Page 68 of Fury

He lifted me up in his arms. The need to touch his bare skin overwhelmed me. I didn’t want to think. Need and desire flung us all around the room like a bottle rocket.

I pulled on his T-shirt underneath his hoodie. I only wanted to consume him, us, before anyone could take it away again. Before I was told to stop, to leave, to not look back. Would this be the last time for a long time? Would it be a disaster and then he’d never contact me again? Would he still want me?

Would I be able to handle all this?

I squirmed away from him and tore off my jacket, my shirt, my bra. He hit a switch, and a dim light further in the room by the bed popped on. He stood there, watching me like a hungry creature of the night, his jaw tense, eyes shining, his built chest rising and falling quickly. Those once ugly scars on his face had become a part of his skin. A short beard now covered his chin and the sides of his face, his hair was still long. He was gorgeous. I lunged at him, pushing him back onto the bed which creaked and squeaked under our weight. I kissed and tasted, I dug my hands in his loose, long hair. He was beautiful, so beautiful.

All mine, all for me.

I sucked on an earlobe, tugging on it while I moved over his body, finding his erection and rubbing a hand over it.

“Baby, wait.”

No, no waiting.

Hands gripped my hips, stopping me. “Serena—”

What?

“Babe, wait! Hang on.” His hands cradled my face, his legs anchored mine on the bed, holding me still.

My breath was tight. My chest hurt. I blinked at the haze. “What? What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Just slow down, honey. Slow down.”

“Why? What are you—”

“Listen to me.” His voice was firm, yet tender. His eyes searched mine. “Are you listening?”

My shoulders tensed, my grip on his flesh tightening. “Yeah?”

He smoothed a hand down the side of my face, my neck, and a small moan escaped my lips at the sudden gentleness.

“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said. “I want you bad, too.”

Heat unfurled inside me at his words, at the care in his touch. “Okay.”

“I want you to know that you don’t have to convince me or rush anything,” he said. “I don’t want to rush. I want us to feel everything. We can stay in this room all day and all night and just fuck if you want, but I don’t want to rush. I want you, not someone you think you have to be for me. I wanted you to know that.”

My chest caved in, a cool shiver raced over my bare flesh.

“You came in through the door just now and suddenly it felt like a first time, a new time,” he said, his voice a rough whisper. “We’ve been through a hell of a lot to get to this very second, and from now on, I want it to be good for you. I need it to be good for you. And after what you’ve been through—”

“And you.”

“Yeah, and me. I know it’s gonna take time, and I want you to know that I’ll listen. I’m going to do everything I can so that this won’t get taken away from us, if that’s what you still want. An ‘us,’ I mean.”

I held onto him tighter. “Justin—”

“You don’t need to prove anything to me,” he continued. “And you don’t owe me anything, I need you to know that. I get you being nervous and wanting to get it over with right off the bat. Is that what this is?”

I swallowed. “Maybe. A part of me was worried about freaking out on you.”

He let out a small laugh. “Look who you’re talking to, baby. I’m the freak.”

“No, no you aren’t.” I pushed up on his chest. “Are you nervous?”

His Adam’s apple plunged up and down in his throat. “I guess, yeah. A little.”

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