I place my hands on hers on the edge of the worktop. Get my face close. Scan her eyes. My insides light up. This. This feeling.

Touch her and she’ll be yours again.

I growl and push my mouth to hers, and she starts to wriggle and wrestle against me, so I harden my kiss, my hands tightening over hers. She refuses to open up to me, stands her ground. It’s absurd. Her body is firing off spark after spark, her heart bashing against my chest. She can’t hide that. I lick her sealed lips, tasting her want. It’s embedded in her skin, and yet she still denies me, still refuses to open up. I ease my hold of one hand, and she grabs my arm. I don’t move an inch. An earthquake wouldn’t shift me. I take her hip and she jolts on a shallow cry. I growl, not giving up. I will never give up.

She turns her head away, leaving me breathing raggedly in her ear. I can smell her conflict. “Stubborn woman,” I whisper, moving my attention to her neck, giving every inch a kiss or a lick or a gentle bite. Come on, Ava. I’m tired of these games. I feel like I’ve been through hell and back to get us both to a place of acceptance, and I’ll be dead before I allow her to rob that contentment from us both. Dead.

I work my mouth up to her ear and bite down on her lobe, then feel her nails sink into my flesh through my jacket. She’s caving. She’s fighting to maintain this futile resistance. My cock sings its agreement, willing me on. I reach for her stomach and gently stroke from side to side.

“Please. Please, stop.”

“You stop, Ava,” I murmur, nuzzling her hot cheek. “Just stop.” I dip a finger past the waistband of her shorts and softly skim her tummy, my tongue wetting her neck. She goes lax against me, her body wracking, and I laugh lightly at her willfulness.

She wedges a hand in my chest and tries to force me away. I’m unmoving. And she is getting desperate because she knows I’m winning. The feelings are winning. The chemistry is winning. She’s outnumbered by a ton of raw passion.

I go in for the kill, push my fingers into her knickers, and gasp when I meet the fire there. Jesus.

She jolts violently. “Oh God.”

I move fast, smashing my mouth on hers, working her clit gently as I invade her mouth. And when I feel her tongue meet mine, I thank the heavens.

“Let my hand go,” she orders, and I groan, freeing her, moving my hold to her neck as she encases me in her arms, going at my mouth like a madwoman, holding me tighter than she’s ever held me before.