Page 48 of One Night Only

“No, I don’t, do I?” I scoff. “It’s funny how many little things you know about me already. And yet…” I bite off the words.

“Do you want a little more with me, Dr. Cross? I mean, I can’t stay tonight, but do you?”

“Whatdo youwant, Annika?”

She exhales sharply, looking down at her hands. Her fingers tremble slightly, and I want to reach out, steady them, steady her. But I wait. Her chin lifts, and her shoulders square. When she lifts her gaze to meet mine this time, there’s a clarity that makes my breath short.

“I want the laughter we shared last night, the games we played, the way you kissed me.” Her breath shallows out. “I want the A-plus dirty talk, the unbelievably good sex, and the fancy orgasms you dole out,” she laughs at that, and it’s loud in the silence. “I want them for as long as I can have them. I want you.”

Tears run down her cheeks again. Without wiping them, she takes a step toward me. Her vanilla and lemon scent hits me first, and every cell in my body stands at attention. The backs of my own eyes prickle with heat.

This is the last time she’ll ever cry, I promise myself.

“I don’t know how you see this playing out. Or if all you want is a fling. It could end when you get bored with me—”

“Don’t do that, Annika. Don’t guess at my feelings.”

She stills, as if she can hear the growl in my voice. “Coming back to you took all of me. I’m terrified that I’ll do something that will stop you from looking at me like...like you’re lookingat me now. But I want more, Dr. Cross. I want everything with you.”

“Why?”

She smiles, and the awe in it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. “Because I’ve fallen in love with you.” A shake of her head. “It’s either the stupidest or the most courageous thing I’ve ever done, and I don’t think I can take it back.”

Relief crashes into me so fast, so hard, I almost stagger with it. I exhale, my shoulders dropping, my entire body feeling light for the first time in hours. A large part of me is still in shock, still wondering if I’m caught in a dream. Still processing my sheer fucking luck that this sweet, beautiful, chaotic girl is mine.

All mine.

“You, Ethan? Do you want more too?” Her voice breaks at the last, and she sways, and I catch her.

She’s shaking, and I’m quivering—manliness be damned—and we cling to each other like falling leaves. Then I realize I could be kissing her. That I can kiss her, however much I want, for the rest of our lives.

And I do. Long and hard. Fast and slow. Over and over, until her taste isn’t simply a memory in my heart. Until my lips tingle with heat.

She tastes like toothpaste and coffee and all my dreams woven into the perfect form. I stroke my hands over her back, knead her shoulders, cup her hips, crush her breasts against my chest, but it’s not enough.

It’s never going to be enough.

She plops her forehead against mine with a thud, and we both groan. And then laugh. Leaning in, she licks my lips awkwardly and then blushes. “I have this crazy notion of tasting your laughter.”

“It’s yours,” I say, clasping her cheek.

“Are you?”

I frown, my head feels empty of all thought. It hasn’t sunk in that she’s here, in my arms. “Am I what?”

“Are you mine too, Dr. Cross?” Her eyes search mine with a wariness I never want to see when she looks at me. “Because I made this grand declaration, and you have said nothing. About how you feel. If you didn’t know this already, I’m needy outside of sex and kissing too. Especially with you. No, only with you. So, if you want to back out and break my heart, this is the time to—”

I catch her lower lip with my teeth and nip, hard. She hisses into my mouth and jerks against me. Taking advantage of her imbalance, I press her back against the wall and grind my erection into her belly.

Lust and longing she doesn’t hide anymore shimmer at me from her eyes. Her fingers lace around my neck, the tips digging into my scalp. I push my head back, reveling in her possessive hold.

“What was that for?”

“Mouthy girls get punished.”

“And good girls?”

“Get rewarded.”

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