Page 22

Ethan

The moment I’d realized Mel wasn’t in that limo, something primal had roared to life inside me. Screw protocol. Screw the job. Before Nova could even finish explaining that Mel would probably just get an Uber, I’d bailed out of the vehicle at the next red light, commandeering one of our backup SUVs to race back to the club.

The thought of Mel alone in that chaotic mess, soaked and vulnerable, had ignited a protective fury inside me. Finding her with that Tommy guy had nearly made me lose it, despite the fact that she’d told me they’d had zero chemistry when they’d gone out a few months ago.

Now, with her pressed against the hotel room door, those same instincts blazed alongside a desire that threatened to consume us both. Her words— I want you. Now. —obliterated what remained of my professional restraint.

I captured her mouth, swallowing her gasp as I pressed my body fully against hers. The wet fabric of her dress created a maddening friction between us. My hands found the zipper at her back, drawing it down with deliberate slowness, letting my knuckles trace each vertebra, feeling her shiver under my touch.

“I couldn’t leave you there,” I murmured against her lips, pushing the saturated fabric from her shoulders. The dress fell in a wet heap at our feet. “When I realized you weren’t with us, I nearly lost my mind.”

“You came back,” she whispered, her fingers working frantically at my shirt buttons, trembling with urgency. “No one’s ever come back for me before.”

The raw vulnerability in her voice made something crack open in my chest. I helped her with my shirt, shrugging out of the soaked fabric. Her hands immediately explored my bare chest, fingers tracing old scars and new muscle with reverence that made my breath catch.

I lifted her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as I carried her toward the bed. She pressed hot, openmouthed kisses along my jaw, down my neck, her teeth grazing my pulse point. The sensation shot straight through me, making my knees threaten to buckle.

I needed to get myself under fucking control or this was going to be done before it even got started.

Laying her on the crisp hotel sheets, I took a moment to drink in the sight of her. Black lace contrasted beautifully against her pale skin, her wet hair still clinging to her collarbone like a spun web. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, green eyes dark with need as she watched me remove my belt.

“You’re still overdressed,” she pointed out, reaching for my waistband with fingers that trembled slightly.

I caught her wrists, kissing each one, before leaning over her and pinning them gently above her head with one hand.

“Patience,” I growled, using my free hand to trace the delicate lace edge of her bra. Her back arched into my touch, a soft whimper escaping her lips that went straight to my cock .

“I’ve been patient for weeks,” she protested, but her breath hitched when I lowered my mouth to the sensitive spot just below her ear.

“You weren’t so patient last night.” I kept my voice low and deep. “You weren’t so patient when I buried my face between your thighs and tasted you, were you?”

“No.” God, I loved how she could barely get that simple word out.

“I loved how you said my name. How you clutched my hair. How wet you got. How sweet you tasted.”

“Ethan, please…” She was grinding up against me now, trying to get her hands free. But I wasn’t even close to done torturing her yet.

I bit lightly on her neck, before moving my lips back over her jaw and claiming her mouth again with deep strokes of my tongue. If that wasn’t a preview of what was to come, I didn’t know what was.

I finally released her hands to reach behind her, unclasping her bra. The sight of her revealed to me made my mouth go dry. Perfect breasts, peaked with arousal, begging for my touch. I cupped them reverently, learning their weight, their softness.

When I lowered my mouth to one tight nipple, she cried out, her fingers tangling in my hair. I took my time, alternating between gentle suction and the lightest scrape of teeth, discovering what made her gasp, what made her arch closer. Her other breast received equal attention, my thumb circling the sensitive peak as my mouth worked its twin.

“Yes, please,” she begged, her hips rolling against mine in an ancient rhythm. “I need more.”

I kissed my way down her stomach, muscles quivering under my lips as I traced the curve of her waist, the dip of her navel. My fingers hooked in her lace panties, drawing them down slowly, revealing her completely to my hungry gaze. She was already wet, her arousal glistening in the soft light .

“I’ve been dreaming about this,” I admitted, pressing kisses to her inner thigh, feeling her tremble. “About tasting you again, about making you fall apart.”

“Later,” she gasped, tugging at my hair with surprising strength. “I need you inside me. Now.”

“Yes.”

Her urgency matched my own desperate need. I shed the rest of my clothes quickly, grateful for the protection I’d had with me all day—no way in hell was I going anywhere without it if Mel Rivers was going to be in my vicinity.

She watched with hooded eyes as I slid the condom on, humming in appreciation, her tongue darting out to wet her lips in a way that nearly undid me.

I planned to go slow, to draw this out, but that plan got shot to hell pretty damned quick.

The sensation was overwhelming—her tight heat enveloping me completely as I pressed in. Her inner muscles fluttered around me as she adjusted to my presence.

I had to pause, gritting my teeth against the urge to lose control too quickly.

“God, Mel,” I groaned, dropping my forehead to hers. “You feel incredible. I’m trying to go slow. Take our time.”

“I don’t want slow.” She wrapped her legs around my hips, pulling me impossibly deeper. “Move. Please, Ethan. I need you to move.”

Still, I fought for control. I didn’t want to hurt her. I forced myself to move by degrees, withdrawing almost completely before sliding back in.

But when her nails dug into my shoulders, leaving crescent marks that would linger, my control slipped. She urged me faster, harder , and I complied, setting a rhythm that had us both gasping for breath.

“Yes,” she breathed, meeting me thrust for thrust. “Take me hard. Don’t stop. Take me like you can’t stop. ”

As if I had any other fucking option.

I shifted slightly, changing the angle until I found that spot that made her cry out. Her back arched off the bed, pressing her breasts against my chest as I drove into her again and again. The friction, the heat, the way she clenched around me—it was almost too much.

“Look at me,” I commanded when her eyes fluttered closed. “I want to see you when you come.”

Her eyes locked with mine, green irises nearly swallowed by dilated pupils. The intimacy of that gaze, the connection between us, was almost too intense. I could see everything she felt—desire, trust, and something deeper that mirrored what was building in my own chest.

I reached between us, finding her clit, causing her hips to buckle. She keened at the contact, her inner walls beginning to flutter around me.

“That’s it,” I encouraged, circling my thumb in time with my thrusts. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

But before she could fall over that edge, she surprised me. With a strength I hadn’t expected, she pushed against my chest. “Wait,” she gasped. “I want… Let me…”

Understanding dawned as she urged me onto my back. I rolled us carefully, keeping us joined as she straddled my hips. The new position drove me even deeper, making us both groan.

She braced her hands on my chest, slowly lifting herself before sinking back down. The sight of her above me, hair wild around her shoulders, breasts swaying with each movement, was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen.

“God, you’re beautiful,” I breathed, my hands finding her hips, guiding her rhythm.

She began to move faster, finding her own pace, her own angle. I watched in awe as she took her pleasure, her head thrown back, soft moans escaping her lips. My hands roamed her body, caressing her breasts, her stomach, everywhere I could reach.

When I felt her beginning to tighten around me again, I slid one hand between us, finding that sensitive spot once more. The dual stimulation was her undoing. “Let go for me, Mel. I’ve got you.”

“Ethan!” she cried out, her body clenching rhythmically around me as she shattered.

The sight of her coming undone above me, the feel of her pulsing around me, triggered my own release. I gripped her hips, thrusting up into her as waves of pleasure crashed through me, her name a groan on my lips.

She collapsed onto my chest, both of us breathing heavily. I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close as our hearts gradually slowed. Her skin was damp with sweat now instead of rain, her hair tickling my chin.

“Stay,” she murmured sleepily against my chest.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I promised, pressing a kiss to her temple.

As her breathing evened out in sleep, I tightened my arms around her. Tonight had changed everything. She wasn’t just Nova’s sister anymore. She was someone I couldn’t imagine walking away from, someone who’d gotten under my skin in ways I hadn’t thought possible.

And I’d never leave her behind again.