Page 89 of Cold Feet
I couldn't. I didn't want to. Instead, I reached up, my fingers threading through his still-damp hair, and pulled his mouth to mine.
The kiss was explosive, ten long years and the last few weeks of pent-up tension finally breaking. His lips moved against mine with hungry precision, demanding and giving in equal measure. I matched him eagerly, my body arching into his, desperate for more contact. Desperate to feel every part of his body against every part of mine. His hand slid from my hip to the small of my back, pressing me closer until I could feel every hard plane of his athletic body against the soft curves of mine.
"Tell me," he whispered.
"I don't want you to stop," I whispered back.Ever, I didn't say. But I was thinking it.
He lifted me effortlessly onto the hood of the car, his hands strong and sure as they supported my weight. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him closer, desperate to feel every inch of him against me. His hands moved to my thighs, sending shivers of pleasure coursing through me.
"Tell me you want this too," he said, his breath hot on my skin.
I looked into his eyes, seeing the man I'd known for a decade come into sharp focus. The man I'd been trying to deny, trying to push away, for fear of how much he could hurt me. But in that moment, all fear was eclipsed by the sheer, overwhelming need to be with him.
"I want this too," I whispered, my voice shaking with the weight of the admission. "I want you."
His lips curved into a slow smile, one that promised everything I'd been longing for without even realizing it. He leaned in, his mouth finding mine again, this time with a gentleness that was almost reverent. It was as if he was savoring the moment, drawing out every sensation, every whispered promise.
His tongue teased the seam of my lips, and I opened for him, letting him deepen the kiss. He tasted like champagne and desire, a heady combination that made me dizzy with need. My hands roamed over his broad shoulders, down his powerful back, feeling the muscles shift beneath my touch. He growled low in his throat, a sound of pure masculine satisfaction that had me trembling with anticipation.
When we finally broke apart, both breathing hard, his eyes had darkened to the deep blue of a stormy ocean. He looked at me like he wanted to devour me, like I was the only thing that mattered in the world. It was intense, overwhelming. And I couldn't look away.
"My place," he growled, his voice rough with desire. "Now."
My knees buckled.
Chapter 16
The drive from the arena felt eternal, the streets blurring past my window as Cam drove, his hand resting on my leg, his thumb brushing against the hem of my dress, like it was the gate of a castle he was intent on breaching. Each touch sent electricity through my body, rendering me incapable of focusing on anything except the heat of his palm against my thigh and the lingering taste of his lips on mine.
We pulled up to a red light at a deserted intersection, and Cam turned to me, his blue eyes dark with desire. The streetlights cast a soft glow on his face, highlighting the angles of his jaw, the stubble that I desperately wanted to feel against my skin.Everywhereon my skin. The car was filled with a charged silence, the air thick with anticipation.
"Lana," he whispered, his voice low and gravelly, sending shivers throughout my body. His gaze locked onto mine, and in that moment, I knew there was no turning back. This wasn't a game, wasn't a charade. This was real, raw, and undeniable. I felt it in every bone in my body and I could see it all over his face.
Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers tangling in his hair, and pulled him towards me. Our lips met in a fiery collision, a desperate clash of need and longing. His mouth moved against mine with an intensity that left me breathless, his tongue teasing my lips, demanding entry. I opened up to him, matching his hunger with my own.
His hands were everywhere, tracing the line of my jaw, sliding down my neck, and resting on my waist. The heat of his touch seared through the fabric of my dress, setting my skin on fire. I grasped at him, moving awkwardly around the center console, desperate to feel every inch of the hard planes of his body against the soft ones of mine.
The world outside the car blurred into insignificance. All that mattered was the feel of his lips on mine, the slide of his hands over my body, the electric current running between us.
"Cam," I whispered against his mouth, my voice shaking with need. The first word of a confession – of everything I'd been too terrified to admit.
He growled low in his throat, the sound vibrating through me, sending a wave of desire crashing through my body. His hands shifted, one sliding up to cup my breast, the other moving to my lower back, pressing me closer. I arched into him, a soft moan escaping my lips as his thumb brushed the thin fabric over the sensitive peak of my nipple. I felt them tighten with want under his fingertip, and my body's reaction to his touch elicited a low groan from Cam, "I..."
The car behind us blared its horn, startling us both.
"Oh shit," Cam said. We burst into laughter as he pulled away, his eyes dark and wild, his breath coming in short, ragged bursts. I knew my own eyes mirrored his, filled with the same raw desire, the same uncontrollable need.
"Home," he said, slamming his foot on the gas. The car roared to life, speeding through the empty streets.
Every touch, every glance was charged with electricity. His fingers sending jolts of pleasure up my leg with every slow, deliberate movement. I wanted more. He wanted more. I leaned over, my lips brushing against the line of his jaw, tasting the salt of his skin, feeling the rough stubble against my sensitive lips. Wanting to feel him everywhere, in every way.
"I've wanted this for so long," he said quietly, eyes fixed on the road. "You have no idea."
But I did. Because I'd wanted it too. I’d been fighting it for years, hiding behind professionalism and old wounds and the fear of being hurt again. Tonight, watching him on the ice, seeing the raw power and skill as he dominated the game, his easy rapport with my family, Coco’s spot-on assessment of what I’d been too afraid to admit to even myself – shifted something inside me. The careful walls I'd built to protect my heart had finally crumbled completely.
When we stopped at another light, I leaned over and pressed my lips to the sensitive spot just below his ear. His sharp intake of breath was deeply satisfying.
"Not fair," he growled, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. "I'm trying to get us home in one piece."
