Chapter 15 Unfinished
Coralyn’s POV
“Of course,” Orion repeats.
He says the words, but he does not move an inch. He stays standing right there in the doorway. His back is straight, and his hands are hanging loose at his sides.
It looks like he is forcing his muscles to stay still. It looks like he is fighting the urge to reach out and pull me toward him. The white towel clings to my wet skin.
It is too thin for this kind of tension. It is too short to hide how much I am trembling.
I should tell him that I will be out in a minute so we can talk like normal people. Instead, I stand there frozen. I am watching the way his throat moves when he swallows.
His eyes lift to mine again. This time he does not look away to be polite. The look he gives me is not careful or respectful anymore.
It is raw. It is hungry. It is the look of a man who has been holding himself back for days—maybe even longer.
Seeing me like this, wet and shivering, has snapped something deep inside him. My breath catches in my throat.
“Orion…”
His name comes out much quieter than I mean it to. It sounds almost like a question. He takes one step forward into the room.
The movement is slow and deliberate.
“I should go,” he says.
But his voice is rough and low. The words sound like they are scraping against his throat on the way out. He says he should leave, but he doesn’t go.
He takes another step. The distance between us shrinks until it is almost gone. I can feel the heat rolling off his body even through the damp steam.
He stops right in front of me but I don’t move away.
I can’t. Every nerve in my body is wide awake. Everything is tuned to him.
He lifts his hand slowly. He moves like he is giving me every second I need to tell him no. His fingers brush against my bare shoulder.
The touch is light at first. Then his grip becomes firmer. The feeling of his skin on mine sends a shiver racing down my spine.
“You’ve been driving me insane,” he murmurs.
His thumb begins to trace the line of my collarbone. I suck in a sharp breath.
“Have I?”
“You know you have,” he says.
His eyes drop down to my mouth for a second. Then they snap back up to meet mine.
“I keep telling myself to stay away from you. I tell myself to keep things simple. For my daughter. For your sake.”
He lets out a short laugh that has no humor in it.
“It’s not working, Cora.”
My heart is hammering so hard against my ribs that I am sure he can hear it.
“I don’t want you to stay away,” I whisper.
The admission hangs in the air between us. His jaw tightens. Then he finally closes the last inch of space.
His mouth crashes into mine. It is not a gentle kiss. It is desperate.
It feels like he has been starving for this for a long time and he finally let himself eat. I kiss him back just as hard as he is kissing me. My hands fist into the fabric of his shirt.
I pull him forward, his hands slide down to my waist. He grips the towel like it is the only thing keeping him from floating away.
He walks me backward until my back hits the cool tile of the wall. I gasp into his mouth at the sudden contrast.
I feel his hot, heavy body pinning me there. He breaks the kiss just long enough to drag his lips along my jawline. He moves down the side of my neck.
I tilt my head back, giving him more room to touch me.
“Cora,” he breathes against my wet skin.
“Tell me to stop right now.”
“Don’t stop,” I say.
My voice cracks on the words. He groans low in his throat. That sound undoes something deep in my chest.
His hands move to the knot of the towel at my chest. He pauses for a second. His eyes search mine, looking for any sign of doubt.
I nod my head. He pulls the knot free. The fabric drops to the wet floor with a soft, heavy slap.
I am bare in front of him now.
His gaze rakes down on me.
It is slow and reverent. I feel exposed, but I do not feel vulnerable. I don't feel small.
Not with him. He looks like he is trying to memorize the sight of me.
“You’re beautiful,” he says quietly.
The words hit me harder than they should. I reach for him again, tugging at his shirt.
He helps me peel it off over his head. He tosses it aside onto the floor. Then his hands are back on me.
They slide up my sides. His thumbs brush against the undersides of my breasts. I arch my back into the touch.
He kisses me again. It is slower this time. It is deeper.
It feels like he is savoring every second we have. I thread my fingers through his hair. I hold him as close as I can.
His mouth leaves mine. He trails fire down my throat. He moves across my chest.
When his lips close around one nipple, I let out a moan. It is loud and it is shameless. He sucks gently at first.
Then he sucks harder. His tongue flicks against me until my knees threaten to give out.
“Orion…”
He switches to the other side. He gives it the exact same attention. My head falls back against the tile.
One of his hands slides lower. It skims over my stomach. Then it goes lower still.
He cups me between my legs. His palm presses firm against me. I jerk against his hand.
He lifts his head. His eyes are dark with a look I've never seen before.
“Tell me what you want, Cora.”
I can barely think straight.
“You,” I manage to say.
“I want your mouth.”
His gaze flares at the request. He does not make me ask him twice. He sinks down to his knees in front of me on the floor.
The sight of him does something to me. This is Orion. He is strong and he is controlled.
Seeing him kneeling just for me makes heat flood my core. He hooks one of my legs over his shoulder. He opens me up to him.
I brace both of my hands on the wall. I am trying my best to stay upright. He looks up at me one last time.
It is like he is asking for permission even now. I nod my head frantically. Then his mouth is on me.
The first touch of his tongue feels electric. I cry out loud. My hips buck forward toward him.
He grips my thigh tighter to hold me steady. He licks me slow at first. He is exploring me.
He is tasting me. It is like he is learning every inch of me by heart. Every pass of his tongue sends sparks shooting up my spine.
“God, you taste so good,” he mutters against my skin.
The vibration of his deep voice makes me whimper. He finds the exact spot that makes my legs shake. He focuses all his attention there.
He circles it. He flicks it. He sucks on it gently.
My fingers dig into his wet hair. I am urging him to come closer. He groans in response to my touch.
The sound rumbles through my own body. I am trembling all over now. My thighs are quivering around his head.
He slides one finger inside me. It is slow and it is careful. I gasp at the feeling of being filled.
Then he adds another finger. He curls them. He strokes that perfect place inside me.
All while his tongue keeps working on my clit. The combination is too much for me to handle. Pleasure coils tight in my belly.
It is building fast.
“Orion— I’m—”
He does not let up for a second. He sucks harder on me. His fingers start thrusting in rhythm with his mouth.
My orgasm hits me like a giant wave. I shatter completely. I am crying out his name.
My hips grind against his face as stars burst behind my eyelids. He works me through the whole thing. His tongue becomes softer but it never stops.
He keeps going until I am shaking. I am oversensitive now. I am pushing weakly at his head to get him to stop.
He pulls back slowly. He kisses the inside of my thigh. His lips are swollen from the kissing.
They are glistening with the water and with me. He looks wrecked. He looks beautiful.
He rises up to his feet. He kisses his way back up my body. He stops when he reaches my mouth.
I can taste myself on him. It is filthy and it is perfect. His erection presses hard against my stomach.
It is thick against the fabric of his pants. I reach down between us. I palm him through the cloth.
He hisses through his teeth. His hips jerk into my hand.
“Cora…”
I stroke him through the fabric. I can feel how thick he is. I can feel how ready he is for me.
“I want you,” I whisper.
He kisses me fiercely.
“I want you so fucking bad it hurts,” he says.
He reaches between us. His fingers are fumbling with his belt. Then his phone rings.
The sound is sharp. It is insistent. It cuts through the room like a sharp knife.
We both freeze in place. He curses under his breath.
“Ignore it,” I say quickly.
His forehead drops down to rest against mine.
“I can’t,” he says.
The phone keeps ringing. It won't stop. He pulls back just enough to look at me.
Regret is written all over his face.
“I have to take this. It might be about the Zilla or work.”
My stomach drops at those words. Of course it is. He steps away from me.
His chest is heaving as he tries to breathe. He grabs the phone from the ground.
He must have dropped it there earlier when he came in. He answers it without even looking at the screen.
“Yeah,” he says.
His voice is clipped and professional. I watch his expression change. I watch his face tighten up.
He listens for a long moment.
“I’m on my way,” he says.
He ends the call. Silence crashes back into the room. He looks at me.
His eyes are full of frustration and need. They are full of apology.
“I’m sorry, Cora.”
I wrap my arms around my naked body.
“It’s okay,” I tell him.
It is not okay, but I say it anyway. He drags a hand down his face.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I nod my head. He hesitates for a second. Then he leans in and kisses me softly.
He lingers there for a moment.
“Stay here,” he murmurs against my lips.
“Don’t go anywhere.”
“I won’t.” Well, it's not like I have another place to stay.
He pulls away from me. Every movement he makes is tense. He is still hard.
I can see the outline clearly against his pants. He adjusts himself with a grimace.
“Fuck,” he mutters to himself.
Then he is at the door. He pauses and looks back at me one last time.
“This isn’t over,” he says.
His voice is low and it is certain. I meet his eyes.
“I know.”
He gives me one last look. It is a look full of everything we didn’t get to finish. Then he is gone.
The door clicks shut behind him. I stand there under the cooling water. My body is still humming from his touch.
My heart is still pounding. The ache between my legs hasn’t faded away. Neither has the ache in my chest.
The suite feels too quiet now. It feels too empty without him. I pull on a robe and tie it tight.
Then I crawl into the big bed. I can still taste him on my lips. I can still feel the ghost of his mouth on me.
I close my eyes and I let sleep take me away.