Page 25 of Shades of You

His confession loosed something deep within me, a dam giving way to the torrential craving I’d tried so hard to contain. It wasn’t just lust—it was the terrifying thrill of falling into someone who could break you apart and put you back together all at once. And God, did I want to fall. “Hunter, what if I don’t want you to stop?”

His response was a raw, unguarded look that tore straight through me. In an instant, his lips crashed against mine with an intensity that bordered on ferocity. Then he blew that border to smithereens. His hard body slammed me into the wall as if he could shield me from the world with his own flesh. He gripped my face with his hands, both so large they encompassed me from my jaw to the top of my head.

His kiss scorched through me, igniting fires in places I never knew could burn so fiercely. I gasped at the overwhelming sensation, but Hunter swallowed my sounds,deepening the kiss until I was lost in the storm of passion he unleashed. As his tongue explored my mouth, the taste of him was intoxicating, a mix of coffee and something uniquely his own.

My mind reeled with the ferocity of it, fear mingling with a thrill that raced through my veins. But the fear was fleeting, chased away by the awakening hunger that demanded more—more of his taste, more of the heat from his body.

A wrenching moan tore from my throat, and my hands found their way to his shoulders, at last feeling the taut muscles that moved under my touch. Each brush of my fingers seemed to spur him on, our breaths mingling in ragged synchrony. He kissed me hard enough to leave a mark, and I slanted my head, wanting more. As I clung to him, every hard plane and contour of Hunter’s body became a map I was desperate to explore. He was all-consuming, a tempest that swept me up and promised no safe harbor.

Then he wrenched his mouth from mine and took a solid, deliberate step back. His absence was a brutal return to reality from the consuming inferno we had been lost in. His dark and stormy eyes met mine.

“Getting close to me… it never ends well,” he rasped. And then, without another word, he was gone. The front door shut behind him with a finality that echoed through the suddenly silent apartment.

My knees betrayed me as they buckled, sending me sliding down the cool wall until I was crumpled on the carpet. My body was still humming with the remnants of our kiss, every nerve ending alight with the fire he’d ignited. The air around me was heavy with the scent of him, a mixture of salt and spice that I could taste on my tongue. Itmade my head swim and my heart ache with a longing that was both sweet and terrifying.

I drew a shaky breath, trying to steady myself, but the emotions swirling inside me were too potent. We’d danced on the edge of a cliff, and now I was left teetering, unsure whether to step back or let myself fall into the abyss of what lay between us.

Questions ricocheted through my mind. What did this mean for us? Could there even be anus? Our families, our history, the very fabric of these islands seemed designed to keep us apart. Yet in his arms, none of that had mattered. Despite the chaos of my thoughts, one thing was undeniably clear.

That kiss had changed everything.

Hunter, the man with secrets etched into his very skin, had unraveled me with a single kiss. And as I sat there, my back against the wall and my blood still roaring, the thoughts swirling in my head coalesced into one.

How could a man whose very touch promised danger, make me feel so inexplicably secure?

Chapter Twelve

Hunter

Rushing down the stairs,my heart thundered against my ribs in a relentless echo of Brenna’s name. I lifted a hand to my lips, tracing the sting of a cut—a badge from our kiss that had been too passionate to be considered anything less than dangerous. The memory of her mouth sent a shockwave through my body, leaving me with a deep-rooted sense of forbidden desire.

I craved her.

I wanted her.

I wanted to climb back up those steps, shove open the door, and lose myself in her warmth. The image of Brenna beneath me, with her hair tousled across my pillow, was almost impossible to resist. I pictured mapping every curve of her body, the soft dips and valleys that promised endless pleasure. Her taste lingered in my mouth, a torment that only fueled my hunger for more.

But more wasn’t anoption.

More was a line I couldn’t afford to cross.

Garrett was already at work, his focus on the computer screen on his desk. He glanced up and immediately saw something was off. Damn him for always noticing.

“Morning,” he said, the word tinged with suspicion. “You look like you’re ready to either run ten miles or pull on some boxing gloves.”

“Well, neither is in the cards.” I dropped into the chair opposite him. There was comfort in the familiar order of his desk—papers stacked neatly, a half-empty coffee cup on a coaster.

“Spill it. Is this about our new charge?” Garrett stared right into me. “Yournew charge?”

I hesitated, feeling the internal tug-of-war between wanting to confide in my friend and the instinct to keep everything locked down tight. But secrets had a way of coming out, and Garrett had always been stubborn as a pit bull when he smelled trouble.

“Brenna and I just kissed.” My voice was rough, as if dragged over gravel. It was a confession and a condemnation all in one.

“Kissed orkissedkissed?” he asked, air quotes heavy with implication.

“Isn’t it obvious?” I shot back, rubbing one shoulder where tension knotted. “I never should have let it happen, but I couldn’t stop myself. I’m supposed to be protecting her, not exploring her tonsils.”

“Getting involved with someone you’re guarding is always dicey. Which begs the question. Does she really need to be guarded? Is Knox a threat, or are you looking for excuses to play white knight?”

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