Turning my head, I stood on my tiptoes and brushed my lips against his.

Lightly.

Whisper soft.

Pulling back, I told him, “I don’t feel lonely when I’m with you.”

His eyes met mine, searching for something. When he found whatever it was he was looking for, I lost his deep blues. With a squeeze of my waist, he let me go, and walked away.

I stood there thinking about what just happened, and I knew it changed things. Yet again.

Why was I feeling like this?

What was it about this man that made my brain stupid and irrational?

Why did I never want this threat against me to end?

Nox.

I wanted to stay with him.

And tonight would help me make my decision.

***

Already sitting on the blue sheets of Nox’s bed, I wait for him to undress and get comfortable.

Dressed in a spaghetti strapped tank and white cotton panties, I’m sure I’m far from sexy right now, but I made sure to shave my legs and underarms. I even blow-dried my thick reddish locks and applied a little gloss to my lips. I don’t have perfume here at the safe house so I had to make do with deodorant.

Isn’t that how one becomes sexy?

My brain slaps a hand to its forehead, shaking its head in despair.

Removing shoes and socks first, he undoes his leather belt and he narrows his eyes at me. “You ‘kay?”

Shit! Play it cool, Lil.

Rolling my eyes, I scoff, “Uh, yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

The zipper to his cargo’s come down and I swallow hard. His lips purse. “I don’t know. You’re too quiet tonight. Normally talkin’ my ear off before bed.”

This was true.

I always had something to say and Nox was a good listener. He never once fell asleep while I was talking. He would always answer when asked. And he always made me feel like what I was saying was worth listening to, just by providing the attention.

That’s one of the things I love about him. Just one. There are too many things to name, and right now, looking at Nox undress, I can spot a few good ones.

I should make a list.

His tight black tee comes off next revealing his sculpted abs and broad chest.

Sigh.

Throwing it on the chair next to the bathroom, he places both hands on his hips and he watches me. His eyes become slits as he mutters, “Something’s fucky here.”

Shit! Busted.

Heart racing, I ask, “Will you sit, please?”

At hearing the tremor in my voice, his eyes soften and he sits on the bed with his back to the headboard. “What’s up, princess?”

This princess was different from the others. This princess was not an insult. It was a sweet nothing.

I whisper, “There’s something I need to do. So I should just do it, right? I mean, if I overthink it, I won’t do it, so I should just do it.”

Looking confused as hell, he utters, “You do what you need to do, Lily.”

Nodding, I slowly crawl across the bed and over him. Never one to give anything away, his face remains stoic while I straddle his lap facing him, then place my palms on his chest.

“What are you doin’, Lily girl?”

Not able to meet his eye, I answer quietly but truthfully. “Reacting.”

My eyes trained on his full bottom lip, I lift my hand and run it up his rough and stubbled cheek. My stomach clenches as I lean forward in an attempt to kiss him.

All my squishy feelings come to a screeching halt when he grabs both of my hands, places his forehead to mine and says “Don’t. Don’t do it.”

I blink.

I think it would’ve hurt less if he threw a bucket of cold water over me.

Cheeks flaming with humiliation, I move to pull away from him, but he holds me tight. Nox whispers, “I’m not rejecting you, Lily. I’m protecting you.”

My voice shakes while I squeeze my knees tighter around his thighs. “I don’t need you to protect me right now, Nox. I need your mouth on me. I need to know why I feel like this, and if it’s just a thing, or if it’s more. You told me to do what I had to do. All I want is a kiss.” Dipping my chin, I whisper, “Just a kiss.”

His thighs tense under me. Placing his hands on my knees, his thumbs stroke the skin there.

“You’re startin’ something dangerous here.” He breathes in deeply and adds on an exhale, “You sure you need this?” His voice is soft, but the words come out firm.

Meeting his hooded gaze, I confess, “I don’t know if I need it, but I want it really freakin’ bad.”

He swallows hard.

Loosening his hold on my hands, he mutters roughly, “You kiss me, you do it properly. Show me what you need. Not gonna move a muscle, just show me.”

Oh God!

Permission.

I have permission! That’s, like, a gazillion times better than rejection!

Raising my hands to his cheeks, I cup them and move my thumbs over the roughness that I like so much. Closing my eyes, I lean forward, pull his face closer to meet me halfway, and press my lips to his.

He doesn’t move but allows me to kiss his closed mouth deeply and softly, over and over again. The bulge in his boxers grows even larger, and the very tip of him kisses my cotton panty covered sex. At the very same time that he hisses and jerks, I gasp as my eyes widen.

Oh wow, that feels nice.

He doesn’t give me an inch. His mouth doesn’t open and I find myself begging for a taste of him. I whisper against his lips, “Please. Open. Please. I need it.”

At hearing the sincerity of my plea, his lips part a little.

Not wasting any time, I sigh as I lightly brush the tip of my tongue against his.

Warmth cloaks my entire body.

My hands slide down his cheeks, to his jaw, and up through his hair. Tingles shoot from my toes all the way to the hairs on my head.

It’s everything I hoped for and more.

Not able to stop myself, I moan into his mouth, wanton and needy, “Yes.”

His arms coil around my waist, he pulls me closer so we’re belly to rock-hard abs. His mouth opens wider as he tilts his head, finally giving in. He presses his mouth into mine hard, almost punishingly, and I feel myself getting damp between the legs.

Kiss me forever, you brute.

You know how when a guy and girl really like each other in a book, they talk about a spark between them?

With Nox, there is no spark.

No.

He bypassed the spark.

When Nox touches me, there’s nothing less than the whistling, shrieking explosions of fireworks.

Big ones.

The ones they save till the end of the show.

The ones people hang around to get a glimpse of.

Seriously.

That good.

My hands clutch at his head, dragging my nails through his short hair, and I pull myself even closer to him. The move places his hard-on right where I need it and I moan again while he groans through our kiss.

I’m desperate for this to happen. Tonight is the night.

Rubbing my back, he slides his hands lower, places them on my hips and starts a motion, rocking me back and forth as our lips remain connected. Rubbing against each other, deeper and harder, my breathing turns heavy, and the flush rises up my neck and onto my cheeks. Pulling back from me, he watches me closely.

My eyes flutter.

His eyes darken.

The feeling of prickles in my belly and lower back warn me that something’s happening, but before I register what’s happening, it hits me, hard and powerful.

Digging my fingernails into his scalp, I gasp.

Well, this is new!

My heart races and my breathing hitches as my core contracts over and over again. I buck against him moaning long and low. Still rigid from the endless pleasure surging through me, he captures my mouth and kisses me hungrily.

Mouth on mine, Nox whispers, “Fucked up, baby.”

Fucked up?

My heart sinks. This is not going how I planned this going.

I open my mouth, but he speaks again before I get the chance. “I know what you need, baby.”