Page 38 of From the Wreckage
“Angel.” My voice is low, rough. “You have no idea how hard I was holding back tonight.”
I drop beside her, cup her face, and kiss her. At first, it’s soft, reverent—just a taste of the sweetness I’ve been craving. But the second her fingers fist in my shirt, I’m gone. The kiss turns fierce and desperate. She parts for me, and I sweep inside, my tongue stroking hers, swallowing her whimpers like oxygen.
I drag her onto my lap, her thighs bracketing me, heat radiating from her body. A guttural sound tears from my chest as my hands grip her hips, pulling her flush against me.
She gasps, rocking against me, clutching my shoulders like she needs me to anchor her. And I nearly lose it right there.
“Everett,” she breathes, breaking the kiss just long enough to tremble against me. “I can’t stay away from you.”
My thumb traces her jaw, my voice ragged. “I can’t stay away from you, either. You’remine, angel. Not his.”
Her hazel eyes burn, lips parting as she whispers the words that detonate the last of my control. “I’m yours.”
My restraint shatters.
My hands slide up her sides, memorizing every curve through the thin cotton of her tank, then back down to grip her ass, pulling her tighter against me. She whimpers into my mouth, nails scraping my neck, her body pressing closer like she wants to crawl inside my skin.
“Angel,” I rasp, pressing my forehead to hers, my breath ragged. “You’re killing me.”
Her answer is a whisper between frantic kisses. “Then die for me.”
Fuck.
I devour her, kissing her like the world is ending. Her hips grind against mine while my hands roam up beneath her shirt, desperate for every inch of her. Her gasp turns into a moan when my mouth trails down her throat, tasting her skin.
“Jesus,” I mutter against her pulse, sucking lightly, my hands spanning the hot, bare skin of her waist. She arches into me, trembling, thighs clamping tighter around me.
We’re fire and gasoline, burning too hot, too fast. One spark away from an inferno I won’t be able to stop.
She yanks my mouth back to hers, reckless and hungry. I grip her waist to hold her steady, even as my own control frays to nothing.
When she finally breaks for air, her lips swollen, chest heaving against mine, she whispers the truth that undoes me completely. “Everett… I’ve never felt like this before.”
“Neither have I,” I rasp, brushing her hair back, forcing myself to slow down. Because if I don’t, I’ll take her right here on the dock, under the stars.
And she deserves more than me losing control outdoors, where we could be caught by her father.
CHAPTER 27
Brielle
The smellof coffee and bacon pulls me from sleep. My body’s still buzzing from last night, every nerve strung tight, but I drag myself into shorts and a tee before padding into the kitchen. Dad’s at the stove, spatula in hand, humming along to the radio like nothing’s wrong.
“Morning, kiddo,” he says, his voice warm but edged with something heavier. “Eggs are almost done.”
“Morning.” I slide into my usual chair. He sets a steaming mug of coffee in front of me, and I curl my hands around it, grateful for the comfort.
For a few minutes, it’s just the sizzle of bacon and the clink of a spatula. But when he finally sits across from me, his brow is furrowed.
“I need to apologize,” he says.
My fork pauses halfway to my mouth. “For what?”
He exhales, dragging a hand through his hair. “For inviting Joey last night. I thought… Hell, I thought it would make you smile. But after what happened… the way he acted toward you...” His jaw flexes hard. “I don’t like it. I don’t like him, Bri. Not after that.”
A pang hits deep. For a moment, I see Joey’s face twisted with anger when he grabbed me. But it’s chased away by Everett’s intervention. The storm in his eyes, like he was ready to tear the world apart to protect me.
I push my eggs around my plate. “Dad… Joey and I aren’t together anymore. We broke up. So you don’t have to worry about him.”
