Page 85 of Hopeless
Heconsumesme.
And there isn’t a soul here to see it. This is just me and him in a dark hallway. This is … I don’t know what this is.
The hickey he gave me pulses on my neck, the pads of his fingers rake down the back of my head, his thumb strokes at my jawline, all while he kisses me senseless.
A swipe of a tongue.
A moan.
The press of a body.
My hands on his abs. His chest.
For however long we kiss, I don’t feel like dirty Bailey Jansen. I feel like a woman kissing a man who wants her. Really wants her. He can’t fake this. No one could fake this. No one isthatgood.
Eventually, the fever between us ebbs. Hard, heavy kisses turn to slow, languid ones. He melts against me, hips on hips. My calf rubs against his, and my hands lay flat on his pecs, no longer searching and tugging. Just settling.
“Bailey,” he murmurs against my damp, swollen lips. “You are doing nothing wrong. You have done nothing wrong. Anyone who talks shit about you is cruel and small-minded and not worthy of your attention. You are fucking perfect.”
Beau presses a kiss to my cheek and then pulls away to dive into my eyes. Long, strong fingers brush through my hair and then curve as they tuck it behind my ears. His hands settle around my neck, and he stares me down so seriously that I can’t help but stare back, can’t help but listen and hear what he’s saying.
I nod, eyes fluttering shut as he rubs his thumbs over the tops of my cheekbones, wiping away tears he never let fall.
“Go to bed, Bailey.”
My eyes snap open, my body whining.This is it?
“Get some sleep.”
I don’t know what to say. I’ve never had a hot older man kiss me stupid and then tell me to go to bed.
So I just nod.
He nods back at me and steps away, hands falling from my cheeks. I want to yell at him to put them back. I want his hands on me. All over me. Inside me.
I stay slumped against the doorframe, boneless and stunned from his kiss. It wasn’t my first kiss, but it was my first kiss to feel likethat.
Like the house could crumble around us and we wouldn’t notice.
Like I was safe.
He’s stepping back into his room when I finally drum up the will to form words again. “Hey, Beau?”
“Yeah?” He turns, gripping his door handle.
“Why’d you kiss me with no one here to see it?”
The subtle smirk that plays across his lips makes my stomach flip. It’s full of promise, and sensuality, andexperience.
“Because I wanted to.”
And with that, he shuts the door.
24
Bailey
Iworry my lip between my bottom teeth and then force myself to stop fidgeting.
