Page 211 of Fame & Chaos

She smiles in that gorgeous way that always ruins me and gently presses both hands to my chest, easing me backward onto the mattress.

“I think you’re healed enough now,” she says softly. “But I’m in charge tonight, okay? We’re taking things slowly and absolutely no overdoing it. The second I think you’re hurting yourself, we stop. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” I reply. “I’ll agree to literally anything if clothes start coming off.”

She laughs and stands from the bed before slowly pulling her pajama top over her head.

And fuck.

The sight of her bare skin after so long nearly kills me on the spot.

I drag in a shaky breath while my entire body tightens. Every instinct in me wants to reach for her, touch her, pull her into my lap, but she’s in control tonight, and there’s no way in hell I’m doing anything that might make her stop.

“Stand up,” she orders softly.

I smirk despite myself. “I kinda like this demanding side of you.”

“Well, don’t get used to it,” she mutters while helping me out of my jacket.

The second her body presses against mine, heat floods straight through me. She rises onto her toes and wraps her arms around my neck while I lean down to kiss her. The moment our mouths meet, a sharp pulse of need tears through my chest.

God, I’ve missed this.

Not just sex.

Her.

The way she kisses me.

The way she melts against me.

The way everything inside me settles the second she’s in my arms.

We kiss slowly but deeply, like we’re both trying to make up for lost time, and when she parts her lips for me, I slide my hands up her bare back into her hair, holding her close.

For the last seven weeks, we’ve danced around this tension because we both knew where kisses like this would lead, and Indi refused to risk my recovery, no matter how badly we wanted each other.

And I respected that because being with Indi was never just about sex.

I loved her laugh, her stubbornness, the way she worried too much, the way she looked at me like I mattered. Making love to her was just another reminder that I’d never survive losing her again.

She pulls my shirt over my head, and her eyes instantly drift to the scar along my left side. Her expression softens immediately as her fingertips trace gently over the healing skin.

“Are you hurting?” she asks quietly.

I tilt her chin upward until she looks at me again. “No, baby. I’m okay. Promise.”

She studies me carefully before nodding. “Then take your pants off.”

I laugh softly. “Definitely enjoying this side of you.”

She rolls her eyes while undoing my jeans herself and slowly pushing them down my hips. The second I’m naked in front of her, her gaze drops, and she bites her bottom lip.

That tiny reaction almost destroys my self-control.

“Go lie down,” she says quietly.

“But you’re not naked yet.”