Page 55 of Shine Bright

Breathing heavily, I pull away from him, just enough to be able to speak. The tips of our noses touch. My eyes are closed. I can’t look at him, otherwise I’ll drown in his darkness. I wouldn’t even fight it anymore.

“Send me away,” I whisper, my heart pounding. My body is trembling with desire. I’m breathing too fast, my chest pressed against his. “Send me away.” A quiet plea, one last chance.

Now or never.

We both know it, no matter how absurd it seems. He has to tell me to leave, otherwise something will start that shouldn’t.

But he has to be the one to make the decision. Phoenix has more to lose than I do. He has to send me away, do the right thing, but I pray silently that he won’t.

“What does it say about me if I want you to stay?” he whispers, somehow broken and a little desperate and very honest. My chest tightens. Longing, I think that’s what it is.

“Is that what you want?” I ask back, because I don’t have a real answer for him. I blink. Now I have to look at him, just briefly, before my lips touch his again. I feel his abdominal muscles tense, and a throbbing starts between my legs.

He inhales sharply. “Yes.”

One word, three letters. It sounds like victory and defeat at the same time. Maybe I should be stronger, maybe I should back away, because this is about our futures. About his job and my degree. Maybe I should be rational and reasonable.

I don’t want to be either one of those things.

“Good,” I whisper into his mouth.

We’re so close but still not kissing. My hands rest on his shoulders, and one of his hands is still on my face, but now under my chin. The other wanders to the back of my neck. He tilts my head back gently so I’m looking at him. I swallow hard as I stare into his eyes, his pupils so dilated that I can’t even see the blue. His gaze is dark and hard, and I can feel his hips pressing against me.

“What about you? What do you want, Ophelia?”

I don’t hesitate. I don’t think, I don’t feel ashamed. I just feel his body against mine and the throbbing between my legs, which becomes more urgent with every passing second.

“I want you to fuck me. I want you.”

His eyes light up with a mixture of confusion and fascination. I don’t know what I’m saying; it feels like delirium, not reality. And yet it feels very much like me. Like us.

“You want me to fuck you, Ophelia?” A smile spreads across his face. When he says Ophelia, I fear he can do whatever he wants with me.

“Yes.” My chest heaves, and then I hold my breath. He spins us around until my back hits the wall right next to his open apartment door. We’re still in the hallway. Someone could catch us at any moment, but I don’t think he cares any more than I do.

His gaze pierces mine, and he hesitates briefly, but it’s the last spark of self-control combusting in thin air. Then our mouths meet, for real this time. Soft gasps, heated lips. His tongue in my mouth, and the last vestiges of my sanity melt away. I stop thinking, I can only feel.

My heart pounds and my body hums. Heat, desire, and Phoenix’s hands around my face. A little possessive, a little demanding. A little too much of everything.

I’m so hot I’m melting. My chest presses against his hard muscles. I push myself against him, feeling his erection against my stomach because he’s so much taller than I am. I rub myself against him. It’s not enough, but I can’t help it. He moans into my mouth, and I die.

A hot shiver runs down my spine, and it pulses so strongly between my legs that it’s almost unbearable. I want him, and I want him now.

I gasp as he wraps both hands around my thighs, hot skin and the thin fabric of my tights, which I wish would simply disappear. There’s a soft pulling as he lifts me up, but the fabric holds. I wrap my legs around his hips and press myself against him, a little too high. He notices a split second after I do, and we move at the same time, both holding our breaths as his erection meets the heat between my legs. There’s too much cloth, far too much, but even through his jeans, I can feel his cock twitching.

“Fuck,” he murmurs against my lips.

Yes, please. I’m not sure if I actually say it out loud, but he presses himself a little closer to me, pushing me harder against the wall behind me. I’m captive, but I’ve never felt so free.

And then everything happens very quickly. He moves away from the wall, carrying me out of the hallway and into his apartment. The door closes behind us, and suddenly there’s another wall behind my back. My tights tear. His fingers brush against the sheer fabric of my panties. He doesn’t even touch my bare skin, but a whimper of longing escapes me. My head falls back, and I see stars.

“Ophelia, look at me,” he commands, his fingers pausing, hovering just a fraction of an inch above my throbbing center. He’s torturing me on purpose, and I think he’s enjoying it. So am I.

I blink, and my eyes meet his. He gives a crooked smile, then pulls my panties aside and pushes two fingers inside me without warning.

I moan, forgetting who I am. My eyelids flutter shut as Phoenix moves his hand fast and hard. His thumb finds my center, his lips find mine. He kisses me, and I return it with my whole being. Panting, I arch my back, my groin pressing closer to him. It all happens by itself. A tremor runs through his body, his breathing quickens, and my fingers dig into his shoulders. I need to move, need more support than the wall behind me. He seems to notice, because he takes a step back and breaks away from me with a groan of frustration.

My lips feel hot and swollen. He’s got to kiss me again, right now.