Page 60 of Obligation
Slowly, her eyes opened and met his gaze. He remained perfectly still, though his heart was like a wild beast inside his chest, pounding and thrashing against his ribs. He swallowed the lump in his throat. His entire body was tense, and the smallest thing would make him snap.
She clutched his hand and lowered it from her face. He fully expected her to let go of him, to tell him to go away, to give him yet another excuse as to why he should walk away from her. But she didn’t say a word, and the silence stretched. All the training his father had taught him crumbled, and he caved to the pressure of needing to say or do something.
“Carissa, I—”
She flung her arms around his neck, pressed her body against his, and then crushed her mouth over his. His shock lasted the span of a single heartbeat, and then he wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly to him. He nibbled at her bottom lip, begging for entry, and she granted him permission. Her lips parted on a needy sigh, and he dipped his tongue inside her mouth for a taste. Though, if he had his way, this would be a hell of a lot more than just a taste.
After what happened between them earlier that morning, he was still wound tight, and his balls ached for release. Carissa curled her fingers along the nape of his neck, and he groaned. Shivers shot down his spine, and he flattened his palms against her back, the action drawing her even closer. She made absolutely no effort to get away or put any distance between them. In fact, she wiggled even closer.
Without allowing himself to think about what he was doing—or the consequences—he lifted her off her feet. She let out a small gasp, wrapped her legs around his waist, and then kissed him harder. Deeper. With an urgency he’d never felt from anyone before, but one he matched without hesitation.
Bradley carried her into the bedroom and laid her in the middle of the bed. As badly as he wanted to take this moment to savor her, to drink in the sight of her splayed out before him, he didn’t. He couldn’t, because he was too hungry for her. Instead, he shifted his weight into his arms and held himself above her; then he lowered his mouth back to hers.
She speared her fingers through his hair and shifted so he could settle between her now parted legs. His muscles strained and twitched with the effort of trying to maintain some semblance of control, but he was losing the battle fast. Her kiss remained urgent, starving almost, and he met every nip and flick of her tongue with one of his own.
Her breaths were ragged, and her chest heaved with each exhale. Her lips were a million times softer than he’d remembered, and his head swam with too many thoughts and emotions. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily drown in her. That, or he’d go up in flames with how fiery hot she burned with passion.
She disentangled her hold on his hair, coursed her hands down his back, and then she slid her fingers up his sides and over his ribs, her fingernails leaving goose bumps in their wake. He fought back a shudder and slowed the kiss to something softer, something that not only conveyed how badly he wanted her but how he truly felt about her, how special she was.
He knew he should stop before either of them did something they’d regret. Not that he’d ever regret being with her, but he knew she would regret doing this with him. If for no other reason than she was still involved with Danny, and the last thing Bradley wanted was for her to feel any worse about herself.
Reluctantly easing away from her mouth, he was determined to collect himself enough to make sure this was what she really wanted. But then she flattened her hands on his back, holding him to her, encouraging him to keep going. And in that moment, he was a goner. No way could he deny her anything she wanted, and right now, she wanted him.
Slowly, he lowered himself onto her. The instant his body touched hers, he lost all coherent thought. She was incredibly warm and soft and pliant. How could she not feel what was between them? How could she deny they had a spark so intense that they could ignite one another with nothing more than a heated look? A touch of their lips? He’d never experienced anything so potent before.
She wiggled beneath him. “Bradley,” she half-whispered, half-gasped.
He tore away from her mouth with a curse and showered her jaw with tiny, heated kisses. “My God, Carissa.” Drawing in a deep enough breath was impossible, and he was dizzy with need as he dragged his mouth down the column of her neck. Her flesh was fiery hot, and her pulse punched against his lips.
Carissa tilted her head, granting him access, and that one small act of trust had his self-controlling snapping. He rocked his hips forward, letting her know exactly what she did to him, and she moaned in response.
Did he have any condoms anywhere in this penthouse? He hoped to God he did, because if she continued to be so agreeable, he would spend the rest of the day worshipping her and her body. When he was done with her, she’d know what it felt like to have a man attend to her every want and need and desire.
He eased his hand up the hem of her shirt and along her ribcage, his thumb grazing her breast. She sucked in a sharp breath, and he claimed her mouth in another kiss; this one slower than the others but packed full of promise.
“Bradley,” she said, her voice breathless. “I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
He immediately moved away from her mouth, and then pushed himself off her, his weight once again in his arms. Then, he peered down at her. She had her hands covering her face, almost as if she were ashamed.
“Hey.” Bradley adjusted so he was on his side next to her, and then he gently pulled her hands from her face. “It’s okay.” He forced a smile and worked to calm his erratic heartbeat. “You don’t have to apologize. If you don’t want this, that’s okay. No hard feelings.”
“Really?” she asked, her tone shocked.
He nodded. “Yes. Really. In fact, I should be the one apologizing.” He flopped over onto his back, draped his arm over his face, and blew out a breath. “I never should’ve taken things this far, especially after everything this morning.”
She was silent for a moment, and he dared to sneak a glance at her. Her bottom lip was tucked between her teeth, and she was staring up at the ceiling, hands folded on her stomach.
Bradley turned his attention to the ceiling, too, because staring at that right now was easier than looking at her. Not because she wasn’t gorgeous or because he didn’t want to get lost in her beauty, but because knowing she was so close yet unattainable was too much for him to bear.
“For what it’s worth, that was fun. I liked it,” she said.
He laughed. “Fun? Not exactly how I’d describe it, but okay.” He’d take what he could get.
“Fine. It was the hottest thing I’d ever experienced, okay?” She sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “But I just can’t do this with you.”
“Because of Danny,” he said, defeated, as he got off the bed. “Yeah, I get it.” He raked his fingers through his hair, his hand trembling.
“Yeah, but more so because being with you like that terrifies me.”
