Page 38 of The Rookie

As I press my ass against him, his hands roam—over my hips, my stomach, the tops of my legs.

My throat. My shoulders. My hair. Everywhere.

"Fuck, Avery," he breathes, his voice strained, like he's barely holding on. "You drive me insane. You know that? It’s like torture trying to hold back with you when I just want to bend you over the nearest surface and have my way with you.”

I don’t want him to hold back.

And I sure as hell don’t want to, either.

His hands tighten, and in one effortless movement, he spins me around to face him, lifts me up onto the nearby railing.

I gasp as my back meets the cool metal, but before I can react, his mouth is on mine.

And—holy shit.

The kiss is deep, desperate, consuming. His hands grip my thighs, holding me against him like he’s staking a claim. Like he’s been waiting for this.

Like he’s not planning on stopping anytime soon.

And I don’t want him to.

I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him in closer, my fingers tangling into his hair, tugging—just to see what it does to him.

It gets me a growl.

A low, dangerous sound that sends a pulse of heat straight through me.

His lips move from my mouth to my jaw, my neck, my collarbone, biting just enough to make me gasp.

I don’t know how long we stay like this, tangled, lost in the music and the heat and each other.

But then—reality slams into me like a freight train.

I stiffen.

Because this is Griffin.

Griffin Knox.

My best friend’s brother.

I swallow hard, my breath still ragged as I press a hand against his chest, pushing just slightly.

His lips hover near mine, his breath uneven, questioning.

And then, in the quietest voice, I whisper, “I like you. But this has to be a one-time thing. This is…a rebound. A rebound makeout.”

His expression doesn’t change.

But his grip on me tightens.

I keep going before I lose my nerve. “This stays here. No more. No funny business when we get home. Got it? I’m serious.”

His jaw tenses.

His hands flex on my thighs.

For a second, I think he’s going to argue.

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