Page 177 of Before Dawn

I leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, letting it linger.

“You’re everything to me, Mikkel.”

His thumb brushed over my cheek, catching a tear I hadn’t realized had fallen. His eyes never left mine, his expression raw,unguarded.

“You’re my infinity.”

Mikkel had made himself comfortable on my couch, lounging back in just his boxers like he belonged here, like he knew exactly what he was doing to me.

Cocky. Relaxed. Looking every bit the man who owned the moment.

But I wasn’t going to let him have the upper hand tonight.

I changed into pajama shorts and a sports bra before coming back, watching his gaze drag down my body, slow and heated.

I settled beside him, fingers dancing over his arm, tracing the ink curling over his muscles. Barely touching. Just enough to tease.

“I’m amazed every time I see them,” I murmured, dragging my nails lightly along his bicep.

Mikkel’s fingers flexed on his thigh, his breathing slowing. “They all mean something. A time, a place…a decision.”

My hand trailed lower, skimming the deep ridges of his stomach, stopping just before his waistband. I glanced up, watching the way his jaw clenched, the muscle there ticking.

“And this one?” I whispered, dragging my fingertips over a design near his ribs.

His abs tensed under my touch, his voice rough. “That’s a story for another time.”

A slow smile curved my lips.

I wasn’t looking for stories tonight.

I let my fingers wander lower, dragging along the deep ridges of his stomach. Barely brushing the band of his boxers.

His breath hitched.

I smirked, then slid off the couch and settled onto my knees between his legs.

Mikkel’s entire body went rigid.

His hands fisted at his sides, his jaw clenching so hard a vein popped in his neck.

“Red,” he rasped, his voice already wrecked.

I ignored him, pressing my lips against the outline of his cock—barely touching, just enough to tease—then pulling back like nothing happened.

A full-body shudder wracked through him. His abs clenched, his thighs tensed so hard they trembled.

“Oh,” I cooed, tilting my head up at him, “you liked that?”

His fingers flexed, fighting the urge to grab me, to force me closer. To make me stop teasing and just fucking touch him.

“Baby,” he groaned, his voice low and strained, like he was physically in pain. “Please.”

I pouted. “Please what?”

Mikkel’s thighs twitched, his cock throbbing visibly through his boxers, and I could hear the breath he sucked in through his teeth.

“Take it out,” he groaned out, his hips lifting slightly, chasing the ghost of my touch.

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