Page 64 of Reckless Liar

“You mean it?” I whispered.

Slowly he brought his hand up and cupped my cheek. In the low light of his bedside lamp, his eyes were hazel pools. “Anything. Anything you want, I’ll give you.”

He laced his hand through my hair, bringing my lips to his. I bent down, meeting his lips for a kiss. “For tonight, all I want is to not leave your bed.”

Chapter twenty-four

“No, it felt nice.” -Ana to Max after the first time they slept together.

Inthedappledlightof his lone lamp, Xander kissed me back, digging his fingers into my hips. I could feel how warm his skin was through my nightgown. At some point his shirt came off. He slid his hands from my face to rest on the back of my thighs, bringing me to rest right against him. All that lay between us was flimsy fabric.

Every kiss before tonight had an edge of urgency behind it, as if we were one moment away from being permanently torn apart. This was a different kind of kiss. It was slow and indulgent. Every dip of his tongue against my lips, every brush of his fingers across my skin; a sweltering pain coursing through me. He took his time moving his hands gently up my thighs, his fingertips tracing lines on my skin. My hands were in his hair as I ground my hips into him. Beneath me I could feel his body reacting. I deepened our kiss, moving with him.

Groaning into my mouth, he moved his hand over my ass, up the back of my nightgown to rest on the small of my back. My nightgown bunched up around my waist. His hands roamed all over my back, his fingers pressing into my skin. A galvanic urge thrummed through me. I wanted more of him. Now. I pulled him closer, needing his body against me. His tongue traced against my lower lip; my hands were in his hair. His hands traced over my tighs and then bare waist, pushing my nightgown higher. His thumbs resting below my breasts. I ran my hands down his throat, moving them lower until I paused on his bare chest.

I broke our kiss, pushing against his firm chest to straighten up. Grabbing the hem of my nightgown, I started pulling it over my body. Xander stopped me with his hand.

“Wait.”

I stilled, looking down at him. “What?”

He gripped the bottom of my nightgown, crushing the lace trim between his fingers. “Are you sure about this?”

I bent down, pressing a reassuring kiss to his lips. “Yes, I’m sure.”

He cupped a hand around my throat, his fingers on the nape of my neck. “We can’t go back from this.”

“I don’t want to go back. I just want you,” I whispered.

For a long moment he stared at me, all the fears of what could be between us swimming in his eyes. His hand slid down from my neck, slowly trailing down the front of my body. His gaze didn’t break as he gripped the bottom of my nightgown and in one fluid motion, he pulled it over my head.

He leaned back, looking over me with a fire in his eyes. I should’ve been self-conscious, but something about the way Xander’s hand splayed across my hip, the way his gaze roamed across my body emboldened me.

He grabbed my hips and rolled me over, his hands running down my side stopped at my underwear. He kissed me hard as he pulled first my underwear off and then his. A condom appeared, and we came together. I gasped as he slid into me, the sensation building as his eyes connected with mine.

His touch was fire coursing through me. The flame was steady in a way I never knew possible. Every kiss, every caress felt true. The careful way he hovered over me and the way his lips felt against my neck, the way his hands gripped my hips, my thighs. In the way we moved together, a perfect synchronization. While it wasn’t familiar, I knew it was right. Every move called out to me.

You thought you knew pleasure?

This is what you’ve been waiting for.

This is trust.

This is the beautiful burn.

This is everything you’ll need.

I cried out, as we crashed together, our bodies slick with our exertion. I bit down on his shoulder, tasting the salt on his skin. His fingers dug into the back of my thighs, pulling me deeper to him. Our breaths were ragged when he pulled away to look down at me.

A smile stretched across his face and my heart leapt at the sight. He opened his mouth as if he were going to say something, but then closed it, ducking his head down to rest in the hollow of my neck. I ran my hands through his hair, the sweat from the nape of his neck slick against my fingers. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of his breath against my collarbone and his weight on my chest.

He spoke into my neck, a wisp of air cooling me. “Stay with me tonight?”

I pulled his hair enough to get him to look up at me. His eyes bored into mine. I rubbed my thumb along the spot where his ear met his jawbone. “I’m not going anywhere.”

In the morning, the light was all wrong, waking me as it fell across my face. I sensed Xander beside me, his face buried in my neck, my feet were wedged between his legs. I sighed as I savored the weight of his arm across my waist.

Slowly I opened my eyes. Xander’s room got the early morning sun. I realized he was typically up before the sun rose, getting ready for work as the light began to filter through his thin blinds. I decided that next time we needed to sleep in we’d spend the night in my room where my black-out shades kept the room in darkness.

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