Defiant Princess (Boys of Oak Park Prep #2) - Callie Rose Page 0,58

less tense. The eye with the dark circle under it had swollen slightly—not so much that he couldn’t open it, but he still looked like a boxer on a bad day.

His lips were red and swollen too, but that wasn’t from his fight.

He gazed down at me like he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing, his hips working gently against mine, watching the expression on my face change as he altered the movement.

“God, you’re so fucking beautiful, Tal.”

He was beautiful too.

In a wrecked way.

In a damaged way.

In a human way.

Reaching up, I ran a finger over the puffy bruise on the side of his face. He winced at the contact, but instead of pulling away, he pressed harder into my touch, as though even as he gave me pleasure, he wanted to give himself pain.

Then he kissed me again, so deep and consuming that I swore I felt us start to melt through the couch.

“Can I make you feel good? Please?”

The words were whispered against the skin of my neck as his fingers found the hem of my shirt, and when I nodded, he pulled my tank top off slowly. I lifted off the couch a little to help him, watching his face as he drank me in.

There was more urgency in his movements when he ran his palms up my stomach, cupping my breasts through my bra, but he kept his touch light. When he reached behind me to unhook the strap, I arched my back to give him access—and when he tugged my bra down my arms and tossed it aside, I kept my back arched, demanding the pleasure he had promised.

And he gave it.

He dropped his head immediately, licking and nuzzling the skin of my breasts before drawing a nipple into his mouth and swirling his tongue around it.

Shocks of pleasure zapped through my body like lightning, and I grabbed onto the sides of his head, pressing my whole body up into his, needing more of every single thing he was doing. He moved to the other side, and as he worked his tongue over that breast, his hands moved across my body, caressing my waist, ribs, and hips. Then he moved up again to kiss my lips, and our chests met skin to skin for the first time.

It was perfect.

His skin was smooth and warm, and when I ran my hands over the muscles of his back, I knew my fingers were stroking over the feathers of a fallen angel.

He groaned, moving his body harder against mine, and I responded with an answering desperation, pulling him closer, grinding into him. When he finally pulled away, we were both breathing hard. He knelt above me, his hands sliding down over my stomach to rest on the button of my jeans.

“Can I?”

I nodded and watched with rapt attention as he fumbled slightly with the button before pulling my zipper down. His fingers hooked into the waistbands of my pants and panties all together, and he worked them down over my hips. I brought my legs up to help him, and we awkwardly managed to remove my shoes and then everything else.

When I was completely naked before him, he gazed down at me, looking a little flabbergasted, a little nervous, and a lot turned on.

We were both virgins.

Or at least, we had been the night we’d played truth or dare at the lake house. That’d been months ago though, and a lot could change in that amount of time.

“Are you…?” I murmured, and Elijah’s gaze flew up to meet mine.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and then he nodded. “Yeah. Still. You?”

“Yeah.”

He leaned back, seeming suddenly almost afraid. “Tal, we don’t have to—”

“I want to.” I caught his wrist, pulling him back toward me.

The other shoe might drop tomorrow. But tonight, I just wanted something that wasn’t pain, or anger, or vengeance.

I wanted peace.

He hesitated, leaning over me, not pulling away or coming closer for several long moments as he gazed down at me. Then he settled his body over mine again, and I could feel him everywhere. His hands framed my face, his fingers brushing my messy hair back as our noses almost touched.

“I promise, Talia. I’ll take care of you. I will never hurt you again.” He kissed me like he was sealing a vow, and when he pulled away, the fear was gone from his face. “I’ll be right back.”

He climbed off the couch, and I stayed where I was, draped over the cushions.