Page 161 of Tag

Then he kissed me, and everything else fell away.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

SANJANA

His lips moved against mine reverently. Controlled. He was making me feel every second of it. When we finally pulled apart, it was slow with a shared breath that lingered between us. His eyes swept over my face, then he kissed me again.

Deeper this time.

His tongue swept in, and I almost forgot how to breathe. It wasn’t rushed or clumsy. It was perfection tethered by a restraint unraveling after being wound too tight for too long. My fingers slid into his hair, still damp from his shower, soft between my hands. He groaned into my mouth when I tugged. The sound shot straight to my chest, to the place where I’d kept every aching want buried.

I shifted closer. His hand moved down my back, steady and warm, anchoring me like he always had, only this time it wasn’t gentle. It was possessive. I knew I shouldn’t let this happen, but his touch lit a match inside me I couldn’t put out. My pulse spiked as his fingers slipped beneath the hem of my shirt, skimming bare skin like he already knew where I burned.

“Ryder…” I whispered.

My mind scrambled, trying to drag me back to reason. To Ashton. I barely got the first syllable of his name out before Ryder moved. In one fluid motion, I was on my back, his body caging mine.

“Don’tsay his name,” he bit out, voice low and brutal. “I’ll lose my fucking mind.” His grip at my waist tightened, a claim disguised as control. “You know what? On second thought. Go ahead. Give me a reason to stop being careful with you.”

I froze, breath stuttering.

His mouth lowered, lips brushing the slope of my shoulder, teeth grazing skin. “I know you want this,” he whispered against my collarbone. He lifted his head, gaze locked on mine. “If you don’t, tell me to stop now because once you let me touch you like this, I’m not ever going to quit.”

In place of words, I reached for him, tangled my fingers in his hair, and pulled him back to me. This time, when he kissed me, it wasn’t soft or sweet. It was years of tension, every look, every late night, everyalmost,andwhat-ifcolliding into now. I dragged him closer, needing to feel him.

“You don’t know what you do to me,” he said into my mouth. “I’ve tried to be good.”

“I don’t want good,” I whispered. “I want you.”

He stilled, forehead resting against mine. “Tell me again.”

“Please.” My voice cracked. If he didn’t touch me, I was going to be the one losing my mind. “I want you.”

He shifted, bracing himself with one arm beside my head, the other gripping the hem of my shirt. I lifted, letting him pull it over my head. I wasn’t wearing anything underneath. He tossed it aside without looking away. His eyes were trained on me, and the look in them made my whole face go hot. I moved instinctively, my arm starting to come up to cover my chest.

“Don’t you dare.” His voice was soft, firm. His fingers gently curled around my wrist, pulling it away. “Sass…you are gorgeous.”

When he said it, I felt it.

He leaned in again—kissed me, slower now, like he wanted to savor this.

His tongue slid against mine, hot and demanding, and I moaned into his mouth, my fingers tangling in his hair. His mouth left mine, trailing down my jawline, my neck, until his lips brushed the hollow of my throat. My pulse jumped, mybreath hitching as he took his time, every kiss a promise, a tease, a prelude to what was coming.

When his mouth closed over my breast, warm and wet and unhurried, I arched into him with a gasp that sounded more like a plea. His tongue flicked over my nipple, swirling around it until I was squirming beneath him, my fingers tightening in his hair. He moved to the other breast, his mouth and tongue just as slow, just as fucking devastating, while his hands slid down, hooking the waistband of my pajama bottoms and underwear in one smooth motion. I sucked in a sharp breath as he eased them past my hips, the fabric dragging against my skin like it was reluctant to let go.

He had to pause to tug them the rest of the way off, and I felt the air against my exposed pussy, already slick and throbbing for him. He tossed the bottoms aside, and nothing mattered but the blanket draped loosely over my legs and the way he was looking at me. Really looking. From head to toe, he was memorizing every inch of me. And the sound he made wasn’t a word. It was raw, ragged, a guttural groan that sounded like it got dragged from the deepest part of him.

“So fucking beautiful. How are you real?” His voice was rough, broken, and it made me ache for him in ways I didn’t even know were possible. I reached for him, my arms winding around his neck, pulling him back down to me because I couldn’t take the space between us for another second.

He kissed me again—harder this time, rougher, like something inside him had snapped. I wanted more of that. More of him. His hands were everywhere, smoothing over every inch of skin he could reach like he was trying to claim it all.

“I’ve thought about this,” I breathed, eyes fluttering shut as his hand moved lower, skimming my navel, dragging fire in its wake. “More than I should have.”

That earned me a low, satisfied chuckle, dark and dangerous, vibrating through his chest as he hovered above me. “Yeah?” he murmured, his lips brushing the line beneath my jaw. “What exactly did you think of?”

I hesitated, the thought slipping as his hand went between my thighs, just barely teasing.

“This…” I whispered, my voice was shaky. “On me. In me.”

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