“Let me help you put it on.” Gray holds out his hand, and I give him the necklace.
His fingers brush against my skin as he pushes the strands of my hair over my shoulders. I help him by gathering it up in one hand and holding it at my neck to give him better access as he reaches behind me and clasps the necklace. He pulls away, his gaze drifting down to where the small heart rests against my upper chest, and my skin heats.
“There.” His voice is pleased, quiet, barely disturbing the silence of the kitchen. “Almost as beautiful as you.”
There’s a softness in his tone that I’ve never heard in him before, and my whole body shivers with delicious awareness—but a different type than we usually share. It’s something deeper, more intoxicating. I watch him swallow, a slow dip of his throat. I can see him willing himself to say something, but he doesn’t, his jaw set with an intensity that I know all too well.
Neither of us are great at expressing our feelings. Not with words anyway. I think that’s what brought us together in the beginning. A mutual understanding that the big emotions, that deep shit that goes all the way down to your bones, doesn’t always need to be spoken.
As his hand skims up the column of my neck, any resolution that Gray had to stay away from me seems to crumble. His lips find mine as he kisses me.
And if I forgot how it felt to kiss him after almost two weeks without this, I’m sure as hell not forgetting now—because even though his kiss is softer, more intimate than it’s ever been before, my body reacts like it always does, melting into his touch.
My barstool scrapes against the floor as I slide off of it and into his arms. Something in his kiss changes, the smallest spark exploding into flames. His legs open wider as he pulls me closer, his large hand splaying across my lower back as his tongue delves into my mouth.
“It looks perfect on you, Sparrow,” he murmurs, his voice almost swallowed up by our hungry, searching kisses. “Promise me you’ll never take it off. That you’ll always wear it.”
The possessiveness in his tone makes my heart beat a little harder, and I thread my fingers through his soft brown hair, gripping the strands tightly as I inhale his scent and binge on his taste.
I can feel his cock straining against his sweats, pressing into my lower belly, and a second later, he pushes off the stool with his arms still wrapped around me.
We stumble across the kitchen, and I have no real idea where we’re headed until my back hits the sleek, cold surface of the stainless steel refrigerator. I’m only wearing a tank top and shorts, and the metal is a shock to my heated skin. It only makes me more aware of the heat of Gray’s body, and I groan into his kiss.
“Fucking hell.” He sounds almost tortured. “I missed this. I’ve been going insane all week, knowing you were right down the hall.” He grinds his cock against me as if to prove his point. “I just about jerked my dick off trying to get some satisfaction. But it was never enough.”
The image of him in his room or in the shower, his large fist stroking his cock in sharp movements, his head tipped back in ecstasy… it fills me with arousal and a strange sense of jealousy, as if I’m almost mad at him for doing all of that without me.
“You should’ve come to my room,” I shoot back, sparks of pleasure shooting through me as his lips leave mine and trail over my jaw before his teeth nip the delicate skin of my throat. “You aren’t going to break me.”
He growls against my skin, biting harder when he reaches the spot where my neck meets my shoulder. “Don’t be so fucking sure about that, Sparrow.”
The dark promise in his voice makes a flood of wetness dampen my panties. I don’t know if it’s just because we haven’t done this in way too long, or if there’s something else that’s driving him this morning, but the way he’s touching me reminds me of the first time we had sex, in the bathroom of The Silent Hour.
I can feel the same sort of desperation in him now, the same sort of violent, insatiable hunger, and it sparks something inside me too.
Reaching down, I grab the hem of his shirt and tug it upward, pulling it over his head. It’s barely hit the floor before he’s doing the same to me, ripping my tank top off so fast that one of the straps snaps. He kisses me again as he shoves my shorts and panties down over my hips, and I wriggle my legs to shimmy them off before kicking them aside. I’m already working on his pants too, and the second they’re out of the way, I reach for his dick.
But he beats me to it, wrapping his fist around his hard shaft and stepping backward, out of my reach. I growl in frustration, and he gives a low chuckle.
As a small space opens up between us, I sag against the fridge, my legs barely able to support my weight. Gray’s eyes burn with intensity as his gaze moves over me. He strokes himself slowly and deliberately, tugging his bottom lip between his teeth in a way that makes my pussy clench.
It’s like he’s trying to memorize the sight of me, to capture every single fucking detail and store them all away.
His stomach muscles clench as his hips thrust forward into his grip, and I can’t wait any longer. My fingers trail down my own stomach, delving into my wetness before finding the hard nub of my clit. My eyelids flutter as pleasure spreads through me, and now it’s Gray’s turn to growl.
He moves like lightning, yanking my hand away from my pussy and bringing it to his lips. His mouth wraps around my fingertips, and his nostrils flare as he swirls his tongue around them. His grip on my hand is tight as he slowly slides my fingers out of his mouth, and the tension between us is so thick that I can’t wait any longer.
I know he’s been trying to draw this out, to make it last.
But we should both know by now that’s a lost cause.
With my free hand, I hook the back of his neck, hauling him toward me as I crush my lips against his.
It’s like that one simple action cuts the last shred of his self-control. He returns the kiss so forcefully that my back slams against the fridge, and I grunt into his mouth as he slides his hands down and grips my legs, lifting and wrapping them around his waist.
The smooth head of his cock nudges between my legs, and then he drives into me, spearing me in one hard thrust as he pins me to the fridge. The noise he makes is half relief and half pain, as if the sensations are almost more than he can handle.
I know how he fucking feels. The first time we ever hooked up, he told me he wanted to fuck me so hard it would ruin us both—and he obviously hasn’t given up on that goal.
My arms go around his neck, my fingers sliding through his hair again and latching on to fistfuls of his thick strands as he fucks me hard and deep. The fridge felt like a stable enough surface before, but now the whole thing rocks a little with every thrust. I can hear bottles and other containers rattling around inside, punctuating our breathy grunts and moans.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Gray curses under his breath, pausing his strokes to grind hard against my pelvis, making my clit throb. “God, you make me fucking insane.”
With his arms wrapped around me, he pulls me away from the fridge. I’m barely aware of where we’re going this time either, but when he sets me on my feet and pulls out, I realize we’re back at the kitchen island. A split second after I realize that, Gray’s hands are on my hips, spinning me around. He presses a palm between my shoulder blades, bending me over the marble countertop with my ass toward him.