Page 22 of Falling for the Firefighter
I kiss him back with the same savage need, tongues tangling, teeth clashing, the taste of him addictive and wild. I want more. I want everything.
My body arches like it’s no longer mine. Like it’s his now. Claimed.
He breaks away first, breathing hard, forehead pressed to mine.
"You think you can just… do that?" I manage, even as my hips sway toward him. "Kiss me?"
“You didn’t tell me to stop.” His breath is fire against my lips. “Didn’t shove me away. Didn’t even try.”
"I didn't give you permission."
"I don't remember asking," he growls.
His grip tightens—my waist locked in his hands, held firm. Not cruel. Just certain. Possessive.
“This is happening,” he snarls, voice ragged with restraint. “You don’t get to pretend you don’t want this.”
“I don’t?—”
“If the next words out of your mouth are a lie, don’t bother saying them.” His hand fists my shirt at the small of my back, jerking me closer. “Because if you don’t want this, say it now.”
I should say it. Push him away.
I don’t.
I should slam the brakes on whatever this is, but the breath catches sharp in my throat, and my spine curves helplessly into his hold, like my body already knows what I won’t let myself say.
Heat pulses through me—shame, need, the terrible relief of being seen. My head tips back. Lips parted. Bare. Trembling.
But the words won’t come. Not the right ones. Not the safe ones.
He waits. Still. Watching me unravel. Measuring how much further I’ll fall.
His hand rises, threading into my hair.
“Say it,” he growls. “Say what you want.”
“I…” My voice cracks. I can’t meet his eyes.
His grip tightens, and his eyes darken. “Not good enough.”
A whimper catches in my throat.
“Try again.”
I bite down, jaw tight, shame burning beneath my skin.
"You have to say it, Josephine." He leans in, mouth brushing my jaw. “Tell me the truth.”
“Don’t stop.” My whole body trembles. The dam breaks. The admission rips out of me, raw and trembling.
His breath catches. Just a flicker.
And then—God—he smiles. Dark. Wicked. Victorious.
“There she is.” His hand tightens on my hip. "At least, we’re on the same page when it comes to this."
Chapter 5
