23
KAROLINA
Rand’s fingers tangle in my hair, and he draws me close to claim a kiss, as though he wants to devour my declaration of trust.
Ever since we met, I’ve been resisting it, resistinghim.
Us.
But some part of me has been drawn to him from the very beginning. Especially since that day in his office when he promised to protect me from my stalker.
I throw myself into the kiss, showing him just how much this connection means to me. I marvel at the sense of completion; a hollowed-out space in my chest that I’ve refused to acknowledge for years finally stops aching.
I’m not alone anymore.
I have Rand, and he has me.
“I want you,” I pant against his mouth.
Despite my recent trauma, my body burns for him.
Or maybe it’s because of the trauma. I crave to join with him in the most intimate way possible.
His hands bracket my face, holding me with care despite trapping me close.
“You’re hurt,” he says, but his voice is rough with longing.
“I’m not.”
My throat is a little sore, and my diaphragm feels a bit tender from coughing up river water.
But that discomfort is nothing in comparison to the all-consuming desire to be with him.
His face begins to harden to a forbidding mask, but I brush the tension from his brow before he can reprimand me for lying.
“Please, Rand. I need you. I need to feel you with me and know that we’re alive.”
He groans and presses his body into mine. His cock stiffens against my belly, and I rub myself against him, tempting him to surrender.
It’s more than simple lust driving me; this is a soul-deep imperative to connect.
“I don’t want to be alone anymore,” I whisper.
His hand spans my lower back, pulling me into him. “You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone. You have me.”
My eyes sting with a swell of emotion. I blink the tears away before they can blur his chiseled face.
I never want to lose sight of him. In this moment, I’m utterly enthralled. He’s the only real thing in my world, the only person who matters.
“You have me too,” I confess.
He kisses me in a frenzy. His lips capture mine with bruising force, and I return his ferocity in kind, nipping at him. He opens for me on a low growl, giving me everything I demand of him even as he stakes his claim over me. He strokes his tongue deep into my mouth, taming mine.
My body heats for him, and I start rubbing my pulsing clit against his hard thigh in wanton abandon. His cock jerks.
He pulls away sharply. “You’ll make me lose control.”
My hand fists in his hair. “Good. I want you to.”