Page 37 of With Every Breath

“Oh, sweetheart,” he murmured reverently, his palms lightly cupping both breasts.

I needed more. I needed to feel his bare skin against mine. All I could say was, “Jonah, more.”

Somehow, he knew just what I needed. He had my bra undone in a flash and tossed it aside, murmuring something indecipherable before I felt the warmth of both palms cupping my bare breasts. I arched into his touch, letting out a ragged whimper.

On the heels of a shaky breath, he was dipping his head, and I felt the wet heat of his mouth closing over one needy nipple. He teased the other with his thumb and forefinger as he swirled his tongue and gave a sharp suck. The sensation rippled through me, narrowing to my very core as I clenched.

My hands were greedy, and I yanked at the hem of his shirt. He leaned back, giving me an assist as he lifted it in a swoop, up and over his head, where it fell beside my tank top. His warm muscled chest with a light dusting of auburn hair pressed against me as his hand slid up my spine, bringing his mouth to mine again.

A moment later, he broke free, growling, “Fuck me, Alice.”

We stared at each other as I tried to catch my breath. It felt as if something snapped loose inside. I didn’t know how to slow it down. I didn’t want to. “We could get to that part,” I rasped, half-teasing and also entirely serious.

Jonah’s lips curled up at one corner. “We’ll get there.”

He smoothed my hair back, his hands sliding over my shoulders and down along my sides. I felt as if he were memorizing my shape. I let my fingers trail lightly over his muscled chest. As my eyes dipped down, it was impossible not to see the scars on his side.

Startled, I lifted my eyes to his. My questions caught in my throat.

He was quiet, and something dark flickered in his gaze. I thought I saw a flicker of pain in his eyes for a second, but it disappeared quickly.

He lifted a hand, catching one of my curls and spinning it around his finger as he replied, “I was shot at a school shooting.” His words were flat, almost rote.

My heartbeat stuttered for a moment. My hand stilled where it rested on his chest. Even though I’d heard about the shooting, seeing the evidence of it slammed into me. “Jonah,” I breathed as a sense of worry, momentary panic, and sadness struck me abruptly.

“It’s okay,” he assured me. “Obviously, I survived.”

Emotions tumbled through me. I had so many questions, but none of them seemed right for this moment.

His gaze was steady when he added, “I don’t want to dwell on it.”

I nodded, whispering, “I’m sorry.”

His eyes closed, opening on the heels of a deep breath. “Everyone’s sorry.”

I felt the beat of his heart under my palm, a little unsteady and fast. His fingers slid free of my curls, and he lightly caught my chin with his thumb dragging across my bottom lip again as he said, “Let’s forget it for now.”

Once again, Jonah made me forget everything except the need rushing through me. The force was so intense it knocked everything free inside like a river breaking through a dam in the spring.

Later, I would think that something about seeing his scars and learning what happened had intensified all of it. Yet at this moment, all I knew were the sensations layering upon each other and how desperate I was to touch him, to feel him, to taste him.

He nudged me off his lap, ordering, “I want to see you naked. All of you.”

I was happy to oblige and quickly stripped off my clothes. I was impatient because I wanted to see him too. With nimble fingers, I unbuttoned his jeans. He lifted his hips as I tugged them down along with his briefs.

His cock was long and thick. I curled a palm around it, teasing my thumb over the tip where a drop of pre-cum rolled out. “Condom,” he bit out.

He shifted and snagged his jeans off the floor, shaking until his wallet fell out. In a matter of seconds, he was rolling a condom on.

A moment later, I was straddling him again, savoring the feel of the underside of his cock sliding between my slippery wet folds.

“Slow down,” he murmured again.

I stared at him, my mouth half open. I felt my heartbeat in the very core of me.

He shifted me back, bringing his fingers between my thighs. His eyes were on mine the entire time as he slipped two inside me, stretching, almost testing to see if I was ready for him.

I was more than ready. My hips bucked against his hand as he drew out and then pumped inside me with his fingers. “Almost there, sweetheart.”

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