The kiss was a desperate, lawless collision of teeth and tongues, a breathless outpouring of every single choked-back sob, terrified prayer, and unuttered confession from the last fourteen days.
William's hands tightened on my face, his thumbs digging into my jawline with a fierce, possessive hunger that made my head spin. He tasted like the dark, rich espresso he'd missed for weeks and the dangerous, intoxicating heat that belonged entirely to him.
He groaned deep in his chest, a low, gravelly sound that vibrated straight against my lips, and began to blindly guide my body backward toward the master suite.
But as his back lightly grazed the bedroom doorframe, a sharp, imperceptible hitch in his breathing broke through the haze. He masked it instantly, his jaw tightening as he reached for the hem of my sweater, but I felt the subtle tensing of his frame.
The spell broke. The memory of the white bandages beneath his shirt slammed back into my mind, freezing the blood in my veins.
