Page 60 of Never Fear (Whiskey Ridge)
Her eyes roamed my face, and I waited for her to continue. She was finally talking about how she felt. No way in hell was I interrupting that. I’d lay here all night if I had to, solely to let her get out what she wanted to say.
“Despite how annoying you are almost all the time”—my frown deepened—“you’ve grown on me. And I kind of like having you around. In my house. Cooking. Sleeping next to me in my bed. Touching me.”
I ran my fingers through her hair as she spoke, entranced by her voice and the feel of her body beneath mine.
“Aren’t you going to say something?” There was that annoyance lacing her voice. The one I did everything in my power to bring out daily.
“Yeah.” I studied her face. Her hairline, her brows. The small ghosts of freckles on her nose. Her full lips and those tiny, shiny earrings in her ears. I memorized all of it like I had so many times before because when I said this, I wanted to etch her reaction into my soul. The way her lips might curl, or how a blush might tint her cheeks.
“I love you.”
Chapter 23
McKenna
His confession shot an arrow straight through my heart. But the weapon didn’t wound. It healed. The holes in my chest closed at those three words, sealing them inside with the intent of never letting them escape.
Austin’s rough palm gently cupped my cheek, his eyes roaming over every inch of my face. “You don’t have to say it?—”
“I love you.” Three life-changing words slipped out in a tumble, needing to be voiced so he didn’t feel alone in this. For weeks, I’d been trying to shove him away, but I now realized it wasn’t because I was annoyed at his presence or pissed about my situation. It was because, from that first day he flirted with me in the diner, I knew.
Austin was going to steal my heart, and he succeeded.
He saved us the trouble of speaking by pressing his lips to mine.
Weeks, months, years—time didn’t matter when one’s life was on the line and the other was overly…obsessed. I’d never said those three words to a man, never wanting to allow myself to feel attached to someone in such a way. But Austin obliterated every reservation I had about love and gave me no choice but to feel something more.
He put up with my attitude, accepted my flaws and worshipped them, all the while still allowing me to be completely, utterly me. He didn’t try to change me. He followed me into the depths of my mind and made himself a home inside my heart.
Rough, comforting hands tore through my hair to pull me ever closer, lips devouring and tongues clashing. We were a tangle of limbs while our mouths carved the reality of us into stone. His hand moved between us, quickly working at his pants to shove them off, along with his underwear. Then his shirt was torn open, buttons flying everywhere before he flung the ruined material across the room. It hit a lamp, sending it toppling to the floor.
“That thing wasn’t going to your house anyway,” Austin muttered into my mouth as he fisted his length.
My eyes shot open. “My house?”
“You think I’m coming back to live here?”
“And you think I’ll just let you stay in my home permanently?” I glanced over at the dresser the lamp had toppled from, taking in his room. Maybe it wasn’t the time to sightsee, but imagining his items in my space felt oddly…comforting.
When my gaze moved back to him, he was smirking. “Oh, kitten.” He ran gentle fingers down my cheek, eyes following the movement. “Haven’t you learned?” He leaned in closer, lips brushing mine. “I’m never leaving your side, even if you fight me on it.”
Withthat, he drove into me, raw and hard. We’d discussed the fact that I was on the pill before, but only because he’d been looking through my things and found my birth control. After that, and knowing his intention with the knowledge, he’d promised he was clean.
And I trusted him. Even then, I’d never doubted him.
A gasp passed my lips, shock and pleasure igniting a flame under my skin. His hand wrapped around my neck as he thrust deep, repeating the motion over and over. He cut off my air, his other hand fisted in the comforter beside my head. He held the pressure until stars shined behind my eyes, and then he released. I sucked in, a cacophony of heavy breaths and throaty moans spilling from me.
I reached up and wrapped a hand around his neck, flipping us over so I straddled his hips. As I rode him, I did the same, cutting off his ability to breathe. Even through the loss of oxygen, his lips lifted in a small smile before pleasure broke through him when I ground my hips back and forth.
His fingers dug into my hips where he gripped them, urging me faster. I marveled at my nails digging into his neck before I released him and dragged my touch down his chest, leaving slashes of red in his skin.
“There are those claws I’ve been begging to see,” he panted, watching my hands trail lower until I brought them back up and circled his nipples.
He thrust upwards, and I let out a small shriek when he hit my G-spot. With his hands alone, he began bouncing me up and down on his cock, watching where he slid in and out of me. I wrapped a palm around my breast, squeezing as I threw my head back on a whimper.
Austin’s moans filled the room, and I lookeddown to find him watching me with lethal intent. Obsession turned to pure addiction in his lust-filled eyes, and I took over. Hands gripped in mine, I forced his arms above his head. At the angle, my breasts were directly above his face, and by the looks of it, he fucking loved it. The knowledge made my core tighten.
“Tongue out,” I commanded, and with eyes glued to mine, he did as I told him.
