I sigh, wondering whether it really goes that deep with him. Maybe I’ve underestimated his empathy and regret.

I step off the motorcycle and take a look around, but then he grabs my arm and twists me around, almost making me fall into his arms. “Don’t go anywhere.” He picks me up, making me squeal, and lifts me over the front of the bike, so I’m straddling him.

“What are you doing?”

He traps me in his arms, still holding the handles as he closes in on me. “Getting you closer to me …” he growls. “Better … but still not close enough.”

He’s so close that I can feel his breath on my skin, his lips curving up, tempting me to kiss him. But then he arches his back, lifts himself up and scoots back on the seat, giving me a little more room.

I don’t know what he wants or what he’s trying to do … I don’t even know what I want anymore. I hate being so confused.

Taking a breath, I lie back on the handlebars and stare up at the sky above. The stars are shining bright, some twinkling more than others are, and I can’t help but feel amazed at how beautiful everything really is. This spot, the world, the galaxy. It’s so quiet, with only crickets chirping here and there, and for a moment, I close my eyes and enjoy the silence.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I open one eye to see Chris staring up at the sky. “Yeah … it’s amazing.”

“Makes me feel so tiny,” he says.

I smile. “I was just thinking the same thing.”

He smiles back at me. “Heh, guess I can read your mind.”

I shake my head, laughing a little. “Chris … you’re so weird sometimes.”

“Weird … in a good way,” he says, leaning over me. “Don’t you agree?”

“Maybe …” I say. “Why do you ask?”

“I just wanna do what I do best. What I know is right,” he says. “What I know we both want.”

I swallow away the nerves, my body already heating up from his words. God, I don’t understand why he has this effect on me now. It never used to be this way … except back then. Back when we were young and … innocent.

“Chris, I—”

“Close your eyes,” he interrupts.

Despite the fact that I don’t even know why, I listen to him and close my eyes. Maybe it’s the tone of his voice, which is commanding and convincing at the same time. Or maybe it’s my heart, which is slowly learning to trust him again.

He doesn’t speak, and I listen to the calming sounds surrounding me.

But then I suddenly feel his mouth on my neck.

I suck in a breath as his lips leave a warm, wet spot on my skin. Another peck on the other side of my neck makes me hiss. And then another on my chin, making me open my mouth. My brain is telling me to open my eyes, but all I want is to remain in the dark. Not knowing where the next kiss will land makes it that much more exciting and wrong, too. God, this is so wrong … and so right.

I can feel his rugged skin against mine as he brushes along my neck, his hand on my waist as he leans down to press a kiss to my collarbone. Blowing hot breath underneath my shirt, he’s already driving me crazy with just a few kisses. He knows what I like, and he’s using it against me.

“I want you, Em,” he whispers into my ear. “And I know you want me, too.” He suckles on my earlobe and gently nibbles on it, too. My fingers dig into my jeans as I struggle to contain myself. Part of me wants to jump up and run, and another part wants to lie here and beg for his attention.

When he huskily moans into my ear, I’m done for. “Let me give you what you need.”

Chapter 18

Chris

Pressing soft kisses to her skin requires me to control my inner beast. If it were up to me, I’d ravage her right fucking now. But I gotta take it slow, show her what I can do, what I have to offer, so she’ll crave it more than she can handle. I want her to remember what we had, how it used to be, and how much better it’ll be if she’d just give in to me.

Her legs dangling off the motorcycle tighten around me as I press another kiss just above her shirt. I want to rip it off her and strip her so I can feel her body against mine, but I have to contain myself. I tell myself I’ll get her in my bed soon enough; I just gotta take it slower than slow … so slow she’ll be begging me to take her. And when she does, she’ll be mine completely.

“No teasing …” she mumbles.

“No …” I growl. “We’ve waited long enough. No more avoiding. No more hiding. This. Just this. And us.”

My finger trails down her shirt, carefully avoiding her tits, but her chest rises nonetheless. Her body is already responding to my touch, her lips quivering when my tongue drags across her skin. I slowly undo the button of her jeans and tear down her zipper, exposing her pink see-through panties. Just seeing her pussy already makes my cock hard. Fuck, she’s so fucking beautiful and ready for the taking. Just one taste … One taste and I’ll be fucking lost to her forever.

Get it together, Chris. You can do this. Keep your fucking dick in your pants because this isn’t about you.

Her soft moans bring me back to her face, and I press a hard kiss on her lips. When she kisses me back, I only get more excited. Her lips part and my tongue slides in to toy with hers as my fingers crawl into her panties. I can’t stop myself; I just have to touch her. I have to feel her desire for me. When words aren’t enough, soaked panties and scorching kisses should do the trick.

When my fingers reach her pussy, she holds her breath and her eyelids briefly flash open only to close again when I nibble her lip. Her body squirms underneath me as I rub her sensitive clit, which is begging for release. Images of her fingering herself after she saw my cock float through my mind, making me even hornier. I flick her clit faster, moans escaping her mouth as she’s unable to contain her lust. She doesn’t have to, not around me. I know she wants to keep it a secret because we didn’t choose this, and yet it happened anyway.

She calls it fate; I call it luck because it means she’ll never truly be able to run away from me. After all, family stays together, and we always provide each other with whatever we need … and what she needs right now is a mind-blowing fucking come.

My tongue is going crazy in her mouth, wanting to lick every part of her as she comes undone from my fingers. She’s so fucking wet; I can slather it all over her pussy and then some. She’s mine, all mine, and I’ll be damned if I let her escape from my grasp again.

My finger dips in and out of her, and each time I add another finger, she moans out loud. Fuck, it’s so hot, I cover my mouth on hers, soaking up her moans, because I just can’t fucking get enough. I need more, more, so much more. Claim her as my own. Completely devour her.

“Do you want this, Em?” I whisper against her lips. “Tell me you want me.” I have to hear it come from her mouth, the need, the lust. I want to taste the fucking desire on her lips.

“Fuck …” she moans when I use all my fingers to simultaneously finger her and rub her swollen nub.

“Tell me what you want, babe. I’m here, and I fucking want you so much.” I’ve never wanted anyone this much, but she’s the exception to the rule. The first girl I fell for, the first girl to slip away. I won’t let that happen again.

“I want … I want … Oh god,” she whispers, sucking on her lip.

My lips drag all the way down to her neck to suck on her skin as I bring her to the edge. “Do you want to come?” I groan into her ear.

“Fuck, yes.” Her moans make my cock twitch in my pants, pent-up lust almost erupting.

“Come for me, babe. Don’t hold back.”

I can feel her coming apart in my hand, her wetness flowing richly, soaking my hand and my fingers, and I love every second of it. Her moaning alternates with short gasps as her body writhes underneath me.

“Give me everything you have,” I growl against her skin.