and merging with his. He looked at her swollen lips and into her wild, drunken eyes, and it took all his strength to keep his hands from peeling both their clothes off. He didn’t know if he had it in him to be able to stop if he let himself touch her any further.
But oh god, how he wanted to touch her.
While he stood debating with himself, Nori unbuttoned her shirt and let it fall to the floor. Then began tugging at his t-shirt, too.
“Wait.” He grabbed her wrists.
With everything he could sense from her—the raw desire, the longing, and love—all mashed into one fiery, volcanic ball that mirrored his own molten insides, it was excruciating to hold her back. But what had she meant by losing him “again”?
“Sorry,” Nori whispered. Color bled into her cheeks as she started pulling away from him. “I didn’t mean to rush you. I’m sorry.”
“No.” He cupped her face in his hands and tilted it up to make her look at him. “I’m worried about you, Nori. Are you—”
“Don’t—please,” she cut him off. “Just stop worrying about me. I’m fine! I want this. I wantyou.” Her voice shook at the last syllable, and with it, his resolve.
Suppressing a shudder, Vir pulled his t-shirt off and threw it aside before he closed the gap between them. Nori’s face lit up a split second before she melted into his arms again, her smile slapping away any remaining brain cells right out of his head.
His body conjured a mind of its own, miles away from logic, restraints, or caution. His hands reached around her to unhook her bra. And with a single pinch, it fell at her feet.
Nori’s fingers tangled in his hair, while his mouth roamed down her neck, tasting and sucking at her skin, till he took a nipple into his mouth. Goosebumps erupted under his palm at the same time as a low hiss escaped her. But the breathless groan was his own. Every subsequent touch, nip, and graze made him greedier for more.
His skin consisted of nothing but naked live wires beneath her hands as they fluttered all over his body, leaving sparks everywhere they went. “Nori,” he whispered through gritted teeth.
She claimed his lips in response, pressing herself to him, skin against skin. He couldn’t differentiate between the pebbled lattices on her body, or the goosebumps that were his. And the frenzied desire that radiated out of her, or the absolute need that was his. A distant part of his mind cautioned him to be careful.But he couldn’t remember why.
Just a bit more, he bargained, while his hands trailed down her spine, easing into the elastic of her pants, while his erection strained uncomfortably against his.
Back off. Now.He swore under his breath, pulling his hands off her before his dumb body could go any further. “We should stop.”
“I don’t want to stop.”
“But I’m worried—”
“Stop worrying about me!” Nori snapped. “Am I never going to be able to touch you? Or feel you touch me? Aren’t you sick of this already—sick ofme?” she whispered the last bit, right before her breath hitched into a sob.
She turned around and climbed under the covers, where she lay curled into a tight ball, not making a sound.
Vir swallowed painfully against the lump in his throat. Did she know how badly he wanted to touch her? And how afraid he was of hurting her?
She did. She knew. And it broke her heart. Just as it broke his.
Crawling in beside Nori, he pulled her to him and lay holding her with her back flush against his chest.
“I’m sorry. I love you.” He kissed her hair.
Nori shook with quiet sobs, her tears dripping into the crease of his elbow.
“I want to touch you,” he said after a while, once she’d stopped crying. “I can’t tell you how badly I want to.”
“Then touch me.”
“Nori…”
“I mean it. Touch me.” She was so calm.
Vir frowned against her cheek. Therewassomething different about her. He couldn’t quite put a finger on what it was exactly, but she felt so… sure.
Nori craned her neck around to press her lips to his. And slowly, his mouth began to respond, growing thirstier, greedier as the kiss deepened. It felt like no time had passed, like they were picking things right where they’d left off minutes ago.
