Dead Ends // Hugh Jackman

Chapter 21

Hugh gradually pushes my back against the wall by the open doorway. Our mouths stay connected, moving against one another as my body gets caged by his.

He lets go of my hand and cups the other side of my face, where the other one already is.

Up until this point, mine have just been dangling, and though I don't exactly need the support, I place them on his hips anyway. To feel him. To let me know that he's really here, kissing me like he'll never be able to get enough of me.

It's the same for me. I want to keep kissing him. Keep him close just like this.

My head inclines to his while he leans down to me. The height difference is a bit much but neither of us seems to care. I'm on my tippy toes to make things easier. He's hunched over. Despite how close our faces are, our bodies are separated by an inch or two.

I know that if either of us were to close that distance, we'd find ourselves in a bit of a sticky situation. Because, I don't want this to lead to anything more than what we're already doing. I don't want to do it like this with him being intoxicated, even if it gave him the courage to admit the truth.

If it had been me, I would've needed it too. There's no way I'd be able to tell him how I felt if I didn't have a drink or if he didn't tell me first, which happened to be the case.

I don't think either of us is thinking about the consequences of what we're doing. We're not thinking about all the things that kept us away from each other at the start, because all that matters is this moment.

Us kissing, drinking one another in to parch a thirst we'd been ignoring. Our lips move in sync until I feel his teeth nip at my bottom lip. I can't help the sound I make when he does.

I moan against him, which causes him to stiffen. He gives me one last kiss before he pulls away a little. Our faces are only a centimeter apart when I open my eyes.

As our gazes lock, I can see the longing in him that I always excused was something else. His thumbs brush my cheeks as he looks at me, at every detail in my skin and eyes, like he's trying to save it all in his memory for the days he won't be able to touch me.

Because in a couple days, he won't be able to. Neither will I, but I don't dwell on it, choosing to focus on here and now. Not on a future that's yet to happen.

Hugh is holding himself back. I know it. Because though he's studying me under a half-lidded stare, he stays exactly where he is. Still apart from me even being this near.

My grip on his hips tighten. The way he's looking at me is making my breathing go haywire. Being this up close and personal isn't helping in the slightest.

Then, he says my name in a deep, airy tone, and I swear I'm about to lose it.

"Erin..."

I hum in response, mindlessly licking my lips and wanting nothing more than for them to be back on his but knowing if we did we probably wouldn't stop at just kissing.

"You're so beautiful."

He tucks a loose strand of hair behind my ear. His eyes follow his movements before they meet mine again. I smile softly up at him.

"So are you," I say back breathlessly. I mean it, but I always tend to turn to humor when I never know quite what to say.

He tenderly laughs at my comment. "That's not a compliment I usually get."

"Would you rather I say you're ruggedly handsome?" I tease back as his fingers continue to trace my skin, moving along my jaw and down my neck.

"No, I quite like you referring to me as beautiful."