Page 42 of Catch
I swallowed hard, suddenly aware of how much I was giving away. I wasn’t just reminiscing, I was handing him the power to decide what this meant. Whether we kept moving toward something deeper or if I was about to make a fool of myself.
“But you couldn’t have planned for me to pull you over,” he murmured, trying to make sense of it all.
“I didn’t plan on ever seeing you again,” I admitted with a breathless laugh, shaking my head at the sheer irony of it. “And I hadn’t even realized it was you until we got here and I was looking down at you from the top step of the porch.”
“Why didn’t you say something?”
I hesitated, then shrugged. “It’s kind of embarrassing.” I searched his face, nervous but eager, my voice dipping as I asked, “Doyouremember that moment?”
“Yeah, I do.” His smile was slow, reverent. His hand found my jawline and he brushed his thumb gently along my skin. “I think about it a lot, actually. What was going through your head? Why did you look so sad? Did you smileforme orbecauseof me?”
My breath caught. His touch burned in the best way, and suddenly, there wasn’t enough space between us.
My hands trembled slightly as I reached for the top button of his uniform, slipping it free. “I smiledbecauseof you,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. “And even though this may be temporary, I think this is exactly where we’re meant to be.”
Miles gripped onto my thighs and his fingers flexed as I undid the next button of his shirt. My hands were unsteady, but determined, teasing the soft fabric of his undershirt, tugging at it just enough to test him.
He didn’t move. Didn’t help me. He justwatched.
The heat between us simmered, slow and intoxicating. We were balancing on the edge of something neither of us could define, but both of us wanted.
From where I rested on his lap, I felt him harden beneath me, a silent confession of how badly he wanted this. I shifted slightly, wanting him to know that I felt him and a sharp hiss left his lips.His grip on my thighs tightened, fingers digging in just enough to still me.
“Are you going to kiss me?” I asked, repeating the question I had asked the night before. My voice was teasing, but laced with need.
His gaze burned into mine, dark and unreadable. “Probably,” he murmured. Then, with a slow nod, his voice dropped even lower. “I’m probably gonna do a lot of other things to you as well.”
Heat flushed through my body. “Please,” I whispered, breathless, desperate. “All of it. Until there’s nothing left.”
His expression flickered, something raw, something primal. He shifted beneath me, reaching to his side and I heard the quiet snap of his gun holster open, then watched as he slid his gun free. Holding me steady with one arm, he leaned forward and set the weapon onto the coffee table. He stayed upright that time, not leaning back, and I took my chance to push the fabric of his uniform from his shoulders.
His nose brushed against mine, his mouth so close I could feel every shaky breath he took. The tension coiled between us.
“Don’t regret this, Lox.” His words were a warning as well as a plea.
“I never will.” I shook my head, my heart pounding against my ribs. “I prom?—”
Before I could even finish, his lips crashed into mine.
The kiss was a firestorm. There was no hesitation, no second-guessing. His tongue swept into my mouth, staking his claim, and I melted against him, arms locking around his neck, holding him to me like I would never let go.
Butterflies erupted in my stomach, wild and uncontrollable, but it wasn’t just nerves. It waseverything.A moment so charged with emotion, soright, I could have cried from the sheer intensity of it.
Miles pulled back only long enough to yank his undershirt over his head, tossing it somewhere behind me. My fingers found his bare skin, tracing along the ridges of muscle and loving the way his body had goosebumps as he reacted to my touch.
Then, with a sudden shift, he scooped me into his arms. A small gasp left my lips as I clung to him, wrapping my legs around his waist. His strength was effortless as he carried me down the hall. His lips were brushing over my jaw, my neck, my shoulder. Every touch sent a shiver down my spine.
When we reached his bedroom, he lowered me gently onto the mattress and then took two slow steps back. Standing at the edge of the bed, his eyes swept over me. They were half-wild and filled with heat. He undid his service belt with practiced ease, the heavy leather sliding free before it hit the floor with a quiet thud.
For a minute, he just stood there, watching me. But his gaze never wavered when he continued to undress, slow and deliberate, peeling away the layers until he was left in only his boxers and the flimsy yarn necklace I’d spent all day making.
That damn necklace.
It looked absurd against the hard planes of his body, yet something about him still wearing it made my chest tighten even more. I dragged my tongue over my bottom lip, eyes locked on the impressive outline straining against the fabric of his shorts. My fingers itched to strip the last barrier away, to see all of him, but just as I reached forward, he smirked and shook his head.
Not yet.
Instead, he pulled me to my knees, his hands framing my face as his lips crashed into mine. He kissed me deep and slow, slightly leaning over me from where he stood at the edge of the bed. My soft moans turned into something desperate, something pleading, as the kiss grew more intense.
