right person, wrong time.

mon dieu

Chapter Nineteen

Jo

It hits me all at once.

His mouth was hot and consuming. He kisses me with everything. His lips, his teeth, his tongue—

I wasn't sure exactly when I kissed him back and for a brief moment I realised it should have mortified me, but all was forgotten when I pulled him to me.

Desire hit me like a kick to the stomach, it was sickening, overwhelming and embarrassing in its intensity.

I knew this was more than a kiss. It went beyond that, beyond how we felt and how he made me feel. The years of pining, all finally culminating to this one moment. His words had touched the deepest part of me, parts of me I swore I'd never feel again after Beth had died. It was thrilling, to feel like this again, wholly and completely.

I tore my lips away from his, gasping for air — needing to breathe.

He stumbled backwards with flushed lips, tinged pink, freshly kissed. Ravished. His eyes were wide as if he couldn't believe what he had just commit.

"Jo I-" But he couldn't say much more before I was on him.

"Shut up Teddy." My mouth crashed into his as one hand shoved into his hair, his arm clamped around my waist. Our mouths slid together, teeth over lips over tongues.

He shuddered and moaned a deep, rough sound, evoking an answering groan of my own. He nipped at my lower lip, surprising me, and a whimper escaped me. Fuck.

It was as if we were fighting except what we were fighting for was to crawl inside each other's skin.

The kiss deepened, and his tongue slid over mine. I let out a breathless moan against his mouth. The taste of him, all of him, invading me, scalding me.

Our bodies moved backwards until we hit a post, his head bumping it a bit too hard. His head jerked back, eliciting a deep laugh from him.

The air left my lungs at the sound. The beauty of something so unguarded knocking me stupid.

He looked down at me, his pupils dilated, tiny flecks of green simmering in his gaze. His beringed fingers traced over my cheek, dragging along the line of my lip and down my throat, resting against my thrumming pulse.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that, Jo." He whispers, his voice husk, his eyes warming.

Then, he leaned in and kissed me again.

His mouth moved along mine, painstakingly slow as if he were mapping out the curve of my lips with his, imprinting it to his memory. It was barely a kiss but the gentleness, the tenderness of it shook me, rattled me to the core.

It was like nothing I had ever felt before.

His lips scorched mine, heated my blood, and set fire to my senses. His hands moved to my shoulders, sliding down my arms. I placed my hands on his chest, relishing at the way his body responded to me as I slid them up over his shoulders and then around his neck, sinking my fingers into his deep, dark curls.

His lips brushed the curve of my neck. Blood roared in my ears. Lips parting, he trailed warm, open-mouthed kisses down the side of my throat and onto my shoulder. His tongue moved slowly, worshiping me with each stroke. His teeth ran along my skin, nipping lightly.

"I want you." He murmured against my skin in between breaths. "I've always wanted you."

I trembled at his words, moaning as I adjusted my neck under his lips to feel more of him, all over me.