Legendary | s. harrington (18+)

chapter thirty three

THEY weren't sure how they ended up here. They found themselves in Steve's room, Eve's clothes still sticking to her from the rain outside. Steve had offered her a shirt, but somehow, it was left hanging out the dresser, untouched. Steve's own shirt tangled at the foot of the bed and he was wearing Evelyn instead.

Her hand raked through his hair - something she never thought she'd touch, and it twirled around her fingers, as if pulling her in, telling her, yes, you belong here too. Her chest was flush against him, his body harder than she expected and pinning her in to his mattress, blanketed in a navy sheet that welcomed her. It sunk around her, drawing her in and allowing Steve to press his hips in to hers; his belt buckle was harsh and cold against the most sensitive part of her and she whimpered in to his mouth. He was thankful there were still layers between them because that sound alone would have been his undoing.

His hands stuck to her, his touch branding; his fingers curled in to her waist, her hip, while his other clawed her chin up to him, so he could swirl his tongue around her mouth, investigating every inch of her like it would be the last thing he'd ever do.

Their legs were tangled, her thighs spread beneath his jeans and her ankles hooked between his own. His mouth moved feverishly along her throat and she hummed, torn between the sensations he willed through her and the ache to have his mouth on hers again. Her lips were swollen and throbbing and her mouth felt empty without him there. He nibbled at her jaw, but his movements were desperate, like he wasn't sure how long they had together - like she might disappear and he had to prove to the universe that he deserved to be here, between her legs and beneath her arms, to keep her with him. His head was pounding, he'd wanted this for so long - wanted her, he realised, and the revelation was overwhelming.

He dared open his eyes, dared to see if she was real - and saw her freckled skin, clung to by her clothes, and ran his fingers beneath the wet cotton until it rose up and exposed her stomach, her rib cage, but then he stopped. Eve's back arched, her breasts unbearably heavy, and unwillingly made a delicate whine that made Steve's vision cloudy and disorientated. Eve's eyes slipped close when he looked at her flushed features and she ran her nails along his skin like she had his dashboard early that morning, and felt the breeze from his window lapping at the path his mouth had made up her neck and jaw.

Flickering open again, she was welcomed with the sight of him. He loomed over her, his chest rising and falling heavily, his bare arms resting at either side of her shoulders. She saw the muscles she'd never noticed before flex beside her, like he was physically restraining himself to be like this; still above her. She could hear his ragged panting for the wet air around them, heavy from the thunderstorm threatening to sound. She scanned his face, fearing this was all some joke - too good to be true - some terrible mistake. Was she dreaming? He couldn't look at her, she realised. And she shivered. Eve sat up slightly, her heart racing.

"...Steve?." It was a meek, shuddering whisper but his eyes snapped up to her, breaking out of whatever trance he'd been in. This look was predatory, dark and clouded in a way she'd never seen. Her breath hitched and his arms shook. She placed a hand to his hard, thumping chest and looked for what was plaguing him. Looked for some reassurance.

But he said, "Are you sure about this?" His voice was husky and came out through gritted teeth, his knuckles white with strain.

"What do you-"

"Are you sure about this, Evie? Because I can't..." his voice broke. Evelyn had never heard him so vulnerable. Never seen him so vulnerable. His face was blocked from her by a curtain of his hair when he shook his head. Then, he leant back on his knees slightly, a hand wiping roughly at his mouth. She'd never heard his voice like this, like his throat was full of pebbles. It was beautiful, suffocating, and she was pretty sure she forgot how to breathe.