Page 42 of Saving the Rain (Crimson Ridge #4)

T he soft little noise Kayce makes beneath my mouth sends a searing, feverish burst of desire straight down to my toes. I didn’t expect to find him waiting for me, and I certainly had no idea it would be with that tormented look dulling his blue gaze.

And now, here I am, sealing our lips together, losing myself to this undeniable, insatiable hunger for him .

I don’t know what Kayce wants from this, or why it’s me he’s seeking out, but I don’t really fucking care right now. That continual struggle I’ve been left with—of feeling so inexplicably drawn together—turns into a white-hot blaze roaring through my bloodstream.

My tongue presses past the seam of his mouth, demanding entry, and even though we absolutely should not be kissing, I can’t stop this.

To add fuel to the flames, there’s no hesitation in him tonight.

He clings onto my forearms, still unsure what to do, but his lips move against mine right from the outset.

He’s as sweet as I remember, and the lingering scent of pine and the dewiness of the mist outside fills my awareness.

And the noises—all those fucking noises.

He lets out another soft whimper as I take his mouth, letting my kisses turn more forceful.

I can’t stop chasing after new ways to have him feeding me those breathy little gasps, to devour the first hint of a moan climbing up his throat .

Everything crackles to life, a bonfire bursting and soaring, and I’m hanging onto decency by a tether. Because right now, all I want is to feel his body writhing beneath mine, to see him fall apart time and again, for me.

I pull back a little, pinching his bottom lip between my teeth, and tug on that soft swell that’s always so damn tempting.

He stares back, all wide-eyed and slightly ruffled.

Taking in the sight of him like this, it quickly becomes my favorite version of Kayce Wilder.

His golden boy look so easily upended with something as innocent as a kiss.

There’s no way that should make my dick jerk in appreciation, but the time for trying to pause and figure out this strange attraction between us is a ship that has long since sailed.

“Tell me why you’re here, Kayce.” My words are low, gritty with craving him.

At the pace this is galloping forward, I need to hear it from his lips.

Because otherwise, my stepbrother might wake up tomorrow with a head full of regrets and I’ve certainly got zero interest in being any part of that.

“Walk out that door right now if you aren’t sure about this.

” I let my mouth roam along his shaved jaw, tracing the faintest hint of stubble there.

He swallows and makes a tiny humming sound. Those hesitant fingertips curl tighter against the sleeves of my shirt.

“I don’t know why I’m here.” His words dissolve into the sluttiest little noise when I start kissing the side of his throat.

Goddamn, the way that turns me feral. It’s like every part of him I touch, every patch of bare skin I come into contact with, has him reacting like no one has ever explored that part of him before.

And fuck my life, that drives me wild in a way it has absolutely no business doing.

“Then I think you should leave,” I murmur against his pulse point, nipping the delicate skin.

That sting—the pressure of my teeth marked into his flesh—leaves him shuddering and arching his neck.

Offering up that sensitive part of his body for more attention.

Kayce might be saying he doesn’t know what he wants, or why he turned up on my doorstep after dark, but his body sure as hell does.

He gasps when I do it again, a little harder this time, then suck down to ease the sting .

“I—I don’t want to leave.”

Beneath my lips, I feel his throat work another swallow.

Roaming hot, wet tracks over his fluttering pulse with my tongue, I can’t help myself.

Pure need is in the driver’s seat. And I want to push him to distraction as much as I know I really, really, really should be slowing down.

If I were a better person, I would be pausing until he can think straight, or something approaching that at the very least.

Letting go of the front of his shirt is the hardest thing to do, but it seems to be the secret to unlocking the restraint holding Kayce back up until now.

He clings tighter in response, presses our bodies closer, and wets his lips.

Hints of turquoise streak his gaze as he searches my face, flitting his attention between my mouth, my jaw, and back up to reconnect with my quiet stare.

“I feel safe with you.”

It’s a hushed admission, an unexpected gift, lined with a faint hint of pleading. There’s so much disguised within those simple words. A whole lifetime of unexplored parts of himself wrapped up in one soft statement of need.

Please. Make it good for me. Help me navigate this thing I don’t understand.

Who am I to turn him away? I’m already so far gone with this, I’ve been unable to keep my mouth off him, and barely fought the driving urge to drag him into my arms the moment I saw him slumped outside my door. So what kind of asshole would I be to abruptly end this?

Truth be told, I’m attracted to him in a way I didn’t think could ever be possible or certainly in a way that I didn’t allow myself to consider.

It’s not like we’re actually related. It’s not even as if we truly know each other.

This craving burning hot and bright between us while here in Crimson Ridge has been as near-strangers more than anything.

A palpable tension that, in all of a moment, transformed without warning.

My feelings for Kayce have shifted, grown, evolved.

No matter what label you might attach to it.

.. there are two distinctly different versions of how it feels to be around him.

Years and years ago, it centered around obligation and a deep sense of hatred for our circumstances.

But here and now, he’s a guy I can’t wipe from my mind.

When I’m with him like this, it feels like the most natural thing in the world to let my tongue run across the column of his throat, tasting the hint of salt and night air coating the warmth of his skin.

“That doesn’t answer my fucking question.” I fist the back of his head and drag a biting kiss over his Adam’s apple. Licking a long line up his neck, I stop once I reach his mouth, letting my eyes settle on his because I need to see what lies there waiting for me.

His stare is wider than ever. Big blue orbs with pupils almost fully blown out.

Kayce looks like my next fucking meal.

“This little naive cowboy routine is endearing and tempting and all, but a few stolen kisses after dark is one thing...” I give in to the urge to tug on his bottom lip again, drawing out another moan of pleasure, before pulling back.

“Asking me to take care of your needs is another demand entirely... and you know it.”

Kayce’s palms drift from where they’ve lingered at my elbows and forearms, and he finally puts his hands on me. Properly this time. It’s still unsteady, but he catches hold of my shirt, and then gingerly slides both palms around my back.

My eyelids grow a little heavy at how good that feels, to have Kayce touch me in a way that seems as though he genuinely wants to trace my muscles and explore the planes of my body.

There’s a curiosity there, a cautious mapping with his fingertips, and it leaves my heart rate doubling to have him wrapped up in me like this.

“Please.” He ushers that word, with just enough certainty that I’m already starting to walk him backward before he gets to the next part. “I want this... with you.”

“Jesus. You don’t know what the fuck you’re getting us into.

” A groan escapes me as I seal our mouths back together.

This time, the brakes fail. I’m tearing at his t-shirt, dragging it up his stomach—only pausing my next kiss for the brief second necessary to peel it up over his head before tossing it aside and stealing his lips once more.

His fingers fumble blindly with the buttons on my shirt, managing to unfasten a couple over my chest as I cup his face in both hands.

Guiding us toward the bathroom, my tongue thrusts against his, urgency thrumming through every part of me.

My cock is fully hard against my jeans, and Kayce has a bulge in the front of his sweats to match my own.

I shove him through the doorway, and he’s damn well panting.

He looks at me and swallows hard, bare chest heaving.

With the two of us in this cramped space, there’s not a lot of room to get undressed.

Using my bulk, I crowd him against the vanity until he has to brace himself on both hands against the edge of the counter.

Kayce’s eyes bounce everywhere as I forgo the effort of undoing any more buttons, reaching behind my neck to shuck the shirt over my head.

It makes something inside me sit up and enjoy that tiny fragment of attention.

When I lean across to turn the water on, and then start working my belt, he’s unable to stop staring at me open-mouthed the entire time.

Arching an eyebrow his way in silent question, I step out of my jeans and briefs.

Pink floods Kayce’s cheeks as his eyes drop straight to my groin. With one hand, I take myself in my fist and stroke, watching the blush darken as he can’t rip his focus away from the sight of me naked.

Why that feels so good, oh so right, is a concern for another day.

His tongue pokes out to wet his lips, and I see his fingers unclench from where he’s been gripping onto the edge of the vanity like it's a goddamn life raft. I don’t wait for him to figure out how to do this next part, he’s gotta take this step for himself.

I’m uninterested in forcing anyone into anything they’re not fully sure of.