Page 114 of Red Zone
She lets out a soft laugh, breathless already. “Says the one who’s breaking every rule in the book.”
“Worth it,” I mutter back, before kissing her again.
And just like in the living room, our heat ignites instantly.
Her hands slide up my chest, fisting in the front of my shirt as she deepens the kiss, and I feel her back arch as I walk her backward until her knees hit the bed.
She sinks down onto the mattress, pulling me with her, and before I know it I’m kneeling on the edge, leaning over her, my fingers digging into the sheets on either side of her head.
I force myself to slow down just enough to really look at her—breathing hard, eyes dark, hair falling loose around her face.
And it hits me again—hard—that she has no idea what she’s doing to me.
I drop my head, resting my forehead against hers as I catch my breath.
“Lyla,” I say quietly.
“What?” she whispers.
I lift my head just enough to meet her eyes, my thumb brushing absently over her hip.
“You ever gonna tell me,” I murmur. “Why you let me touch you like this…if you don’t do physical unless it’s serious?”
She freezes beneath me, her breath catching, her lips parting like she wants to answer—but can’t.
Her silence stretches between us, but she doesn’t look away.
And she doesn’t stop me.
That’s all the answer I need.
Something shifts inside me—like a lock clicking open—and I dip my head, pressing my mouth to hers again.
Slower this time.
Deeper.
She sighs against my lips, her hands sliding up to curl under my hoodie and around my shoulders, her fingers warm where they dig into my skin.
Her lips are soft and insistent, her breath sweet as she exhales into me. And for the first time in my life, kissing someone feels like more than just a means to an end.
I pull back just long enough to look at her—really look at her.
She’s so beautiful it almost hurts to look at her like this.
I run my thumb along her jaw, watching her shiver when I do, and murmur roughly, “You have no idea what you do to me.”
Her eyelids flutter, and she whispers, “Then show me.”
That’s all it takes for any restraint I had left to snap.
I kiss her again, harder this time, swallowing the quiet gasp she makes when my hand slides under her hoodie and brushes over her warm skin.
I feel every line of her as she arches into me, heat radiating from her where our bodies meet.
I sit back just enough to tug her hoodie over her head and toss it to the floor.
Her skin is glowing in the warm light of the lamp and I quickly realize she is naked under her sweatshirt.
