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Sonder cupped her face in his hands in just the way he’d imagined doing for months. Her eyes searched his in the split second before he moved closer, and then they fluttered shut as he pressed his lips to hers. His heartbeat pounded in his ears, his blood roaring.

One kiss, just one kiss.

But her lips parted for him and all of his control evaporated. He pressed closer, his tongue colliding with hers, his fingers tangling in her hair. Then she was pulling him by the tie, her legs spreading to bring him toward her, against her. He picked her up by the waist, hauling her further back on the sofa, laying her out. Pressing his body to hers, he moved his lips to her neck, dragging his fingers beneath her blouse, up her stomach with its soft curves and warmth. The feel of her skin set him on fire, but then she arched her back, breathing heavily in his ear, her hands in his hair, and he thought he would combust.

“Atta,” he said on an exhale, “we need to stop.” But his words were contradicted by his hands finding her breasts.Fuck, he couldn’t take it.

“Why?” she breathed, her fingers untucking his shirt, sliding under it, toying with the dip of his pelvis.

“Because— Oh fuck, I can’t remember.” His mouth found hers again and they were a tangle of limbs, teeth, her fingernails digging into his back. Then she pushed him away and he thought she’d changed her mind, but she only ripped off her blouse over her head and he sucked a breath through his teeth at the sight of her.

He slipped his middle fingers underneath the straps of her black, sheer,sheerbra, and let them slide down her shoulders, the bra falling away to reveal her to him. He drank her in, her swollen lips and peaked nipples, her hair a wild mess, her cheeks flushed.

“Jesus, you’re beautiful.”

She pulled him back to her, her mouth greedy, and he slid his hands under her skirt feeling her arse through her tights.

“Sonder.” She said his name like a plea when he trailed kisses over her breasts. He hooked a finger in the waist of her skirt and pulled, his tongue sliding down to her hip, and she let out a desperate whine, lifting her hips.

A bang sounded at the front door.

Sonder’s attention snapped to the door and Atta scrambled back, away from him, clutching a throw pillow to her naked chest.

“Who is it?” she whispered.

“Hell if I know.” He stood up and they both looked at his very obvious arousal. Atta pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, stifling a laugh. The banging came again, but his blood was roaring just as loudly. He bent down and kissed her roughly, biting that intoxicating bottom lip as he pulled back. Her gaze was heavy-lidded and he could only guess what sort of situation her arousal was in, but Christ, he wanted to find out.

She stood, and he tossed her blouse to her. “Thank fuck,” he said when she had to drop the pillow to catch her shirt, and he got to see her again. “Hurry up,stór.”

He could have sworn she whimpered when he said that, and then she rushed away down the hall.

Sonder adjusted himself as best he could manage and looked through the peephole.

“Gibbs?” he said, opening the door. “What are you doing here?”

“Why is Atta’s car here?”

The lad was finally growing a set of balls. “None of your fucking business. What areyoudoing at my house?”

“Can I come in? It’s important.”

Atta

She fumbled with a clean blouse, trying to gather her wits. All Atta could think about was Sonder’s fingers dancing along her skin. His mouth on her body, his hands gripping her hips. . .

But she pushed it all away as best she could and straightened her skirt.

It was good they were interrupted. There were more important things happening than the attraction that had been slowly building between them for months.

Stopping first at a mirror in the hall, she smoothed her hair and inspected her bandaged arm before heading back downstairs to see who had arrived.

“Gibbs?” She wasn’t even off the stairs before she jumped in the middle of whatever it was they were discussing. “What in hell are you doing here?”

Gibbs stood from the sofa looking like a disappointed father. “I could ask you the same thing. Are you fucking the professor?”

“Jesus,” Atta hissed at the same moment Sonder jumped up from his chair and said, “All right. Time to go, Gibbs.”

“No. Wait.” He put his hands out. “I’m sorry. I really do have something important to say.” He looked at Atta then at Sonder, and she saw Sonder nod once. “She knows everything, then?”