to swallow and not breathe. Seconds stretched. It was okay to hug him goodbye. I should, I was being childish by resisting. I mentally counted to three and forcibly softened every muscle I could. But my will against him softened too and suddenly the feel of him holding me close broke through, sent a rush of sadness and longing head to toe. Our bodies melted together, and my pulse pounded.
His face turned into my neck and air stirred my skin. “Joséphine,” he whispered in that musical French accent of his, turning me inside out.
My shallow breaths grew rapid for want of more oxygen and a clear head.
Then Xavier pulled back, his need-filled eyes meeting mine for a searing moment, and taking my hand, he pulled.
I stumbled to follow as he headed down into the darkness of the garden. We followed stone steps down past the terraced level of the pool to a stone gardener’s hut that glowed, barely visible in the shadows, but with enough light from the landscaping above so we didn’t walk right into it.
The wine I’d had with dinner was a bad idea I thought somewhere at the outer reaches of my mind as desire suddenly burned through me like a lit fuse. Because there was no other reason for him to be hauling me off into the darkness. I offered no resistance as Xavier turned, reaching for me, and pinned me against the stone-cold wall of the hut. His kiss when it came was feral, his lips sealed over mine, his tongue demanding.
I gave.
Hands skimmed up my body, shoving my t-shirt up over my breasts and slipping the cups of my bra down impatiently. I couldn’t catch my breath as I clutched his head, my hands gripping his soft brown hair. His hungry mouth left mine and closed over a nipple, sucking so hard, I cried out. His lips gentled, coaxing, teeth scraping, suckling so softly then that I arched and thrust toward him, offering and needing more.
I gave.
And I took. I wanted one more memory.
He gave a groan and straightened. He rested his forehead against mine. Night air swept over my damp, exposed skin, and inside my veins was liquid fire. “Tell me to stop,” he said.
I said nothing.
Suddenly he was unbuttoning my jean shorts and shoving them down my legs. He tilted my head back to look up at him. “Open your eyes, Josephine,” he whispered.
I hadn’t realized I’d squeezed them closed.
“Should I stop?” he asked.
My underwear followed my shorts. Which pair had I even worn? I shivered, but inside I was lava. I should stop this. The words rolled around my consciousness but didn’t seem to make any actionable sense. He kicked my legs apart. “Open your eyes.”
I didn’t want to. But I obeyed, my breath seizing in my chest.
He gazed down at me full of desire and wonder and hunger. A hot hand skimmed up my inner thigh and then his long finger slid into me.
“Oh, God,” I groaned, my voice low. It was too much to look into his eyes and see what I wanted to imagine. That this wasn’t just his base human need, but something deeper. He slid his finger out and then back in, his palm flattened and rubbing and oh, so good.
A wave of aching pleasure rolled through me as he did it again. And again. And each time I thought, I’ll stop this now.
He watched my face.
And I watched him right back.
His eyes grew glassy, his lips parted, and his nostrils flared slightly.
Then I answered him. Not in words. No, I didn’t want to stop. My hands fumbled at his shorts. Urgent. When had I decided? Who was I kidding? There was never a question I’d stop. I wanted one more piece of him, even though it would be leaving another piece of my soul behind.
“Oui,” he rasped, and he withdrew his hand from between my legs, helping to shove down his shorts. In moments, he’d lifted me and my legs were wrapped around him. The stone wall bit into my shoulders. It hurt. It distracted from the pain in my chest. And the ache of needing him inside me was stronger. My heart pounded and my eyes burned with unshed tears.
He was hard and silky between my legs, close, but not quite there. The hand wrapped around my waist held me still while his other shoved between the tight fit between our bodies and took his length. He rubbed the tip of his cock through