Page 90 of The Persistence of Thornes
He deepens the kiss, fingers tightening on my hair until the sensation borders on pain.
I had my first kiss at thirteen. I’ve kissed plenty of guys since.
But Caleb?
He doesn’t just kiss me. Heclaimsme.
With a whimper, I try to pull him closer, even though he’s as close as he can get unless he could melt inside me.
I’d welcome it if it were possible.
He chuckles, the sound warm and husky against my mouth. “Look at you. Fucking desperate for me. You can’t deny it anymore, can you, Halle?” With a groan, he peppers kisses down the column of my throat. “Youwantme.”
“Y-Yes,” I whimper. There’s no denying it anymore.
Delicately, he slides his hands down my sides. Between one heartbeat and another, his touch turns rougher, more demanding, and he grasps my hips and lifts me up from the stool abruptly, pulling a squeal from me. He deposits me on the countertop, lips finding mine once more.
My heart beats out of control as our tongues tangle. The roar of ocean waves crashes in my ears as Caleb envelops me, every part of him threatening to pull me under. Hissmell, his taste, his sounds. It’s all too much; it’stoo good.
I don’t dogood. All the good I’ve ever experienced has been taken from me. The smart thing to do would be to push him away, grab my shit and my brothers, and get the hell out of here. But Ican’t. Leaving Caleb would create an open, gaping wound in my side.
Besides, I’m so tired of running. For once, I can’t help but wish that something in my life would go right, and I want that thing to be him.
“If”—he nips at my earlobe—“at any point you want me to stop, just say stop, and I will.”
A shudder works its way through me, heat pooling in my core. “I’m not going to ask you to stop.”
He pulls away a fraction, and already, the air has chilled. “Regardless, I need you to know that, if you want me to, I will.”
I nod my response.
But he shakes his head. “With words, Halle.”
With a long exhale, I release my hold on his hoodie and twine them in the hair at his nape instead. “If I want you to stop, I’ll ask you.”
I hope I don’t sound as desperate as I feel. Ineedhis lips on mine again. His hands all over me. My earlier reservations and insecurities have quickly been overtaken by the much stronger need to be possessed by him.
He smiles. “Good. I like that you listen.” With renewed fire in his eyes, he presses his open mouth to my neck and sucks.
I should be concerned that he’ll leave evidence behind, amark on my skin, but all rational thought has fled my brain, and my body has taken over. My hand against the back of his head presses him impossibly closer, begging for a closeness, a connection, I can’t put into words.
“Can I make you come?” He whispers against my skin. “Please.”
The heat in my low belly simmers.Fuck.
Did this man seriously justbegto give me an orgasm? Have I reached some sort of pinnacle of heaven I didn’t know existed?
“Yes,” I breathe, tipping my head back so he has better access to my neck. “God. Yes, please.”
He lets out a gruff chuckle, finding my mouth and stealing a kiss that leaves me reeling. “So fucking eager.” We don’t separate as he finds the button on my jeans. Then the zipper. When his fingers slip beneath the band of my underwear and he finds my soaking wet core, I cry out.
He moans, the sound low and guttural, and as he pulls back, his hazy eyes hold mine prisoner. “All this for me, Halle? I’m so fucking lucky.”
He slips a finger inside me and curls it, sending a zap of electricity through me.
“More.”
As he breaks into a grin, he buries his face in my neck like he wants to hide the expression from me. “You’re so fucking perfect, Halle. My girl wants more?”
