Page 55 of Ruled Out

He reaches up and takes my other hand in his, bringing it to his lips and kissing the tips of my fingers tenderly. “I’ve been wanting to kiss you from the second I found out you were in Seattle. No, from the second I walked out of your house that day Graham caught us. But I’ve never wanted to kiss you more than at this moment right now. I’m sorry for being a fucking idiot and ignoring you. Sometimes, letting in the person who sees you the most is the hardest thing to do.”

He kisses my fingers again and then pulls back slightly, his heart beating rapidly under my palm. “If I said fuck it and took you into my bedroom right now, would you stop me? Would all this be too fast, even after years of being apart?”

My heart races at the same speed as his, reminding me of the last time I felt this way. I’d just turned nineteen, and I was waiting for the boy standing in front of me to remove my bra.

I cast my eyes over his battered but still-beautiful body. “The only reason I’d say no would be to stop you from hurting yourself further. You’re in pain, and I don’t want to be the reason you hurt more.”

He runs his fingers through my hair as he rests his hand at the nape of my neck, drawing me closer to him. “Yeah, it hurts, Sweetheart. But trust me when I say that the pain in my body is nothing compared to the thought of spending another fucking second without touching you like you’re mine.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

MIA

Jessie’s lips crash down onto mine. At first, the kiss is rushed and every bit the way I imagined him kissing me after so long without each other. But then he slows down, gently brushing his mouth against mine.

His heart has gone from fast to practically beating through my palm. Only our hands and mouths are making contact, but somehow, I feel him everywhere.

When he reaches down and wraps his hands around the back of my thighs, I instantly know what he wants to do, and there’s no way I’m allowing it.

I shake my head and reach for his hands, taking them in mine and interlacing our fingers. “No. There’s not a chance I’m letting you carry me.”

He stops mid-kiss and speaks against my lips. “You think after years of picturing you in my bed, I’m not going to lay you on it myself?”

I look to my right and down the hallway. It’s easy to tell which bedroom is his since his door is wide open and his bed is visible.

When I turn back to Jessie, his eyes burn with need.

“I want you to lead me to your bed and watch as I lie down in front of you.”

Resting his forehead against mine, Jessie closes his eyes and exhales. “I’ll let you win this round. But there’s something I will absolutely not compromise over.”

I roll my lips together, my core tightening at the sultry tone in his voice. “Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“You can call the shots on the way you get into my bed, but I get to say when you leave it.”

Oh Lord.

My body overheats, reaching boiling point in record time.

“Do we have a deal, Miss Jenkins?”

I nod lightly as our lips brush together.

“Words, Mia. Let me hear you say you’re mine to do as I want, for as long as I want.”

Our hands are still interlaced, so I separate them and wrap my little finger around his.

When I take the first step toward his room, I turn and look over my shoulder at him and smile. “I’m yours, Jessie. For as long as you want.”

As my back hits the gray sheets on his king-size bed, I don’t take in the rest of the room. Only the man hovering over me as he stands at the foot, his bottom lip pinned between his teeth.

I know his mind is in overdrive, and so is mine.

“I need to tell you something,” I say as I hold my weight on my elbows.

Jessie slowly crawls over my body, his attention locked on me the whole time. “Okay, Sweetheart.”

My cheeks heat at what I’m about to say. “I—I don’t know how far we plan to go right now, but I need you to know that I’m …” I cast my eyes down my body and then back up to his face. “I haven’t actually been with anyone. Ever.”

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