Page 72 of The Front Runner
His hands palm my ass, and he lifts me up, hiking my legs around him as he takes a few steps into the space before kicking the door shut behind us, and then turns to press me against it. My arms close around his neck as I kiss him back, all the worry from mere moments before disappearing with the way he’s holding me—owning me.
I moan when he pulls his sinful lips away and presses his forehead to mine. “Hi.” His breath tickles my damp lips, and I wish he’d just shut up and keep kissing me.
“Hi,” I say back,again, letting my fingers trace the soft hair at the nape of his neck.
“You missed me?” His eyes are soft, wide—uncertain almost. A look I don’t see on him often. And something about that look undoes me a little.
“Yeah,” I breathe back quietly, feeling like we’re in our private universe again.
Somehow, when his arms close around me, the world melts away. Everything that mattered two minutes ago ceases to exist now because he looks at me like I’m the only thing he sees.
His lips tug up at one side as he stares at me with so much warmth. “I missed you, too.”
My heart jumps in my chest, rattling against my ribs. The man with the shiny veneer, the mysterious past, and the impenetrable smirkmisses me.Hearing him, of all people, say that to me feels like so much more.
I kiss his cheek, appreciating the feel of his stubble. I kiss his nose, right on the bump I’ve come to love so much. His eyebrow, the one that quirks up just after he says something inappropriate.
I rake my hands through the sides of his dark gold locks, knowing exactly what I want from him at this moment. “Take me to bed, Stefan.”
He hits me with a cocky smirk, and my core jumps in response. “Whatever you want, Kitten.”
Within moments, I’m tossed on the bed and feel the crush of his body on top of me, caging me in. The only light is what filters in from the hallway. His arms frame my face as he pauses, watching me as I watch him. Our eyes connect, and I don’t even try to look away.
This man. This look. It makes me want to dive deeper. I want to get lost in this connection, disappear into it, and never come back out.
I have never felt so desired.
And Stefan doesn’t ruin it with words. Instead, his thumb traces the lobe of my ear, and his stern features soften. I love the way he’s always touching me. A hand pressed here, a thumb grazing there. It’s like he can’t help himself where I’m concerned. Like he can’t keep his hands off me even if he wanted to.
His lips find mine, searing my soul with their reverence. I’m not sure what’s changed between us tonight. But where last night felt like fucking, like two people working out some tension and having some fun, tonight feels almost thoughtful. More profound. There’s a shift in the air, in his eyes, in the way sparks dance across my skin when he touches me.
Kneeling above me, he strips me bare, working every piece of clothing off my body, gentle hands moving over every square inch of my body. We don’t speak, the dirty talk doesn’t come, we just watch, lost in each other’s eyes. The gold flecks, the mossy hues, the dark forest greens. There are just as many facets to his irises as there are to him, and I want every one. I want to explore them all. I want to see them all, even the darkest ones—the questionable ones. Stefan doesn’t scare me. I don’t see him as a threat. He’s not my enemy. And he looks at me the same way. He looks at me like I’m a dream come true.
Words aren’t even necessary when a man looks at you likethat.
His clothes fall in a pile around him. T-shirt, soft gray joggers… no underwear. My neediness obviously pulled him straight out of some downtime. But watching his cock bob before me, fully erect already, the lines that cut down from his toned abs, right over his hip bones—like arrows for where I want to go—I don’t feel an ounce bad about pulling him away.
“You are so beautiful.” My voice is breathy, almost desperate sounding. “Inside and out. Every last piece of you.”
He crawls back on top of me, skin sliding against skin, and I can’t keep the tips of my fingers from tracing the shapes of his defined muscles. Every curve, every sharp corner, they’re almost like a map.
The winding road that brought us together.
Because who the hell would have guessed.
“No one has ever told me that before,” he replies as he strokes my hair, eyes devouring my every feature.
My heart squeezes, and I rear up to taste his lips. He kisses me senseless while our hands roam each other’s nude bodies. We learn each other, each hollow and dip. I want to memorize it all. There’s something so innocent about it, something exploratory rather than rushed.
It’s also stoking my inner fire, driving me absolutely insane.
“Condom. Bedside table,” I breathe out between kisses.
Needing no further urging, Stefan pushes up and reaches beyond my head, into the drawer. But rather than grabbing for a condom right away, he pauses. I watch his lips take on a mischievous curl before a hand darts out. When his focus switches back to me, he smirks, looking suddenly playful.
And then he holds up…
“Look who I found.”
