302 Forbidden Ave (A Cherry Falls Romance #9) - Jenika Snow Page 0,17

without words he wanted me to let him in.

I want him in me so bad.

“That’s it,” he groaned and dragged his tongue along the swell of my bottom lip. I opened for him then, a little bit voluntarily, a little bit because I was shocked by how hot I was burning up for him, from this.

Braxton plunged his tongue inside my mouth, making me take all of it, showing me that he was a passionate, powerful lover. I wanted to give all of myself to him.

He held me so tightly, and I felt the cold, hard, and unforgiving wood of my front door greet my back before I realized he’d been moving us. A soft sound left me at the almost brutal nature of his actions. God, did I love this hardness, love that Braxton took what he wanted.

He broke away, panting against my mouth, refusing to give me an inch to breathe.

I only want to breathe him in.

“I'm sorry,” he whispered and kissed me gently, as if he was trying to make it up to me, trying to show me he had this soft side.

I liked it. I want it all. Hard. Soft. Frantic. Easy. I just want you.

But I was tongue-tied, unable to say those words, to reassure him that I liked it any way he gave it to me.

He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as he breathed. I knew he was trying to gather his control. And I was thankful, because even if I wouldn’t have stopped this, I was glad he’d been with it enough to make the call. I wanted time to process these feelings he’d opened up in me.

I wanted Braxton without a doubt, wanted him to be my first… everything.

He pulled back enough to look at me, this pained expression on his face. He leaned in and slowly kissed me, and I melted against him all over again, moaning, my hands curled around his biceps, keeping him close. Needing him closer.

“This is where I say goodnight and that you’re all I’ll be thinking about.” He pulled back, and his expression was so serious. He slid his hand that wasn’t tangled in my hair up to cup my cheek. I shamelessly leaned into his hold. “But I don’t want to say goodnight, even though I’m going to.” He kissed me gently, sweetly on the lips. “I don't even want to pull away from you, but it’s the right thing to do, and I want to be a gentleman.” He gave me one more lingering kiss, and I almost said screw being a gentleman. “But I can say with 100 percent accuracy that you’re all I’ll be thinking about until I see you again, and even then, you’ll still be on my mind.”

I knew that whenever I did give myself to this man, my entire life would change. I knew Braxton would ruin every other man for me, that he was my end-all. I’d only ever crave him, and after his touch, his kiss, I only wanted him.

And it was very clear that he felt the same way too. Now it was only a matter of time before that passion between us exploded, and there was no stopping it.

And I looked forward to that part of my life being irrevocably out of control.

9

Braxton

Two weeks later

Being a firefighter meant my schedule wasn’t typical, not in the nine-to-five, Monday through Friday sense. I worked twenty-four hours on, then had forty-eight hours off. That first day off, I tried to get house shit done, home improvements, daily things for the week so I didn't have to worry about it. But for the last couple of weeks, I was finding that stuff taking a backseat. Because when I was off, all I did was spend time with Amelia, and I didn't give two shits what other aspects of my life were being neglected because of it.

She made everything… better.

I pulled my truck beside the curb in front of her house and cut the engine. It had been two days since I’d seen Amelia because of our work schedules, and to say I was going through withdrawals to see her was a fucking understatement.

Talking on the phone, texting, even the few times we’d video chat on my work days weren’t cutting it for me. Now, more than ever, it was clear I couldn’t simply walk away from Amelia. Even if she asked for space, I didn’t know if I could truly do that. She was too ingrained