Page 184 of The Invite
Only to feel his lips graze my left cheek in a soft peck.
Disappointment coils deep inside my belly but I push it down.
“Fuck! I missed you,” he rasps desperately.
His raw confession spreads through my bloodstream, filling me with a sense of belonging. It’s infectious and a thousand times better than the prospect of kissing him.
Maybe one day he’ll have the urge and do it.
Dragging his mouth to the hollow in my throat, he sucks and kisses along my collarbone. I run my fingers up his arm and clutch his bicep. As I dig my nails in encouragement, his lips become hungry and leave toe-curling bites down to the top of my breasts visible over the deep neckline of my top.
I’m still sore from his rough pounding yesterday. Yet, a dull ache ignites in my pussy. If he shoves down my jeans and fills me with his cock—which throbs against my stomach—I won’t stop him. Sharp desire breathes a life of its own, craving the pleasurable pain he inflicts.
“Did you pack your bag?” he asks instead after raising his head.
I push back the fallen strands on his forehead and bring my palm to rest over his steady heartbeat. “Yeah. I’m ready.”
“Grab it and your keys,” he commands, the softness replaced by his broodiness. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“And where’s that?”
“You’ll see.” He smirks.
That tone combined with the smirk sends all sorts of warning signals to my brain. I’m well aware by now that no amount of interrogating him will get me the answer. I’ll just have to wait and see.
“The place better not be a cave or something, August,” I warn playfully as I push past him to grab both the overnight bag and my keys.
But a strong hand around my neck hauls me back and tilts my head until I lock eyes with a set of dark and serious ones. “I need your trust, Ness. And I need you to believe me when I say I won’t hurt you. Not intentionally.”
Dislodging his grip with some pressure, I turn around and cup his face. “When I said yes to being yours, it included my trust. I don’t understand it but I feel safe with you, Augustus. Maybe I’m being foolish considering how it all started between us, but I can’t deny that I… feel a connection with you.”
A storm brews in his pupils, a dark contrast to his soft voice, as he murmurs, “You’re not the only one, little prey.”
I smile and the black cloud passes from his eyes. They sizzle with possessiveness as his thumb brushes over my lips. “Is this… for me?”
He utters it like he can’t believe I’d ever smile for him. I don’t know why but it makes my heart pang. So, I assure him, “Yes.”
“All because I admitted to having feelings for you?”
“Yes,” I softly reply, the moment feeling pivotal. “It made me happy to know this isn’t one-sided.”
“I’ve never craved or cared to make a person smile.” The timbre of his voice turns deeper as he confesses, “Until I saw it last night and heard your sweet giggle while you sat behind my bike. I’ve been wanting to see and hear it again ever since. I didn’t think it was possible for you to be even more gorgeous, then you do this,” he tugs at my bottom lip and rasps, “and prove me wrong.”
I swear my smile broadens while my stomach does a backflip.
He drops his hand like I electrocuted him and it balls into a tight fist. “We need to leave or I’ll fuck you and won’t stop for hours.”
When I stay rooted to the floor with my jaw slack, he slaps my ass to jolt me into action. “Get moving. Now.”
In less than five seconds, I’m scrambling to the living room and returning to his side. One of his hands is clutching my helmet, which I’m obsessed with. Paired with the jacket, I feel like a sexy biker girl. So much so that it deludes me into believing I can learn to ride a bike.
Once we reach his bike after locking up my house, he turns to me and zips up my jacket. I run a palm over the gas tank, and ask, “Which model is this?”
“Ducati Diavel.”
