Andre ran a hand over the back of his hair. “I went to see her tonight.”
“At her job?”
“I needed to see her. I . . . I had a bad day and, God, I don’t know, I wanted to see her.”
Jace knew the feeling. He’d been more than disappointed when Evan had texted him that she wouldn’t be stopping by tonight. But going to her studio was a big no-no. They’d all agreed to keep their relationship—or whatever the fuck this was—separate from her “real” life. “You shouldn’t have gone there.”
“You don’t think I fucking know that? I couldn’t help it.”
Jace poured another shot and walked it over to Andre. “So what happened?”
“I made love to her. Not sex, Jace. Way more than that.” He knocked back the shot, made an ugly face. “And, goddammit, I know she was feeling it, too.”
Jace sat on the other side of the couch, his breath whooshing out of him. “You love her?”
Andre set the empty glass on the coffee table, his expression turning guarded. “What? You’re the only one who’s allowed that privilege?”
“I don’t lov—” Jace scrubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck.”
He hadn’t shared his plans with Andre when he’d decided to pursue Evan after that evening on the balcony. He’d gone on pretending that this was a two-month deal. To protect them all in case it didn’t work out. But he’d never been able to hide anything from Andre. The guy read people as if their thoughts were printed on their foreheads in Sharpie. “You knew.”
Andre smirked. “You’ve been gone on her since the moment she stepped back into your life. And I’ve seen how much your guard has dropped these last few weeks when she’s around. You’ve been courting her like your life depended on it.”
Anger, hot and fierce, welled up in Jace. “Then why did you go and fucking fall for her too? If you knew I felt that way about her?”
Andre laughed without humor. “Oh, right. ’Cause I’m not allowed to feel anything. I’m just dick number two, enter stage left? What the fuck, man?”r: Roni Loren
His eyes darkened in that way that made her insides coil tight. “You’re the most perfect woman I’ve ever met.”
She laughed. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
He cupped her cheek, his gaze as serious as she’d ever seen him. “No, Evan. I don’t.” He ran his thumb over her mouth. “Mi alma es tuya.”
Evan parted her lips to ask him what that meant, but he was already pulling her down for a kiss. His mouth slanted over hers and their tongues twined in a heated dance—one that sent every molecule in her body humming. She sensed a fierceness in the embrace, almost a desperation, like Andre was afraid she’d evaporate if he didn’t hold her tightly enough. She wanted to reassure him that she was right here, that she wasn’t going anywhere. But they both knew that wasn’t true. They needed to treat every time like a cherished gift. Because this was an indulgence neither of them would have for much longer.
She pressed her forehead against his. “Please, Andre. I need you.”
Hands and legs tangled, the condom somehow made it on, and soon she found herself rolled onto her back, Andre above her. “I need you too, bella. So much.”
The camera flash captured the second their bodies collided.
Dueling moans mixed with the rustle of sheets as he buried himself deep inside her. She closed her eyes, overwhelmed by the delicious feel of his invasion, but his voice snapped her back to attention. “Don’t. Look at me. I want to see all of you.”
Her heart pounded as she lifted her lashes and looked at him. She’d thought she couldn’t get any more naked, but this—staring into his brown depths as he rocked into her—was as exposed as she’d ever felt.
He grabbed her hand, lifted it to his mouth, and laid a kiss atop it, all the while not breaking his rhythm. She shivered beneath the simple brush of his lips. “Now you can touch yourself, bella.” He lowered her palm to where he wanted it. “Let me feel you come around me.”
She kept her focus on him, but slid her finger along her clit, the little bundle of nerves slick and swollen and desperate for relief. The instant she applied pressure, her sex clenched around Andre and the pleasurable jolt registered on his face.
Oh, my. She’d never watched a lover so intently. Seeing every nuance of sensation cross his features. Beautiful and sexy and beyond intimate.
She swirled her finger as he continued to move inside her, his pace increasing to match hers. Sharp zings of sensation wicked through her nervous system, making every inch of her skin, her soul, feel alive. She wouldn’t last much longer, not after all this and not with his eyes fucking her as completely as his body was. But part of her wanted to hang on just a bit longer. Savor this. No. Savor him.
She reached up with her free hand and ran her hand along his stubble, his skin hot beneath her touch. “You’re pretty damn perfect, too.”
The lines around his eyes creased, almost as if the words were too much to hear, and he leaned down to claim her mouth. Her lips parted for him, accepting everything behind his kiss—the desire, the pain, the loss both of them knew was looming. All of it consumed them and the rhythm of his hips increased as they both began to unravel. Her neck arched, pulling her out of the kiss, and a plea escaped. “Andre.”
“Let go, bella. Let everything go. For me.”