Page 97 of Wicked Little Darling

He reached down and pulled up my shirt, exposing my stomach.

“What—what are you doing?”

“I just—unngh, fuck—I need to see more of you,” he rasped, staring down between our bodies. “That feels so good. Oh, fuck—yes, right there.” He slid his hand under my shirt, moving up to my chest until he brushed his thumb over my nipple.

I rolled my palm over his crown, spreading precum and stroking down his shaft again. I had no idea what made me so bold when it came to Dakota—if it was the desperate, needy sounds he made, how he begged for me to touch him, how much I wanted to see him come undone because ofme. His cock was velvety soft and so fucking hard, and I wanted so badly to lick it. Taste it. Swallow it down my throat and see just how much more I could wreck him.

I slid my fingers into his hair, gently pulled his head to the side, and bared his neck to me. “You like it when I touch you like this?” I murmured before sinking my teeth into his skin. He pressed his hand against my chest and shuddered. As soon as I sucked hard, he spasmed against me and groaned into my shoulder, squeezing my pec and spilling his cum all over my bare stomach while I slowly stroked him through it.

“Fuck,” he moaned, mouthing at my shoulder. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, Reese.” His tongue was soft on my neck, and then he bit down and started sucking at the spot just below my birthmark, sucking and sucking and moaning and sucking and?—

White-hot heat shot through me, and I spasmed as my own orgasm rocketed through me. I curled forward, a strangled sound coming from my throat, and then Dakota’s hands were framing my face, his lips inches from mine, and fear had me moving fast.

“Wait,” I panted, grabbing his face. His dark eyes bored into mine, searching for something. There was a happiness in them that started to dissolve the longer he looked. “What—what?—”

I trembled as I tried to catch my breath, tried to figure out what was so terrifying about Dakota kissing me.

“What’s wrong?” he said in that rough, low voice.

I slowly shook my head as the ecstasy faded. “I don’t…I’m not…not ready for…”

I could barely think, could hardly speak, and I didn’t know how to tell him that kissing him meant I would be giving him something I couldn’t ever take back.

Dakota placed his hands over mine. “That’s okay. Can you tell me why not?” he whispered. “Why can’t I kiss these mean little lips? Tell me a truth for once, darling. Even if it’s just this once.”

“I don’t know,” I said shakily. “I’m scared.”

He turned his head and kissed my palm. “Thank you for being honest,” he said, drawing back until he was kneeling over me. He moved his hands from my face, then looked down at my stomach. He dug into his pocket and pulled out some tissues, and I wanted to laugh.

He gently and slowly wiped his cum from my stomach, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on my abdomen. He’d wiped his expression clean of emotion, too, and I couldn’t stop staring at him.

Henevertried to hide what he was feeling, and a wretched, shameful guilt tore through me.

“Why?” I choked out. “Why do you want to kiss me so bad?”

His eyes cut to mine. “Isn’t that what two people do when they like each other?”

My heart pounded and my lips parted as I stared at him, dumbfounded. “What…?”

He wiped up the last bit of cum, then folded the tissues and slipped them back into his pocket.

“I like you, Reese. I’m not fucking with you. I’m not making fun of you and I’m not lying. I don’t think I’ve tried to hide it, either, and I think you already know, you’re just scared. I like you, and I’m not sure what that means or how to do—” He gestured between us. “—any of this, but Iwantto. I really, really want to. I think about you all the fucking time, and I get really excited when I know I’m gonna see you. There’s this—” He placed a hand over his sternum. “—weird tightness in my chest when you look at me.” There was resignation in his eyes when he brought them to mine. “You don’t have to say anything, but I just can’t keep it in anymore. So…I mean, I’m sorry if this makes you really uncomfortable now.” He wiped his hands down his face. “Fuck. I shouldn’t have said anything.” He blew out a breath and tried to smile. “Ah, well, too late. Cat’s already outta the bag.”

He gently cupped my face with one hand and placed the softest kiss on my cheek, then stood and walked away.

I sat frozen against the tree, the drying cum in my pants completely forgotten.

How was he able to be so brutally honest and not even blink an eye?

He’d just been so vulnerable and laid all his cards on the table, and I wished that I was able to do the same.

But if the cards I had were a losing hand, how could I?

My throat wasruined.

I stared at myself in the mirror, brushing reverent fingers across my tender skin.

He had wrecked my neck, and I fucking loved it. There was even a dark spot on the port-wine stain, and that made my stomach twist into knots.