Page 41 of Suddenly Mine
Christian didn’t speak for a long time. Then he let out a slow breath and leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. “You did hurt me,” he said quietly. “I’m not going to pretend you didn’t. Hearing you say that . . . it knocked the wind out of me.”
Merry’s heart crumpled. She opened her mouth, but he held up a hand.
“But,” he said, his voice softer, “I understand what you’re saying. I’ve been there, too, saying things you don’t mean because you’re scared or backed into a corner. I get it.” He looked down for a second, then back up at her, brow creased. “And the truth is . . . I believe you. I believe you didn’t mean it.”
Relief swelled so quickly in Merry’s chest it almost hurt.
Christian gave her the faintest, crooked smile. “I know what it’s like to be judged before someone knows who you are. I’ve spent most of my life trying to figure out who sees me for me, and who just sees the money — you know, the lack of it. When I met you, I thought you saw me.”
“I did,” she said quickly. “I do.”
“I know,” he said.
Merry gave a shaky smile. “So . . . friends?”
His mouth twitched. “Friends?” he echoed, standing slowly and stepping closer, holding out his hands to her. “I don’t think I can do just friends.”
Her breath caught as he reached down and took her hand, tugging gently until she rose from the chair, the blanket sliding to the floor.
“I know I shouldn’t be doing this,” he whispered, his mouth inches from hers. “I’m leaving. I’m supposed to keep my distance. But I can’t.” His fingers brushed her cheek. “I can’t help myself.”
Then he kissed her softly. His hands slid into her hair, drawing her closer, his body pressed to hers, and Merry melted into it with relief. She clutched the front of his sweater, kissed him with everything she’d been holding back. His tongue traced hers and she gasped, heat flooding her belly as he backed her gently towards the sofa, his hands skimming down her arms, her waist, until she bumped into the edge and sat down.
“What you said to me about being enough,” he said. “I want you to know that the same applies to you. You don’t have to shrink yourself or be afraid of what people think.”
Merry stared up at him, heart pounding.
“You’re enough, Merry,” he murmured, brushing his knuckles along her jaw. “Exactly as you are.”
Her eyes filled. “Christian . . .”
He leaned in again, pressing a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Then her cheek. Her jaw. Down, down . . . until his mouth found her throat, her pulse fluttering wildly beneath his lips. Her breath caught as he dropped to his knees between her thighs, lifting the hem of her uniform with warm, deliberate hands and gently peeling down her tights. The cool air kissed her skin as he looked up at her from the floor, eyes dark with heat, expression full of reverence. “And I’m going to show you.”
She paused, breathless. “Wait. Christian, are you sure no one’s going to come in? What is this place, how did you find it?”
He leaned back slightly, still kneeling, his hands resting gently on her thighs. “I found it the other day when I was cleaning the roof,” he said, a smile tugging at his mouth. “I spotted the door and figured it was just storage, but when I opened it, this was all here. Totally abandoned, but someone’s clearly still tending to it. There’s a watering can tucked under those books, and the soil’s fresh in half the pots.”
“What if someone comes?” she murmured, lost in the way his fingers were stroking her thighs.
“You,” he said, eyes returning to hers with a wicked glint. “That’ll just be you.”
His hands slid higher, warming her skin as he gently parted her thighs. Then he kissed her through her knickers. A warm press of his mouth that made her hips jerk and a soft gasp escape her lips.
“Christian . . .”
She barely got the word out before he did it again, this time dragging his tongue slowly along the damp cotton, teasing her through it, making her knees tremble.
“You’re already wet for me,” he murmured, like it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever discovered.
Then he slipped his fingers beneath the edge of her knickers and drew them aside, exposing her to the humid air and his hungry gaze. She sucked in a breath as he looked at her like he’d been starving and finally found something worth feasting on. He leaned in and kissed her bare skin, open-mouthed and slow, then flattened his tongue and licked a long, deliberate stroke from the bottom of her slit to the top. Merry cried out softly, her head tipping back, her hands flying to his hair.
Then he did it again. And again. Until her breath was catching, her hips rolling forward instinctively, chasing the rhythm he was building. When he sucked her clit into his mouth her whole body lit up.
A whimper escaped her. “Oh my God.”
He groaned against her, the sound vibrating through her, and slipped one hand lower, two fingers gliding easily into her slick heat. He filled her slowly, drawing them back out, then sliding in again, matching the tempo of his tongue.
Her body was on fire. Every nerve ending sparking to life, every part of her straining towards him, held together only by the grip of his hands and the heat of his mouth. It was overwhelming. It was perfect.