Page 93 of Meet Me In The Dark

I glance at his mouth. He glances at mine.

Then I press up on my toes and kiss him once. It’s soft and barely there, but the sound of relief that comes from his throat is the same as when we devoured each other.

When I pull back, he doesn’t chase it.

He reaches for the body wash on the ledge to wash himself, but I grab it first.

His eyes flick to mine, like I’ve just threatened to detonate the fragile balance we’ve stumbled into.

“Celeste—”

“Hush.”

I lather the soap between my hands and press my palms to his chest.

He goes rigid beneath my touch, as if he’s bracing for impact instead of care.

God, this man. This massive, furious, tightly wound contradiction who fucks me like vengeance one minute and touches me like worship the next.

I glide my hands over his pecs, down his stomach. I’m not sure he’s breathing, so I go slow.

I make it impossible for him to mistake this for anything else. This is me caring for him, for Julian. The man who dominates every room, every deal, every inch of my body. The man who just washed me as if it mattered.

I drag my hands down the ridges of his abs, overthe faint trail of hair disappearing below his hips.

“Relax,” I whisper.

His body finally gives in.

Just enough.

His hands rise, not to stop me, but to steady himself. One presses flat against the wall beside my head while the other curls lightly around my hip.

I reach for the shampoo. He lets me.

When I nudge his chin, he tips his head back, and I run my fingers through his hair the same way he did mine before rinsing out the shampoo. His breathing is deep. Not soft, never soft, but settled.

I reach for his face, but he grabs my wrist and holds it there for a long beat before pressing a kiss to my palm, and it’s almost more intense than the sex.

His eyes meet mine, darker than ever. “What the fuck are we doing?”

I don’t know, not really, but I know I don’t want to stop.

So I shrug and say the only thing I can. “Showering.”

He huffs a quiet, humorless laugh and leans in to kiss me.

When he pulls back, I’m still a bit breathless, but at least he’s smiling.

Twenty-Seven

Julian

Like a man possessed, I storm down the hallway toward Celeste’s apartment.

I saw her earlier at the site. It was professional and brief, but the entire time, all I could think about was dragging her into a private space, pinning her down, and making her scream for me like she did this morning.

I was hoping I’d see her again before she left, but when I looked around, she was already gone.