Setting Fire to the Stars (a MM Sci-Fi Romance)

Chapter 33: Six

(Note: uuuh I don't remember the triggers but it's about to get real guys)

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Lauren
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Have you ever experienced the feeling of falling from really high up? I had never been skydiving, but I'd read articles about it. Popular opinion stated that the first jump was always the most memorable—a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. The intense fear, mixed with the exhilaration of free fall, created the perfect cocktail of an adrenaline high.

That was what it felt like to kiss Peter Ducane.

It was over quickly, my heels meeting the ground, forcefully removing my lips from his. The kiss hadn't lasted long. It more of a peck than anything, but that didn't stop my heart from doing little flip-flops.

Peter stared down at me with a bewildered expression, unblinking, his mouth hanging open. The only sounds in my ears were my rapid heartbeat. When he didn't move, my overwhelming elation slowly fizzled out like a stray ember, replaced with a sinking feeling that knotted my stomach. Why wasn't he saying anything? Did he hate it that much? Fear spiked my pulse. Fuck, what if I had read the situation all wrong? Was what we shared that night at the Foundry a mistake? Oh. Shit. It wasn't just a mistake. The simple truth hit me with shocking clarity. He didn't want me.

I'd messed up. Fuck. Fuck, what should I do?

Mortification sent me lurching back. "I-I'm sorry," I stuttered, my arms raised in defense as fear scattered all of my earlier courage. I'd just crossed a line with him—a big one. Getting caught up in my feelings was one thing, but what I just did led to something far, far more frightening. "Shit, Peter, I'm sorry, I-I didn't. . . look, I know that I shouldn't have—"

I didn't get to finish my sentence. This man had a knack for catching me off guard because before I could finish my frantic backpeddalling, he abruptly seized my nape, hauled me back to him, and crashed our lips together.

The second his mouth landed on mine, every insecure thought evaporated and I was back in the sky. My eyes fluttered shut and I moaned, a fire igniting in the pit of my stomach. The kiss was messy, sloppy, everything that I imagined that it would be and more. Our teeth clashed together almost painfully, but neither of us cared enough to stop. My entire body melted into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Raking my fingers through his hair, an approving moan rumbling through him, his hand squeezing my side. Peter's back muscles flexed as he crowded my body against the wall with his, all that power being used to pull me closer.

Yep. I was right the first time. Kissing Peter Ducane was utterly intoxicating. A couple of my exes had kissed me, but nothing could hold a candle to this. The way he kissed me bordered on desperate, like he couldn't get enough. Damn, I loved it. I sucked his lower lip into my mouth, a groan reverberating through the air.

Changing the angle, he took my mouth deeper, leaving us both breathless as we battled for dominance. A spike of arousal shot straight to my lower belly, my face on fire as I arched into his solid body. A gasp escaped me when Peter's hands found my waist and picked me up off the ground. My back met the wall, forcing me to lock my legs around his wide hips. He wasted no time in delving his tongue into my mouth, our chests pressing together. A groan punched from my throat as I accepted him greedily, his taste exploding on my tongue: smoky bonfire and crisp, clean mint.