Glimpse

Chapter 18: Shayne

"Who said I didn't want this?" Shayne asked, his arm draped across her stomach as he held her waist.

A heated silence overwhelmed the room as sapphire eyes drowned in emerald oceans.

Speechless, he had left her speechless.

Shayne's heart swelled, pride building up within him as he fixated on Courtney. This, he caused this. The red passion tinting her cheeks. The stuttered breaths warming his lips. The want swirling in her eyes. All for him. A possessive growl escaped his mouth, prompting him to clamp his mouth shut. What the fuck was that? He shook it off, too enamored with the spectacle below him to address the foreign possessiveness pulsing through his veins.

Propping his weight on his elbow, Shayne handled her with caution to avoid her still-healing scar as he flattened his palm against the point where her waist and ribcage joined. The coarse pads of his fingers kneaded circles into her velvety skin, tips slipping just under her crop-top.

Though unintentional at first, Courtney's stifled gasp encouraged him, his thumb swiping up again to entice a response from her. Courtney gazed up at him, her lips pressed in thought. He lowered his hand, stilling his wandering fingers. Did I read her wrong? Does she not like me like that?

"Courtney?" Shayne spoke up when her muteness persisted. He shifted backwards, offering her space to remove herself if required. "Tell me you want this too, because I can back off if you don't." He started to retract his hand, but she snatched it, securing it in place.

"This is where you're supposed to kiss me, you idiot." Courtney's giggling eased the tension suffocating his gut, but a fluttering of wings replaced it. Shayne ducked his head to shield the crimson consuming his cheeks.

Fingerpads scorched a path up his arm, pausing at his bicep to give it a sharp squeeze. Shayne flexed on impulse. Courtney chuckled, driving him to flex once more. His cerulean orbs locked onto hers, a nervous smile playing on his lips.

With her handprint branded into his muscle, her passion ventured higher, scalding his shoulder through his shirt before finding purchase behind his neck. Her fingertips dented into him as she jerked him towards her until his face hovered inches above hers.

"Then again, taking the initiative never was your strong suit," she said, beaming up at him.

Before Shayne could muster a flubbed retort, she kissed him. Soft heat enveloped his lips, tentative strokes too brief to be reciprocated.

Sparkling greens engulfed him when she leaned back. Her parted lips lifted into a blinding smile.

He detached his hand from her waist, his palm ascending her curves to cup her jaw. Curious, his thumb grazed her bottom lip, its calloused pad hooking the tender flesh. Her tongue flicked out to taste him, her emeralds darkening. A smirk toyed with Shayne's mouth as he dipped to brush his lips against hers in another hesitant kiss. Despite its brevity, electricity danced between their mouths and surged down his body to his toes.

His lips crashed into hers. Hot, heavy, hungry. Yearning to be closer, his hand slid from her face. Soft blue cotton sheets carded through his fingers as he planted his palm next to her head to support himself. Without a second thought, Shayne climbed on top of her. She gasped into him as he - for balance - wedged his knee between hers, careful not to press too high. Moving too fast terrified him. Once settled, his other hand found the delicate skin of her waist, greedy fingerpads digging into her flesh.

Courtney's hands tangled in his hair; frantic and needy, she hauled him closer, nails scraping against his neck. He smoothed his hand up her abdomen, following the swell of her breast to cup her jaw, causing her to groan against his mouth. Feeling her arch into him, Shayne just chuckled.