The words are still on his lips as he leans forward and presses them against mine. A spark lights between us as our bodies connect. The fear, the unknown—it’s all still there, but when he kisses me, it seems further away. When he kisses me, I know that no one, not even Cliff Montgomery, can hurt me. When he kisses me, I know that he won’t stop at anything to protect me and keep me safe.
When he kisses me, he takes away the pain.
He breaks away only to take a breath, his blue-green eyes shades darker when they meet mine. “Don’t ever,” he grits out, “for even one second, let yourself think that he can claim you, Sparrow. Because as long as I live, and as long as Declan and Elias live, no one can do that. Not Cliff. Not Alan. No one.”
I nod, blinking back the well of hot tears that threaten to spill over. I spent so long not trusting anyone, not allowing myself to trust in anything other than myself, that it’s still weird to hear it. Even though they’ve proved themselves over and over again, a small part of me still wants to shut down. To not trust, not give in.
“You’re not just one of us,” he says quietly, “you’re part of us.”
Fuck.
His words hurt, but in a good way. They hurt in a way that makes me lean forward and press my lips to his, wrap my hands around his neck and thread my fingers through his hair, pulling him impossibly close. His hands twist around my body and slide down my back, grasping my hips and my ass, hiking me harder against him.
When his tongue brushes against the seam of my mouth, I let him in without hesitation. His responding groan rumbles from his chest and across my body, making my chest tighten and my skin flush with heat. The budding ache that’s become so familiar blooms again, hot and heavy, in my stomach, in my chest, between my legs.
We make out like a pair of horny teenagers, and even though Gray and I have kissed before, even though we’ve fucked before, this time it’s something different. I can feel it in every fiber of my body, in the steady thrum of his heart against my heart.
The air is cool against my skin, and even though we’re out of sight on this rooftop, I can hear the hum and buzz of students moving around the campus below us, talking and laughing and calling out to each other.
But I’m only vaguely aware of any of that. All the rest of my attention is focused on Gray and the demanding pressure of his lips on mine.
Our bodies are grinding against each other, and I can feel the hard bulge of his cock as he works his hips against mine. He nips my lower lip, and I grab his ass, dragging him even closer to me. We’re both sucking in heavy gasps of air, and as heat streaks through me, I realize in a rush that we’re both going to come soon.
The chemistry and need between us is so basic, so primal, that we’re about to come just from dry-humping against a door.
I want to feel Gray come apart. I want to hear the low sound he makes when he com
es. Fuck, that sound alone would be enough to make me come. But I want to feel him inside me when he does.
Maybe someday we’ll stop giving in to this wild, dangerous thing between us. Maybe someday we’ll stop fucking in bathrooms and stairwells and on rooftops. Maybe we’ll eventually stick to the bedroom like a responsible, well-behaved couple.
But I fucking doubt it.
Wedging my hand between us, I shove it down the front of his pants and slide my fingertips over Gray’s cock. He shudders against me, biting my lower lip hard enough that he almost breaks the skin. He pulls away just enough to give us both room to maneuver, and then we’re scrabbling at each other’s clothes, fingertips fumbling with buttons and zippers and fabric.
As I shove his pants down low on his hips, letting his cock spring free, he stares down at my face from inches away, his blue-green eyes burning with inner fire. Then he kisses me once, hard and claiming, before spinning me around.
My cheek presses against the cool metal of the door as Gray drags my pants and panties down. Leaving them around my thighs, he slides his hand back up, fingers delving into my pussy with a possessiveness that lights my blood on fire.
I moan and arch my back, and Gray curses. His free hand comes down on my ass, and the sound of it is loud enough that I’m pretty sure even people on the ground must’ve heard it.
Biting my lip to stifle my cry, I shudder against the door. A gush of arousal slips over Gray’s hand, and he groans in satisfaction. Withdrawing his fingers from my pulsing channel, he massages away the sting of his slap, smearing sticky arousal all over my skin. His cock notches at my entrance, and we both suck in a breath. Then he grabs my hips and pulls me backward at the same moment he drives his hips forward.
It’s fast and rough and wild, both of us too overcome by the need to solidify our connection to worry about finesse or grace. I brace myself against the door, praying like fuck that a security guard isn’t about to burst through and find us as Gray thrusts into me in short strokes.
The sound of our hips colliding is almost as loud as the sound of him slapping my ass earlier, but I’m beyond caring if anyone can hear it. I can’t even tell how loud or quiet I’m being anymore. My teeth are still clamped firmly around my lower lip, but I have a feeling muffled cries and grunts are escaping me anyway.
When Gray comes, he bites down hard on the curve of my shoulder, his body hard against mine as he presses me against the door. The feeling of his cock throbbing inside, of his cum filling me up, is more than I can take. I whimper as I follow him into bliss, my eyes rolling back as my body sags against the smooth metal of the stairwell door.
Gray wraps an arm around me, sliding his broad hand down my stomach until his fingertips find my clit. He strokes over it lightly, making my whole body shake beneath his.
“I want to kill him, Sparrow,” he murmurs quietly, and I don’t have to ask who he’s talking about.
I don’t have to ask if he’s serious either. I can hear it in the tone of his voice. He means every word.
“I know.” My voice is raspy, still breathless and raw. “I know. But you can’t.”
Because if he does, he’ll end up in jail or killed by Alan in retaliation. If he does, I’ll lose him.