Page 73 of Stay
That’s all he does.
Tastes my mouth a thousand different ways until I’m almost drunk with the sensation.
If this is going to happen, it needs to be on my terms. I push against the steely strength of his chest until he draws back and searches my gaze.
“Changed your mind?” Even though there’s a raspy edge to his voice, I know he’ll stop if I want him to.
“No.”
Instead of explaining what I want, I push him back against the mattress until he’s the one lying flat before I climb on top of him and straddle his hips. My heart gallops almost painfully as I stare down at him from this vantage point.
Have I mentioned just how much I love his chest?
It’s so broad and muscular.
Firm and powerful.
Just like him.
I think that’s what I like most about Cole. He’s so big and strong, but there’s a tenderness within him. An unexpected gentleness. A goodness you don’t always find in people.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, gaze roving over my features.
Heat fills my cheeks as I lower my lashes. “I’m already in your bed, you don’t need to tell me that.”
His lips quirk as he shakes his head. “I saw you the first day in Psychology, sitting way up in front. I couldn’t stop staring as you diligently took notes. You were listening so intently and seemed so serious. Almost like everything the professor said was important, and you didn’t want to miss a word of it. I thought about talking to you but chickened out.” His laugh is oddly self-deprecating. “And then I chickened out every day after that, until I saw you at that party. I watched you with Alex, and then suddenly you were pulling that girl over and the others joined you. It was the funny to watch. Instead of yelling at Alex, you stood there with a little smirk on your face. That was the moment I knew I had to meet you.” The corners of his mouth lift as he chuckles. “And I’d already had a beer or two, so I was feeling confident.”
It boggles my mind that Cole would be afraid to speak with me.
Me.
He has to know how girls look at him. The guy can’t be that oblivious.
Unable to help myself, I bend down and take his mouth with my own before admitting, “I thought you were beautiful.”
“Beautiful?” He gives me a mock frown. “Not ruggedly handsome?”
My lips tremble as I shake my head. “Nope, beautiful. Gorgeous, actually.” Then I add so he doesn’t get too swollen of a head, “I was pretty sure you’d be a douchebag.”
Laughter bursts from him. “A D-bag, huh?” He scratches his chin and narrows his eyes. “I do remember you trying to blow me off. A few times, now that I think about it. Luckily for you, I’m persistent.”
I press a kiss against his lips before straightening to meet his gaze. “You’re the furthest thing from a D-bag.” I suck in a steady breath before releasing it back into the atmosphere and admitting, “I like you, Cole. A lot.”
His lips curve as his eyes soften. “I like you, too.”
Still sitting astride him, I grab the hem of my long-sleeved shirt and yank it over my head. His gaze holds mine before dipping to my breasts. It occurs to me that I’m wearing a simple white bra and underwear. It’s not even a matching set. It’s functional, at best.
Heat leaps into Cole’s eyes as he reaches up to cup my breasts through the thin white material. “You’re absolutely beautiful, you know that? Just…beautiful.”
His praise gives me the confidence to reach behind my back and unclasp the hooks. The straps fall down my arms as the cups fall away from my breasts. Even though the urge to cover myself pounds through me, I keep my arms at my sides and allow him to look his fill.
Slipping the bra free, I toss it on the floor as his hands rise to palm the soft flesh. His upper body rises from the mattress until he’s able to capture one pebbled nipple between his lips and suck it into his mouth. Ribbons of arousal coil in the pit of my belly as a strangled noise escapes from me. His fingers stroke the other peaked tip. Igasp as heat explodes in my core, making me throb and ache with a restless need I’ve never experienced before.
Just when I don’t think I can take another moment, he releases me with a soft pop. There is so much need crashing through my body, threatening to drag me to the bottom of the ocean. A fire burns its way through my system as I lean down and take his mouth with my own. It heats all the cold, dark places inside me that I didn’t know existed.
I break free and sit up again before working his T-shirt up his torso and over his head until he’s lying beneath me as bare-chested as I am. My gaze licks over all that chiseled strength.
And he thinksI’mthe beautiful one?
