Page 31 of Suddenly Mine
It was electric.Hewas electric.
“There!” Christian pointed towards the subway entrance just across the street.
They dashed for it, slipping past slower-moving crowds and dodging umbrellas that had become useless in the downpour. Merry’s hair clung to her cheeks, her breath fogging in the air as they flew down the steps, water sluicing off their clothes.
At the bottom, she stumbled to a halt beside Christian, breathless and dripping. They stared at each other, soaked to the skin, cheeks flushed from the cold and the sprint and their proximity.
“Are you okay?” he asked, breath catching.
She nodded. “Are you?”
He shrugged, chest rising and falling. “Never better.”
The subway was packed with damp people clutching umbrellas and dripping bags, shoulders hunched against the wet. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, casting everything in a sickly, flickering glow.
Merry stood on the edge of the platform, every nerve ending lit up as the train screamed into the station, brakes shrieking, and when the doors opened it was like a stampede. They got swept inside, barely managing to stay upright, squashed between a businessman with a soaked briefcase and a teenager blasting music through one earbud.
Christian ended up behind her, his body pressed fully against her back. The jolt of the train starting up rocked them even closer, and she felt every hard plane of him, the heat of his breath against the back of her neck.
Merry gripped the cold metal pole beside her so hard her knuckles ached. Her other hand hung useless at her side, twitching with the need to reach for him. Her clothes were soaked through, her skin cold, but every inch that touched him was burning.
Christian shifted, almost imperceptibly, and she felt the slow drag of his breath as his mouth brushed her temple soft enough to make a heat curl low and hot between her thighs. The train jolted and someone cursed as another passenger bumped against her. Christian’s arm moved fast, anchoring her to him. His hand splayed low over her stomach, holding her steadily against his chest.
Merry closed her eyes.
What are we doing? Where is this going? Do I even care anymore?
The train screeched into her station and she grabbed Christian’s hand without a word. His skin was hot as she pulled him through the crowd, weaving past slow-moving commuters with single-minded urgency. Neither of them spoke as they exited into the night. The rain was still coming down hard, slanting sideways beneath the streetlights. By the time they reached her building, the silence between them was vibrating with something exhilarating.
She stopped at the front door, keys already in hand, her pulse roaring in her ears. For a moment she didn’t move. Just stood there with her back to him, breath catching, one hand trembling on the lock. Then his hand slid over hers. The other ghosted along her waist, drawing her gently back against him as the key scraped softly in the lock.
He lowered his head to her ear. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he whispered.
Merry answered him by turning the key and Christian made a sound low in his throat. A half-groan, half-growl that went straight through her.
Her breath came fast as she toed off her boots, fingers trembling slightly as she pulled off her coat. His coat. She turned, walking silently through the short hallway towards her bedroom. She could feel him behind her and was suddenly aware of every imperfect detail — the laundry basket half-full in the corner, the faint smell of lavender fabric softener, and the icy frost that had crept across the inside of her bedroom window.
She hesitated at the door, just for a second, feeling a wave of embarrassment rise up at the sight of it. A thin sheen of vulnerability exposed. Before she could say anything, Christianstepped in close behind her. His voice was low and rough against her damp shoulder.
“You look like a gift,” he murmured, his mouth brushing her skin, her door clicking gently shut behind them. “And I’m going to take my time unwrapping you.”
Before she could catch her breath, he spun her around and pressed his mouth on hers. Soaked from the rain, their bodies collided like they’d been waiting a lifetime. His hands found her hair, pulling her closer like he couldn’t get enough. The kiss deepened instantly, his tongue finding hers. Merry gasped in pleasure against his mouth, and he swallowed the sound with a groan that vibrated all the way through her.
Her uniform was soaked, clinging to every curve, and when they finally pulled apart, his eyes dropped to the outline of her breasts. Under the weight of his stare, her nipples pebbled visibly beneath the thin cotton.
“Merry,” he whispered. “Look at you.”
She reached for the zip at the side of her dress, but his hands were already there.
“Let me,” he said, voice low. “I’ve been thinking about this since the second I saw you in that uniform.”
Merry’s stomach flipped. She lifted her arms, letting him peel the sodden dress over her head inch by inch. The wet fabric clung like glue, and the friction only made it hotter. Dropping the dress to the floor he lowered his mouth to the hollow of her throat and began kissing every drop of water that trailed down her body. One at her collarbone. Another between the swell of her breasts still wrapped in her bra.
His fingers slid behind her back and the clasp of her bra gave instantly. It slipped down her arms and hit the floor without a sound. His eyes dropped, and her nipples tightened into harder peaks under the heat of his gaze.
He reached up and cupped her breasts in both hands, his thumbs stroking slowly over each nipple. The touch was electric and she felt it through her core. She gasped, arching into his hands, chasing the contact, but he stopped and took a step back, drinking her in with his eyes.
“Christian,” she whispered, the word barely a breath, but it seemed to snap the last thread of his control.