“Leo,” I gasp when his mouth nips at my neck. “Your room. We need to?—”
“We’re getting there,” he mutters against my skin, but he doesn’t stop kissing me.
“Now,” I demand, and I pull away enough to grab his hand and pull him down the hallway.
Leo takes the lead, pulling me past several doors before finally stopping at one at the end of the hall. He fumbles with the door handle, his other hand still gripping mine, and then we’re insideand the door is closing behind us and Leo is kissing me again like he can’t get enough.
And I kiss him back with everything I have, because I can’t get enough either.
14
LEO
The moment my bedroom door closes behind us, I pull away from Emma, feeling something shift in the air.
In the garden we were all urgency and desperation, grinding against each other like teenagers, barely able to keep our hands off each other long enough to make it up the stairs. But now, in the quiet of my room with the afternoon light filtering through the curtains and Emma standing in front of me with her lips swollen and her eyes dark with want, I feel the need to slow down.
Last time was frantic. But this time—this time I want to do it right.
“Come here,” I say quietly, holding out my hand.
Emma takes it, letting me pull her closer until she’s standing right in front of me. Her chest rises and falls rapidly, and the flush on her cheeks extends down her throat to her chest. I’ve been thinking about that flush for three days.
I slide my hand against her face, my thumb brushing across her cheekbone, and she leans into the touch. Her eyes flutter closed and I just look at her for a moment. The dark auburn hair that’s slightly mussed from my hands, the barely-there freckles scattered across her nose that I’ve never noticed before, the curve of her lips that I’ve become obsessed with.
“You’re so beautiful,” I say roughly, unable to believe that she’s right here in front of me and wantsme.
Emma’s eyes open, green and bright, and I can see vulnerability there mixed with the desire. “I?—”
“Shh,” I murmur, and I lean in to kiss her. It’s slow this time, not the desperate kisses from the garden. I want to taste her and memorize the way she feels against me.
Emma makes a soft noise and her hands come up to grip my shirt. I let her kiss me for a moment before I break away and start working at the buttons of her short-sleeved shirt. My hands are steadier than I expected given how badly I want her.
“We have time,” I tell her, undoing the first button, then the second. “I want to learn every part of you.”
Emma’s breath catches and I can see her pulse jumping in her throat. I lean down and press a kiss there while I continue unbuttoning her shirt. Her hands are still gripping my shirt like she needs something to hold onto.
When I get the final button undone, I pull the shirt down her arms, letting it fall to the floor. She’s wearing a simple pink bra and the sight of her in it makes my mouth go dry. I trace my fingers along the edge of it, watching goosebumps rise on her skin.
“You’re staring again,” Emma says, but her voice is breathless.
“Mmm. Can’t help it,” I reply honestly, my fingers trailing down her sternum, between her breasts, down to her stomach. “You’re perfect.”
“I’m not—” Emma starts, but I cut her off with a kiss.
“You are,” I insist against her mouth. “To me, you’re perfect.”
I reach behind her and unhook her bra, sliding the straps down her arms and letting it fall. When she’s bare from the waist up, I have to step back just to look. The afternoon light is hitting her just right, making her skin glow, and I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want her right now.
“More staring?”
“I’m looking,” I tell her, and I step forward again, my hands going to her waist. “I’m memorizing. Because you’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
I lean down and kiss her collarbone, then lower, my mouth trailing across the swell of her breast. When I close my lips around her nipple, Emma gasps and her hands fly to my hair, gripping tight. I take my time with her breasts, learning what makes her gasp and what makes her moan, filing away every reaction for later.
“Leo,” Emma breathes, and my name in that voice makes me harder than I already am. “Please?—”
“I’ve got you,” I murmur against her skin. “We’re not rushing this.”