Page 38 of Gator

I let my forehead drop to his. “Bedroom?”

“God, yes.”

I didn’t wait. I grabbed his hand in mine, threading our fingers together tight, and started pulling him down the hall.

He stumbled once, laughing breathlessly, but didn’t let go.

Behind us, that damned bird squawked gleefully, “Somebody’s gonna get it! Gonna get it!”

Julius wheezed out a laugh, burying his face in my shoulder. “Jesus Christ,” he mumbled, voice muffled.

I shook with silent laughter of my own, pressing a hard kiss to his temple as I walked him backward into his bedroom. I shoved the bedroom door closed behind us with my boot, drowning out the cackling laughter of the bird.

Julius was still laughing, breathless from Trixie’s squawk, but it turned into a gasp when I spun him around and pinned him to the door with my body.

He looked up at me, eyes wide, pupils blown so dark they swallowed the color. I braced one arm above his head and used the other to cup his jaw, forcing him to look at me.

“You think this is funny?” I growled, voice rough as gravel.

He licked his lips slowly, deliberately. “I think you’re hot when you’re pissed off.”

“Careful,” I warned, voice low and shaking.

He tilted his head defiantly, brushing his mouth against mine. “Or what?”

I covered his mouth with mine, swallowing his gasp. My teeth scraped his lower lip hard enough that he whimpered, and I felt the vibration all the way down my spine.

He kissed me back with everything he had—biting, licking, his hands clawing at my shoulders to pull me even closer. I fisted one hand in his hair, the other sliding down to grip his hip,yanking him against me so he could feel exactly how hard I was, and he groaned into my mouth, grinding shamelessly back.

“Fuck,” I hissed, dragging my lips to his jaw, biting the line of it. “You have no idea what you do to me.”

“Tell me,” he said, panting.

I bit him again, lower this time, right over his racing pulse. “Drove me fucking insane. All day watching you smile at everyone. Joking around and teasing them.”

“Jealous?” he asked.

“Possessive,” I corrected, voice like a snarl. I sucked a mark into his neck hard enough to make him gasp. “Mine.”

He shuddered and whined. “Fuck—Gator—”

I pulled back just enough to see his face. His lips were red and swollen, his eyes desperate.

“Last chance,” I grated. My thumb stroked over his cheek, gentler than my voice. “Tell me to stop.”

He shook his head frantically. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

My chest caved with relief. I kissed him again, slower this time but just as deep, pouring everything I’d been trying to hold back into it.

He melted against me, moaning into my mouth, my fingers finding the hem of his shirt and shoving up under it, greedy for skin.

“Off,” I ordered.

He huffed a broken laugh and leaned back enough for me to yank his shirt over his head.

“Beautiful,” I whispered. I let my gaze roam over him, hungrily. He was lean and toned, with ink peeking from under his waistband.

“Look at you,” I breathed.