Chapter 24

I surrender to the soft, warm sensation of the perfect kiss I could imagine. My hands slide around his neck as something inside me ignites, and I surely kiss him back.

Arrick seems to take my submission as a sign to let go, pushing my mouth open and caressing my tongue with his, the fire between us spiking and moving into an almost immediate fever from nowhere. We are fueled by everything we have brought to the surface and months of separation, loneliness, and heartbreak. We both cling to one another, kissing passionately, moving into something more satisfying than mouths moving in unison.

The arms around my waist tighten as he pulls me up against him and off my feet, as my arms and hands wrap around that strong neck and wide shoulders, tangling my fingers in his shirt collar and trailing nails up the short-cropped hair at the back of his neck. I lift my heels behind me in mid-air. Losing myself in him this way is the only thing I want to focus on, a break from my exhaus