Page 34 of Cherry Beats

“I only ask one thing.” I leaned closer until our lips were only a breath apart. “When you go this time, stay gone.”

His face fell.

“Please… let me at leasttryto move on.”

“I might just have to stay here forever then.”

“I don’t think so.” Closing the distance, I pressed my lips to his and stayed there, gifting him with a soft kiss that granted him nothing but a warning: I wasn’t the same girl he’d taken home that night.

Despite that warning, the sensation of the kiss flooded me, leaving me light-headed and desperate for more when I pulled away.

Distance. I needed distance.

“Time for me to go.” I cleared my throat.

After collecting the empty bottles scattered around the bathroom, I left him in peace, calling out over my shoulder as I went, “The towels are in the unit under the sink. Don’t take too long. I’m making chilli. You need to eat before the alcohol rots your stomach. No arguing. My home, my rules.”

Then I went into the kitchen, threw the bottles in the bin, and let myself breathe for a moment. Gripping the kitchen counter, I pressed my entire body weight onto my hands, closed my eyes and dropped my chin to my chest.

“Can I take a minute,” I panted against his mouth as he ran his hands up and down my spine. I was practically riding the knee he’d wedged between my thighs.

“Now?” he groaned.

“Please…”

His eyes opened slowly. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I assured him. “I could just do with a, erm, minute.”

“Bathroom break?”

I nodded.

“Grr,” he growled, quickly pressing his lips to my neck one final time before he set me free, spun me around in the direction of the small corridor, and slapped my arse firmly. “End door, down there. And you’d better come out wearing those leather trousers, Cherry. Don’t cheat me out of unwrapping you. My house, my rules.”

He was a master at commanding a woman without making it sound like an insult.

I found myself rushing through the whole process. After using the toilet and freshening up as discreetly as possible, I went to wash my hands and was just about to readjust and fluff my hair when the door burst open.

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked him, spinning around and planting my arse against the edge of the sink.

Presley stalked towards me. “You were taking too long.”

“I’ve literally been one minute.”

His eyes fell to my legs. “Thank fuck you kept those on.”

I pressed my lips together to bite back my laughter.

He slid in front of me and gripped my arse cheeks firmly before hoisting me up on the sink and stepping in between my parted legs.

“Can we start touching each other now?”

“I’d like that,” I whispered, letting my head fall back as he trailed kisses down my neck and chest. His thumb tugged down the edge of my bra, and before I could even prepare myself, his warm, wet mouth was around my nipple, his tongue flicking harshly before sucking the sting right out again. That jolt of ecstasy struck the pit of my stomach, making my clit practically sing with excitement for what was about to come—literally.

Turning his attention to the other nipple, his thumb brushed the one he’d already assaulted, tenderly bringing it back to life with a concerned caress while his tongue tortured the other with promises of more.

“Fuck.”

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