He breaks away, panting, his eyes wild and fierce as they blaze into mine.
“Jesus Christ,” he hisses, his shoulders heaving with his breath, his hands still gripping me tight.
“Marshal—”
“No,” he growls lowly. His hands yank away from me, as if he’s been burned, and his face pales as he backs away.
“Goddamnit, Kendall…” he says quietly.
I realize I’m breathing so fast I’m about to hyperventilate, and I force myself to take a deep breath. Marshall closes his eyes, his mouth a tight line as he slowly shakes his head, his brow creasing.
“I—I should go—”
His hand shoots out just as I’m turning, gripping my wrist tight, and I shiver.
“No.”
I swallow.
“No stay or no go?”
Marshall blue eyes open, blazing fire into me as his jaw clenches.
“I don’t know,” he groans. “Both. Neither.”
He tugs on my wrist, and when he pulls me into him, I whimper as I fall against his chest. One of his big hands slides up my side, teasing over my ribs until he’s cupping my jaw with his big hand.
“Fuck,” he whispers, and suddenly, he’s kissing me all over again.
I moan into his kiss, molding my body to his and opening my mouth for his tongue. Our lips sear together, tongues dancing, and he kisses me so deeply and powerfully that my toes curl almost to the point of pain, before he slowly pulls away from me.
“The fuck were you doing on that website?”
I bite my swollen lip, swallowing.
“Kendall, your mom and stepdad are as financially able as me, why—”
“Because it’s all lies,” I blurt out. My face goes red as his brow furrows.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly, shaking my head.
“Tell me.”
“It’s—” I lower my eyes. “It’s all falling apart. There is no money. Tony lost it all.”
Marshall swears, his face darkening.
“So, you go online to sell your fucking virginity?”
I swallow, nodding quietly.
“It was for college. My mom can’t pay it, and I couldn’t not go, so—”
“Stop.” He shakes head.
“Christ, Kendall, you could have come to me.”
I’m quiet. I guess deep down I knew I could. I mean I’ve spent an insane amount of time at the Bane household, and I know Marshall would have cut a check faster than I could explain the story. But I guess it was pride that kept me from it.
“Does Amy know?”
I quickly shake my head. “No, God. No, she thinks I was on a dating site. That’s why I was going into the city tonight to…” My face turns red.
“To lose your virginity to some guy from online who fucking paid for it,” he hisses out.
“That ‘some guy’ is you, remember?” I spit back, glaring at him. But he glares right back, his brow furrowing.
“Are you actually a virgin?”
My mouth drops open.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
I glare at him. “What, worried you’ve been ripped off?”
His jaw clenches. “No, I’m pissed that you’d actually sell it on-fucking-line.”
“To you!” I toss back, sneering. “Do that a lot, Marshall?”
“Careful,” he growls dangerously, warning in his voice, which I ignore.
“Do you go online a lot and pay teenage girls to spread their legs and—”
“Watch it,” he growls, pushing my back against the door. I gasp, panting as he moves against me, heat blazing between us. And suddenly, without wanting to, and before I can even think it through, I kiss him, hard, recklessly, wantonly. I moan wildly, sliding my arms around his neck and whimpering into his lips as I kiss the man I’ve crushed on, and fantasized about, and wanted for years—kissing him like I never want to stop kissing him.
He growls, kissing me right back before he pulls away, panting.
“Fuck, Kendall. No, I don’t.”
My brow creases in confusion.
“Gone online and… that. I never have.”
“Why now?” I whisper.
“I could ask you the same question.”
“And I’ll tell you it was the money. You?”
He scowls. “I don’t know. But this?” he nods his chin between us. “This isn’t happening. This can’t happen.”
“So why…” I swallow, forcing myself to look up into his eyes.
“So why are your hands still touching me?”
Marshall’s mouth tightens.
…He doesn’t move his hands.
In fact, they tighten on my waist. I gasp quietly as his fingers trace the space between the top of my shorts and my tank top, making my belly cave as he teases across my bare skin. My breath catches, my heart racing as he pushes the tank top higher, baring more skin. His eyes drop, and I can feel the low growl in his throat as his fingers slide from my hips to meet in the middle, just under my belly button, resting on the snap button to my shorts.
…He pops it.
My breath comes out in a whoosh, my skin tingling as he peels apart the top of my shorts. His jaw is clenched so tight, his eyes fierce and full of fire as they stare at where his hands are working. I tremble, my hips rolling against him—wanting him, willing him to keep going. I’m fully aware of how wrong this is, on so many levels, and how fucked up it is that I want this. But I can’t stop—not when he’s making me feel like this, and not when every single part of me wants him.