Page 13 of The Never List (Never List #1)

Kal

“Kal, I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—”

I cover her mouth with mine. Every instinct in my body roars at me to touch her, taste her. She gasps against my lips, opening for me as I stroke inside her mouth. I draw back, heart pounding against my chest.

“You’re not angry with me?” she asks. From the look in her eyes, I can tell she’s serious. I frown as I study her. Why would she think I’d kiss her like this if I was angry with her?

“You said I left you tense and aching last night.” I drag my lips across hers again. “It’s only fair that I soothe that need. If you want me to stop, now is the time to say so.”

A breath escapes her lips, and she shakes her head.

I grin, sliding my hands beneath the dark blue jacket she wears. Blue . The woman wore blue to my city. She’s a mixture of courage and rebellion, and it makes me want to claim her as mine like no one else before her has. No one has ever spoken to me like she has, much less shirked tradition like she just did by breaking social barriers in public.

I peel off her jacket, hanging it on a hook beside us. Then I step back to survey her. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. The top she wears is barely a strip of fabric over her supple breasts, and her pants sit high around her waist and drape down to accentuate her long legs. My eyes dart everywhere, trying to decide which piece of her I want first.

“So many choices,” I say, drawing out the words and relishing the delightful little blush that creeps across her skin. “So many places to explore.”

I step toward her again, caging her in with my arms before slanting my mouth over hers. She tilts her head, kissing me back with an intensity that mirrors my own. It feels like I’ve just met a worthy sparring partner instead of an easy conquest. Fire ignites in my blood from the simple kiss.

She runs her fingers over my chest and down my abs, then grabs my shirt to draw me even closer. I grip her chin, tilting her head back so I can kiss her at a deeper angle. She whimpers, sliding her leg up and over my hip, unabashedly searching for the pressure she needs. It nearly brings me to my knees.

The thought makes me smile against her lips, then pull away to look down at her. Her eyes are lust-hazed, her lips swollen from my kiss, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Can you be quiet?” I whisper, and her eyes flare before she glances toward the door.

“Can’t you lock it?”

My grin widens, and I let her see a little behind the mask I normally wear. Her lips part, but there is a fiery energy behind her blue eyes. I kiss her, hard and fast, before asking again, “Can you be quiet?”

I grind my hips against her, pressing against her heat. She trembles, a moan slipping from her lips before she bites down to silence it.

“Good girl,” I say.

She rocks against me in response.

I lay a trail of kisses down her jaw, her neck, and lower, palming her breasts and rolling her nipples between my fingers until they’re pert. Gauging her reaction, I pull down her top, lowering my mouth to one of her peaked nipples.

“Kal,” she whispers. “Please.”

“Such manners.” I close my mouth around the bud, and she arches into the touch. I suck hard enough to sting, then soothe the hurt with my tongue. Then I switch to worshipping the other one while my hands skim lower, unbuttoning her pants.

She sighs as I slide my hand beneath the fabric, reaching between her thighs. Fuck me, she’s already drenched; my fingers glide through her heat with ease.

“Fuck, Rylee ,” I whisper, kissing her breasts one more time before rising to look down at where my hand is between her thighs. “You’re already so slick for me.”

Rylee leans her head back against the wall, her breasts out and peaked, her face flushed. I’ve never seen anything as beautiful and dangerously sexy.

I curl my two middle fingers just enough to tease her, to make her sigh, my lips hovering over hers. “Remember,” I whisper. “You started this.” I plunge two fingers inside her, groaning at how she squeezes me.

Her eyes flare. “If this is the result,” she says, “I’ll be sure to do it again,” once again shocking me. She rocks against my hand, chasing her pleasure with unrestrained need.

I press harder against her, kissing her again. Her nails bite into my shoulders where she grips me, and the little bolts of pain shoot straight to my aching cock.

“Kal,” she whispers, keeping her voice low. She drops her hands from my shoulders, reaching for my pants. For a moment, I think about letting her free me, think about fucking her senseless right here in the goddess-damned washing chamber.

I quickly move out of her reach, gently sliding my fingers out of her. She whimpers, her eyes widening as she looks at me in question.

Slowly, I drop to my knees, tugging her pants down with me and sliding them over her heels. “When I fuck you, Rylee Gray,” I say, kissing the top of the lace undergarment that still covers her, “it will be in a place where you can scream my name.”

She shivers.

“Now,” I say, glancing up at her while I hook my fingers into the lace and rake it down her legs, too. “Watch yourself in the mirror while I make you come on my tongue.”

Shock and desire flutter over her features, her eyes focused on the mirror behind me. Fuck, just the idea of her watching herself while I get her off has every muscle in my body tensing with need.

I kiss her silky thighs, rubbing them while trailing my tongue over her skin, teasing just the edges of where she needs me most. She’s shifting her weight, desperate for the pressure I’m keeping from her.

The sound of footsteps outside the door makes her freeze, but I don’t dare stop. My blood is practically on fire as I grip her leg and settle the back of her knee over my shoulder. “Fuck. You’re so beautiful.” She has a small strip of blond curls, and she’s swollen and glistening for me.

“What about the door?” she asks again.

I glance up at her, my mouth poised above her. “Anyone who walks in here will catch me worshipping you.” I drag my tongue up her slowly, holding her gaze. “But if you want me to stop, just say the word.”

She slides her fingers in my hair, gripping it. “Don’t stop,” she begs.

I smile against her, then flick my tongue again. “Fuck. You taste like salted caramel.” Her thighs tremble around my face as I unleash myself on her, eating her like I’m starved. And fuck, maybe I am, because I’ve never been this desperate for anyone. Ever . With the previous potentials, it was all formulaic, strategic on both sides.

But this? This is unrestrained need. This is pure, carnal pleasure.

This is chaos.

Her grip on my hair tightens as she rocks against my face, moving against me. I hold her steady with my hands, one on her hip and one behind her lower back, adjusting her so she can do nothing but hold on. And just when I know she’s on that edge, when I can feel her primed and aching for that push, I suck hard.

“Kal,” she moans not so quietly as her flavor bursts on my tongue. Her body trembles as I work her through her orgasm, taking her down with slow, gentle strokes until she goes limp against me.

I lean away, licking my lips as I help her into her lace and pants, bringing the clothing up with me as I stand.

“Mmm,” I groan after buttoning her back up. “I could do that all day.”

Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes hazy as she looks up at me. I grin down at her, adjusting myself so it’s not so obvious how badly I want her. I help her into her jacket, smoothing my hands through her hair. “Now that I’ve already had dessert,” I say, and her blush deepens, “would you like to see the rest of my city?”

She bites her lip, almost like she’s trying to hide the smile that steals my breath. Fuck, I’m already losing it for this woman, and we’ve barely begun.

Worry slices through my chest. I can’t get too attached. There are so many obstacles she has to overcome before I can even consider the possibility of her actually belonging to us, but I can’t help it. Something about her makes me envision a future I have no right to picture so soon.

What is she doing to me?