Burn (Virtues & Lies 1)

The intensity of his gaze is too much and when I try to lower mine, he lowers himself so that I can’t escape him.

“Let me do it, if you won’t.”

“I don’t want to be a monster.” My voice breaks with tears that I can’t stop.

“Because the world tells you not to be?”

“No, because I want to keep my heart.” Or what I have left of it.

“Do you think I don’t have a heart? Christopher? Your dad? We live. We breathe. We feel pain and love.” He pushes me against the shower wall, keeping my hands trapped behind my back with one of his, whilst the other cups my face roughly.

The tip of his nose trails the planes of my face and skims the bridge of my nose down to my lips and when he looks back up his lips touch mine. They run across mine.

I don’t know how long it takes me to get back to what he just said, but when I do, my lungs swell in my chest.

We feel pain and love.

Love.

“How can you kill in one breath and love in the other?” I ask as his bottom lip strokes mine, the tip of his tongue licking the underside of my top one.

“I can easily do both in the same breath. It’s in my nature. I can love you, protect you, and kill for you in one. Single. Breath.”

“For me.”

“For you.” Murmuring, his tongue dips into my mouth.

Leo licks across my tongue and then the roof of my mouth before his teeth sink into my top lip. He bites, sucks, and licks my sore, cracked pout until I can’t breathe and water has filled both our mouths.

Letting go of my wrists, he takes a step back and shucks off his boots before removing his T-shirt. The whole time I’m mesmerised by his body and the way it moves. The way the muscles ripple and pull over his bones and beneath his skin. I take in the intricate lines and curves of the ink on his chest, the beautiful tangle of birds and stars is strikingly soft for his hard body. I have no idea which line to follow and study because my mind is a frisson of sparks and anticipation.

He yanks his belt off and throws it to the ground as he pops his button open. My eyes zero in on the top of his underwear, heat spreads all over me and I’m sweating. I didn’t even know you could sweat in water.

I watch him undress until all that’s left is his tight white boxer shorts, this is the closest I’ve been to a living breathing, real life guy in this way.

I’m impressed and fucking terrified at the same time. I know how things work, I’m no prude. But knowing how they work and seeing it is very different to this.

Am I meant to touch him? Am I meant to know what to do? Or maybe he’ll tell me?

Shit, this is a whole new panic.

I don’t realise I’m hyperventilating until he swipes my drenched hair from my face and dips to kiss me again.

“Relax,” he says before he pries my lips apart with his tongue.

Groaning when I twirl mine with his and scrape my teeth along it, his hands tug at my dress until it falls to my feet. I’m left in my high-waisted thong and strapless bra as he cups my arse and lifts me.

I want to open my eyes and watch his muscles strain as he takes my weight, but he deepens his kiss and I am a little unsure when my legs wrap around him. My ankles cross behind him, his groan vibrating down my throat has me squirming in his hands, on him, and I am very aware of the affect I have on him.

I’m shocked and thrilled that I’ve roused this reaction from him. The more I move, he moves and God, he feels so good, my legs are shaking as pleasure unfurls at my core and starts to race to my extremities.

Tracing down my jaw to my throat with his mouth, it’s only when he thrusts and grinds his groin into mine that I realise that I need to tell him.

I’ve never done this before. I’m a late bloomer…

“Leo,” I breathe as he nibbles and licks my neck.

“Mmm?”