breasts, the way they grow heavy and tight, and in the insistent throbbing between my legs. My chest heaves, needing air, but I too hold onto my restraint.
I pull away and slide my thumb along his jaw, then sweep it up and over the pillowy curve of his lips. I gulp as he presses closer, putting pressure on my thumb where he didn’t when it was my lips.
His lips part and I gulp as he sucks my thumb into his mouth. He stares deeply into my eyes and there’s no doubt he wants to kiss me. Actually, it’s more than that. I feel as if he wants to peel me open and climb inside of me.
The roughness of his tongue swirls around the tip of my thumb, then he pushes my thumb out, pressing hard with his tongue until I’m free.
He licks his lips and adjusts his grip. “Moira, you’re playing with fire.”
“And?”
“Don’t start something you can’t stop.”
“What if I want to burn?”
“Are you sure that’s what you want?” His brow arches. “You’re in shock and not making the best decisions right now.” He licks his lips and drives me crazy. “You should take a moment.”
“I don’t want to take a moment. I want you to kiss me.”
“You’re so damn beautiful, strong, and resilient. Your soul glows with fire, but don’t confuse gratitude for something else.”
“Excuse me?” Gratitude? Is that what he thinks this is?
“You’re alive. Take a moment and let your freedom sink in. You don’t have to thank me for doing my job.”
His job?
“I don’t want it to sink in.” I push against his chest and would crawl out of his lap, but he doesn’t let me. I vent an exasperated huff. “I want you to kiss me.” I rear back as his words sink in. “You think this is gratitude? Is that what you just said?”
“Moira,” he licks his damn lips, “after such a traumatic event, your emotions will be all over the place. I’m not going to kiss you. I won’t take advantage.”
“Advantage? You’ve got some nerve. I’ve been throwing myself at you for a year and you think this is different? That I’m too traumatized to make my own decisions? You fucking prick.”
I glare at him, feeling extra stabby.
His restraint is going to kill me. Either that or I’m going to kill him.
I want to claw his eyes out, except I want this kiss more than I want to vent my frustration. “I lived through hell to get back to you. I’m getting my damn kiss.”
I crush my lips against his, and he meets my fiery passion with stone-cold indifference.
Okay, that’s it. I’m going with the scratching-out-the-eyes thing next.
Thirteen
Griff
Holy fucking hell in a hand basket.
Moira’s lips taste like the sweetest nectar. Ambrosia from the gods, I swear it’s all I can do to sit there like a statue and let her kiss me. I want to yank her into my arms, feast upon her lips, plunge my tongue deep into her mouth, and explore all the hidden places, but I don’t.
My body reacts to the dark thoughts swirling in my head because kissing leads to fucking. With fingers, mouth, and eventually my cock, I will make this woman mine.
Restraint!
I must exercise restraint. Two reasons come to mind. The first is the not so oblivious Speed sitting not more than a few feet away. The drone of the helicopter drowns out any sounds Moira and I might make, but more concerning is the second reason: Moira’s current state of mind.
Our rescuees experience either a euphoric high after their rescue or sit in a dazed fog, overcome with the trauma of their abduction. A little over a year ago, Moira experienced the latter. Her dull affect worried me at the time, but that was before I knew the full extent of her troubled past.
This time, there’s nothing dull about Moira. She’s a ball of fucking energy, riding the high of escaping her kidnapping.
I need to be extraordinarily cautious with every move I make. No way will I layer on further damage by taking and claiming her the way I’ve dreamt about since the first time I saw her. I’ve had it hard for her from the get-go, and if I want any future with her, caution is my go-to move.
I fucking hate caution.
But still, she attacks me with the fervor of her kiss.
My fingers curl and clench as her lips erode my self-control. Barely hanging on by a thread, I want her. I desperately want to make