Page 67 of Our Darkest Summer

I dragged my nails down his back, pressing my body into his, and Thomas cursed under his breath. I let my head fall back as he kissed his way down my jaw, his lips hot, his breath ragged. I shivered, my hands fisting into his hair. Then, he pulled my top over my head, dropping it to the floor. A sharp breath left me as the cool air met my skin, but his hands were there, warming me.

His eyes glazed over me, like he wanted to memorize every inch of my body. Like he’d been starving for this. For me.

“Say the word,” he rasped, his thumb trailing my side. “Tell me you want this.”

My forehead creased. Wasn’t it obvious? Didn’t he see just how much I have been under his spell this past year?

Still, I inhaled a long breath.

I want you.“I want this,” I whispered, swallowing hard, and whatever restraint he still had snapped.

He crashed against me, pulling me to the very edge of the counter. The cold stone bit into the back of my thighs, but I didn’t care. I barely even felt it. Not when Thomas was between my legs, his hands sliding up my sides. His mouth found mine again, his hands skimming my spine, arching me into him as his fingers loosened the straps of my bra. Then I was completely bare, his hands everywhere.

I didn’t care that we were in the kitchen. I didn’t care that the case loomed over us, that outside this moment, everything was uncertain.

Right now, nothing else existed but him.Us.

Reaching up to him, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer until my naked breasts pushed against the black material. He breathed heavily as I kissed his neck, leaving tiny bite marks behind.

He reached down, unfastening his belt, and unzipping his jeans. His breath was ragged as his hands roamed lower on my body, trailing the hem of my shorts.

A shiver ran through me as he teased me. Then?—

A noise.A creak.We both froze.

His body went rigid against mine, his head snapping toward the hallway. I barely breathed, my pulse thundering in my ears. My fingers curled against his back, my nails digging into the material of his shirt as we listened.Silence.

Thomas’ chest rose and fell heavily. For a second, I thought he was about to pull away, that whatever spell we had just fallen under, had shattered. But then, his hands tightened on my waist. He turned back to me, and just one look at his face made my stomach clench.

He wasn’t stopping, I realized. Not now.

Not unless I told him to.

“Probably just the house settling,” I whispered against his lips.

Thomas didn’t respond; instead, he kissed me. And just like that, the moment snapped back into place. His hands gripped my thighs, dragging me forward on the counter, and I arched into him. He wasn’t gentle anymore, but neither was I.

His fingers tugged at my shorts, sliding them off and leaving me in my panties. Slipping beneath the fabric, he teased the wet skin he’d already tasted in my dreams. My breath hitched, my nipples hardening and I let my head fall back. His grip tightened around the material, pulling on it before ripping it off me.

“Rhodes!” I gasped, and he straightened, watching me.

“Sage,” he murmured back, dragging two fingers over my slit.

I fisted his dark curls, holding my breath as he gently soaked his fingers into me. A sigh fell from my lips as pleasure struck through me.

“You are so wet,” his voice was thick and low as he moved his fingers inside me. “Mhm,” he hummed, and I eased into his touch. He pulled his fingers out of me and gently rubbed them over my clit. “Wise Girl.”

I gasped, my nails digging into his back. I was trembling. Not from nerves. From want. My legs wrapped tighter around him, pulling him against me, and he groaned. The deep, wrecked sound sent a bolt of heat straight through me.

He pulled his T-shirt over his head, then rolled on a condom, my belly tickling as his dark eyes devoured me. His muscles rippled, taut with tension as he leaned over me and rested himself on his forearms, brushing a finger over the side of my throat.

“So beautiful,” he rasped, then pushed into me.

Everything else ceased to exist.

The cold kitchen counter beneath me, the dimly lit room, the weight of everything hanging over us. It all disappeared.

There was only him.