me pinned to the wall, gazed down at my naked body. His eyes flared and fire passed through them, so hot he could have been the devil himself. He lifted his head. Time suspended as our eyes locked. Something seemed to pass across his face. A new kind of fight . . . No, acceptance.
Caught off guard by thoughts of what that look could mean, I allowed Tanner to lower me to the floor. The world fell away until there was only me and him and this place. Even through the heat of the room, a chill broke out over my bare skin, making it bump. Tanner stepped closer and closer until his presence wrapped around me like a blanket. His forehead dropped to mine, and his breath was shaking. I caught my breath and closed my eyes. The pace of his breathing was in sync with my heart. The silence was so thick it stole the oxygen from the room . . . until Tanner rolled his head, cheek to my cheek, and whispered, “Adelita . . .”
I squeezed my eyes shut at the pain in his voice. Governed by this moment and this man who I should hate and despise yet let pin me and strip me and taste my skin, I dropped the barriers that had forever kept me safe, and whispered in return, “Tanner . . .”
Two names spoken. No pretense, no hate, no Nazis or cartel princesses . . . and it broke something in Tanner. Eyes slamming open, Tanner took my mouth. His hands were everywhere, feeling every inch of my flesh. His breathing was hard, as was his body as he pressed against me. Heart pounding and in full control, I let the final thought of protest flee my mind. And I attacked back. I dropped my hands to his jeans and pushed them down. Tanner groaned as the denim bunched at his ankles. I swallowed in trepidation as I looked down and saw his length. It was long and hard. My stomach rolled in nerves and I lost a few breaths. But when I wrapped my hand around it and watched as Tanner broke from ravishing my neck to throw back his head and hiss, a confidence I never knew I could feel settled inside me.
I watched Tanner as veins corded in his exposed neck. His tight muscles bulged as he held my arms. I worked my hand up and down, until I couldn’t keep just watching anymore. I licked along his neck, the taste of his skin making me moan. That was all it took for Tanner to lift me against the wall again, bringing my feet off the ground. His eyes on mine were hard and strong, with a determination I’d never seen in him before. Seeing him so wild and undone was all I needed to wrap my legs around him and bring my mouth to his. Tanner dominated my lips and tongue, groaning as my legs squeezed his waist tightly.
Tanner paused and met my eyes. He didn’t speak, but I read what he wanted in his gaze . . . what he was asking. “Yes,” I whispered and nodded my head. “Yes . . .”
Tanner immediately pushed against my entrance and slammed inside me in one hard thrust. His desperation was apparent by his long, guttural groan. I screamed as I flung my head back and a white-hot pain shocked through me. Tanner tucked his head into my neck, and I clawed at his skin. My eyes squeezed shut as he moved faster and faster within me. He filled me too full. He was everywhere, the White Prince smothering my soul. Tanner’s hips were relentless, thrusting into me so hard and fast that the pain I had felt diminished into fragmented shivers of pleasure. The moans and groans being stolen from our throats blended into a symphony that made an opera theater of the small barren safe house.
At the sound of a cry dripping from my lips, Tanner lifted his head from the crook of my neck and met my eyes. My breathing faltered at the sight. I fought to breathe entirely when his mouth took mine, but this time softer and more intense. The room shimmered as my eyes misted. So I closed them tightly and held on to his neck. Held on to his mouth through our kiss. I rolled my hips against his, chasing the climax that I felt building inside me. Tanner moved faster