Page 69 of Walkoff Wedding

I fear I might melt into a puddle of nothing in this chair hearing him say something so… filthy.

The only sound in the room is the crackle of the tall candles on the table that are surrounded by our cooling dinner and the harsh sounds of our labored breathing.

His fingers circle my wrist, and he gently pulls my hand away from his mouth, only to press his lips to the racing pulse along the inside of my wrist. The kiss is tender and reverent yet still intensifies my already erratic breathing.

Arousal slides down my spine when his eyes lift to mine, and I can see the want flickering within the depths.

“Does that make your heart race? Hearing me talk about how fucking beautiful you are?” As he speaks, his thumb brushes back and forth along my pulse, and after a moment of trying to gather myself, I nod.

“I… I’m just not used to hearing things like that. I’ve never been the girl who gets told she’s beautiful by a hot…” I catch myself and pause, clearing my throat. “By a guy.”

Grant’s pillowy lip curls up into a small smirk. “Will you come with me? I want to show you something.”

Nodding, I stand, and he reaches out to hold my hand and gently pulls me toward the bedroom.

One second, we were at the dinner table, about to have a meal, and now we’re here next to our shared bed, and I’m trying to digest everything that’s happening. I’m confused about what we’re doing, even more so when he walks us over to the full-length mirror tucked into the corner of the room and stands behind me. I stare into the mirror, my gaze flitting to his, and my brows pinch together.

“What do you see?” he murmurs near my ear, the proximity causing me to shiver involuntarily as I scan my reflection.

I see… a painfully dull girl who’s done nothing but excel at being a wallflower for her entire life. It’s not that I think that I’m unattractive. I’m just ordinary. There’s nothing exceptional about me, and that realization is not something I care to admit out loud to him. So I don’t answer, instead dropping my gaze to the hardwood floor beneath my bare feet.

Grant reaches for my chin and tilts my face back up to the mirror, his stormy gaze locking mine in place. “Do you want to know what I see, Addie?”

Biting the inside of my lip, I nod silently.

I can feel the warm fan of his breath against the shell of my ear as he speaks, his fingers tenderly tracing my jaw. “I see the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I’m not going to stop proving it to you until you see the same thing that I do.”

He slides his hands beneath the hem of my shirt, and I tremble beneath his touch. Not only because of the expected nerves but… with anticipation. His stormy blue eyes meet mine through the mirror, and his brow raises in question, asking if he should continue, and I nod.

Inch by inch, he slides my shirt higher with his large hands splayed along my hypersensitive skin, exposing my rib cage, then the cups of my cream-colored bra. There’s nothing sexy about the old jersey fabric, but the way that his eyes flare when the swell of my breasts comes into view makes me feel that way.

With only a look, he makes me feel desired in a way I’ve never felt before.

“I see the most perfect body, one that nearly brings me to my knees,” he murmurs, never letting his gaze leave mine. “I see these…” Trailing off, he slides his hands higher, cupping my breasts through my bra, causing my breath to hitch as I halt breathing altogether. “The perfect size to fit in my hands. Almost as if my wife was made just for me.”

My lungs burn with the need to expand, but I’m afraid if I suck in a breath, my legs will give out from trembling.

The throb between my thighs pulses harder when he pulls the cups down, exposing my breasts fully. My nipples pebble from the sudden rush of cool air, and he palms them in his large hands, his thumbs sensually caressing my nipples.

Oh…

My head begins to feel dizzy as he touches my bare skin, more sensitive than ever before, and a hoarse whimper tumbles from my lips before I can stop it.

“I see delicate little nipples that I want to wrap my lips around and suck until they’re an even rosier pink. I want to bite and flick them with my tongue just to see if I can make you come that way.”

No one has ever spoken to me like this before, and realization rushes through me at how maddening it is. I’m nearly panting as I anticipate what he’ll say next. What part of me he’ll run his rough hands over. How my body will respond to his touch.

His hands drop before I can protest, and he reaches behind my back and unclasps my bra, letting my breasts spill free. But before he drags the straps down my arms, his gaze meets mine in the mirror, the silent question in his eyes once again.

“Please.” My voice wavers. I’m practically begging, and I don’t even recognize my own voice as I speak, low and hoarse… full of desperation.

I lift my arms, and Grant pulls my shirt up and over my head, tossing it to the ground by our feet. Then, slipping his fingers beneath the loose straps of my bra, he carefully pulls them down, leaving me in nothing from the waist up.

My heart thrashes inside my chest as he scans my reflection, a look of hunger lingering in his gaze.

I’ve never felt so exposed, so vulnerable in my life. Completely on display for someone with the power to break me if he chooses.

Yet, I still feel safe. I feel… beautiful and wanted.

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