The first touch of skin to skin was exhilarating. Although it had only been a few weeks, it felt like I'd been waiting for this forever. Yet somehow it also felt like we'd been doing this for years. I inhaled deeply, taking in his scent as I took in air. The sensations, the taste, the smell — all of it was so foreign, but so familiar.

His tongue swiped for entrance. Clenching his hair in my fist, I opened up to him. Our tongues battled, hot and slick. He gripped me tighter, clutching me to him as if afraid I would float away with the slightest nudge.

I couldn't say I blamed him. Our entire relationship up until now had been all push and pull, all hot and cold. No wonder he was afraid I'd back out.

But that wasn't going to happen this time. I was all in.

The only problem was, Liam didn't know that.

He pulled back with a huff of air. I whined, following him. He held me at arms length and shook his head.

"I was serious when I said we needed to talk." His lips were shiny and wet, his eyes dark with lust. And yet, he had stopped.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Doesn't this seem a little familiar?" he asked.

My heart, that little part of me that wanted to open myself up and let Liam in, wriggled with glee. Liam felt the same way I did. It felt like we'd done this so many times before. Like we'd kissed a dozen, a thousand times. Like we were meant to be—

"The last time this happened," he said, "you compared our relationship to a black hole."

The words weren't accusing, or upset. He said them matter-of-factly.

Now it was my turn to pull away. I left the circle of his arms completely.

"Why does that matter?" I asked.

"I don't want this to just be a moment of lust," he said. "I don't want you regretting this."

"I won't—" I said, before quieting.

How could I explain to Liam my change of heart? That I was worried being with him would make me weak? It had done anything but that. It had made me strong. How could I explain to him that I wasn't scared anymore?

"I told you before," he said to break the silence. "You're a star. You're a supernova. You're going to do amazing things, and I want to be by your side when that happens." Liam shook his head. "But we're not going to do something you'll regret."

"Do you know," I began, slowing making my way back to him, "what happens when stars collide?"

"No… What?" he asked carefully, as if he were defusing a bomb.

"When two stars collide, the force of it is powerful enough to forge gold and platinum." I bought my lips to his, just barely brushing them with mine. His pupils dilated, going dark and heated. "The force of it is so powerful it warps time and space."

Heat flashed in those green eyes.

"When two stars collide," I whispered into his mouth, "they burn with the fire of a billion suns."

His jaw tensed. His nostrils flared. With a deep growl, his lips came crashing down on mine.

The kiss was hungry. It was greedy. It was possessive.

It scorched me from the inside out.

I moaned into Liam's mouth and grasped at his firm, inked arms for balance. He pulled me closer with one hand and buried the other in my hair. He tugged on the strands almost roughly, tilting my back head. With this better angle, he thoroughly devoured my mouth, leaving me panting and gasping for air.

He nipped at my lips with his teeth before soothing the sting with his tongue. I whimpered and sighed at both the hint of pain and the rush of pleasure that followed. A pulsing heat settled between my thighs. It was similar to what I'd felt on stage, leaving a sweetly throbbing ache.

I felt Liam hardening in his jeans and I knew he was feeling it, too. I ground my hips against his, seeking friction, trying to relieve that ache. He let out a grunt.

"You better stop squirming," he murmured into my lips.

"Or what?" I challenged him, breathless.

"Or I'm going to fuck you right here and now."

I whimpered at the thought and rubbed against him even harder.

Liam's eyes flashed. "You trying to call my bluff?"

"I thought it was a promise."

He growled. "You're going to be the fucking death of me."

"You want to keep talking again?" I asked. "Or do you want to throw me down on that sofa and make good on that promise?"

That was all the teasing he could take. His fingers dug into my hips as he did just that, hauling me halfway across the room and tossing me onto the cushions on my back. I propped myself on my elbows and watched him follow. He crawled up my body, spreading my thighs open so he could settle his hips between them.

The heavy weight of him between my legs sent another throb shooting through me. My inner muscles were clenching and pulsing. I was swollen and wet with desire.

I couldn't wait any longer. I attacked his studded belt, unbuckling it with haste. He went straight for my panties, pushing my leather skirt up and out of the way. He hooked his fingers underneath the elastic and tugged, nearly ripping them with the force of it. He untangled the black fabric from around my ankles and threw them to the floor.

I pulled down the zipper and pushed his jeans down around his thighs, just low enough for his hard cock to spring out. I marveled at it, taking in the girth, the slight curve, the weeping tip.

His hands slid up my legs, his fingertips leaving a blistering hot trail along my skin, spreading me wider. His eyes were fixated as I was revealed to him.

He pressed two fingers inside me just as I took him in my hand.

We groaned in unison, bodies tensing, then relaxing. I ran my hand up and down, exploring the shape of him, the texture. He pumped his fingers in and out, the rough callouses of his fingers a delicious friction against my inner walls.

I guided his length until the head was nestled between my lower lips. His whole body jerked. He fumbled in his jeans pocket, pulling out a foil wrapper and quickly rolling on protection. I tilted my hips to get the right angle.

Our eyes locked.

"You sure?" he breathed.

"Fuck me," I demanded.

With one slow thrust, he entered me. We trembled together, both of us overwhelmed with pleasure, overwhelmed by need. Overwhelmed by the intimate moment we were sharing.

He pulled out. I whimpered. He pushed in. I moaned.

His hands went to my hips, digging into skin. My legs wrapped around his waist, clinging to him. I was still wearing my leather corset. He was still wearing his t-shirt.

We found the perfect rhythm, rocking back and forth, until we finally found our peaks. I cried out, my inner walls clamped down around him, squeezing. He let out a choked grunt, his cock twitching and pulsing inside me.

We didn't break eye contact the entire time.

His hips stilled. My now weak legs fell to the cushions, splayed on either side of him. We panted together with shuddering gasps of air, until our breathing evened out.

We were still staring at each other. A slow, satisfied smile crossed Liam's face

"Fuck," he said with a shaky laugh. "I can't believe we just fucking did that."

"I'm not usually one for public sex, but—" My mouth spread wide with a no doubt besotted smile.

We stayed on the sofa with our limbs locked together, not making any movements to get up, just enjoying the afterglow.

My gaze focused on his face. I ran a thumb across his bottom lip. It came away red. "My lipstick is all over you."

His face fell. "Shit, really?"

"You look like a clown."

He grimaced. I laughed.

"I've got some makeup remover cloths," I told him.

We finally got off the sofa and took a moment to clean up. I scrubbed at Liam's face with the dampened cloth.

"Maybe you should wear makeup after all," I teased. "Really go all out with that glam-rock look."

He whisked me into his arms and swung me around. I shrieked, enjoying myself like I hadn't in ages.

"I thought you didn't have a thing for guys in eyeliner?" he asked.

"I don't." I swatted at his shoulder until he put me down. He did, but kept his arms around my waist. "Gael's going to wonder what's keeping us."

"Maybe I should make up some excuse," Liam said. "There was a dire emergency."

"Like what?"

"Your life was in danger."

I raised an eyebrow. "Was it?"

"Yeah. You were dying for my cock."

I made a face at him. "Don't you dare say that or I really will kick you in the nuts with my boots. I don't care how great the sex was."

Liam laughed and squeezed me. "Come on, Cherry Lips. Let's go clubbing with your boys."