Page 188 of Collide

I nod, my throat dry.

He stands slowly, stretching to his full height, and I swear the air thickens between us. Neither of us speaks as I move toward the sofa, curling into the corner, my legs tucked beneath me. Alex joins me, pulling a blanket over us, but the warmth of the fire is nothing compared to the heat of his body beside me.

The silence isn’t uncomfortable, it’s charged, vibrating with everything unspoken.

His fingers find my knee beneath the blanket, tracing soft, looping rhythms along my skin with a featherlight touch.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he murmurs.

I exhale, my lips curving slightly. “At this very minute, nothing. My mind is quiet, probably for the first time in my life.”

His hand stills, then slides higher, his palm warm against my thigh. “I like you like this.”

I tilt my head, meeting his gaze. “Like what?”

He shifts closer, his breath fanning across my lips. “Unfiltered. Unrestrained.” His hand drifts higher. “Carefree.”

My pulse hammers.

That’s what this is, isn’t it? That’s what he is. Alex is the first person to ever make me let go, make me stop thinking so much, and just feel.

From the moment we met and every moment since, we’ve been drawn to each other. Undeniably and inevitably.

Kismet.The word echoes in my mind.

I decide, it’s time to let go, give in to what I want, what I’ve long wanted, since the moment I met him.

I want the way his fingers burn against my skin. I want the weight of his body pressing me into the fur rug before the fire. I want his lips on mine, on my throat, lower. I want everything he’s silently offering, everything I’ve been too afraid to take until now.

So, I do.

I reach for him, my fingers threading through his damp hair, pulling him toward me. The moment our lips collide, it’s not soft or tentative. It’s a collision of heat, need, something raw and charged.

He groans into the kiss, deepening it, his hands gripping my hips as he pulls me onto his lap. I can feel him, hard and readybeneath me, and instead of hesitating, instead of thinking, I rock against him, savoring the low curse that rumbles from his throat.

“Elena,” he breathes against my lips. His hands slide beneath my sweater, fingertips skimming up my spine.

I shiver, not from the cold, but from him. From the way he’s looking at me like I’m something he’s been starving for.

“Alex, I want it…I want you,” I whisper, my voice steady, certain.

His grip tightens, his forehead dropping to mine. “If we start, I won’t be able to stop.”

My heart pounds.

“Don’t stop.”

That’s all it takes.

The next moment, he’s lifting me, laying me down onto the fur rug before the fire. The world narrows to the heat of his mouth tracing down my neck, the slow drag of his lips over my collarbone, the way his fingers tremble as he pushes the sweater up over my head.

And then there’s nothing between us but firelight and the sound of our breath.

He pauses for a moment, hovering above me, his stormy eyes searching mine, asking me one last silent question.

I answer him with a kiss, with the way I arch into him, pulling him closer, pressing my body fully to his.

The fire crackles beside us, its golden glow dancing across Alex’s bare skin, highlighting the tension in his muscles, the way his body moves with controlled, deliberate intention. He hovers over me, his breath warm against my lips, his hands bracketing either side of my head as he watches me—like he’s waiting for me to stop him.