Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!

She shifted on the bed, crawling toward him until she was straddling his lap. The weight of her felt like gravity itself, tethering him to something real, something he wasn't sure he deserved. Her hands slid over his shoulders, fingers tracing the lines of his neck, his jaw.

"You know," she said, her voice low and teasing, "for someone who claims they don't deserve me, you sure don't look like you're fighting it too hard."

Parker's hands instinctively moved to her waist, gripping her gently, like she was made of glass. "Yeah, well," he muttered, his lips twitching into the smallest of smirks, "you make it kind of hard to think straight."

She laughed softly, the sound vibrating against his chest. "Good. You think too much anyway."

Before he could respond, she leaned in, her lips brushing his. It was soft at first, almost hesitant, but when she felt him respond, she deepened it, her fingers tangling in his hair. His grip on her waist tightened slightly, pulling her closer, and for a moment, it felt like the rest of the world didn't exist.

When she pulled back, her lips were slightly swollen, her breath warm against his skin. She pressed a kiss to his cheek, then his jaw, her lips trailing down to the corner of his mouth.

"Tessa," he murmured, his voice low and rough.

"Hmm?" she hummed against his skin, her teeth grazing his earlobe. He let out a shaky breath, his hands tightening on her waist.

"You're gonna kill me," he said, half-laughing, half-serious.

"Good," she whispered, her lips brushing against the shell of his ear. "Then I won't have to share you with anyone else."

He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You're insane, you know that?"

"And you love it," she shot back, her voice playful but laced with something deeper.

His hands slid up her sides, his fingers tracing the curve of her back through the thin fabric of his shirt. "Maybe I do. Everything. I love everything about you, Tess." he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.

Her heart skipped at that, and she pulled back just enough to look at him. "Say that again," she said, her tone soft but insistent.

He hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching hers. "I said... maybe I love everything about you."

"That's not good enough," she said, her voice teasing, but there was something vulnerable in her gaze.@@novelbin@@

He sighed, his thumb brushing over her hip. "Tessa, I—"

She didn't let him finish, her lips crashing against his in a kiss that was anything but gentle. It was raw and real and full of all the things they couldn't quite say out loud. His hands slid up her back, holding her close as if letting go wasn't an option.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathing hard, their foreheads pressed together.

"I love you, you idiot," she whispered, her voice trembling slightly.

His breath hitched, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. He just stared at her, his eyes filled with something she couldn't quite place.

"Tessa," he said finally, his voice soft but firm. "You're the only person who's ever made me feel... like I'm not broken."

Her hands cupped his face, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks. "You're not broken, Parker," she said, her voice steady. "You're just... complicated. And I love every complicated piece of you."

He let out a shaky laugh, his fingers brushing over her sides. "You really mean that?"

"Of course I mean it, you dumbass," she said, her tone light but her eyes serious. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

He kissed her then, his lips capturing hers in a way that made her feel like she was the only thing in the world that mattered. And maybe, for him, she was.

When they pulled apart, she rested her head on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his neck. "You're stuck with me, Parker," she murmured, her voice soft.

"Yeah," he said, his lips brushing her temple. "I think I'm okay with that." And for the first time in a long time, Parker felt like maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as alone as he thought. He had always been reluctant to fully accept Tessa.

Parker's chest rose and fell unevenly, the weight of her body on his lap grounding him in a way that was almost terrifying. Tessa shifted, her hands sliding over his shoulders as she settled into him, her face so close that her breath kissed his skin. His arms instinctively wrapped around her waist, holding her as if she were the most delicate treasure in the world. And, damn, she was.

"You know," he murmured, his voice low and almost hoarse, "I've seen gods, demigods and demons and monsters. But you... You're the only thing that's ever really scared me."

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Tessa froze for a moment, her fingers pausing in the soft, lazy pattern they'd been tracing along the back of his neck. Then she tilted her head, her hair falling in a curtain that framed both their faces. A teasing smile tugged at her lips, but there was warmth in her eyes. "Scared of me?" she asked, her voice soft but amused. "What could I possibly do to scare you, Parker?"

He smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching as he glanced at her lips. "You don't get it," he said, his tone dropping an octave as his hand moved to cradle her face. His thumb brushed over her cheekbone, lingering like he was trying to memorize every inch of her. "You walked into my life, and suddenly, everything I thought I understood about myself… just stopped making sense."

Tessa's smile faltered, replaced by something softer. She leaned forward, her lips brushing against his jaw as if to ease the tension. "You're overthinking again," she whispered against his skin, her voice playful but tender. "You always do that."

His fingers tightened slightly on her waist as he let out a frustrated laugh, the sound vibrating against her chest. "Maybe I am," he admitted, his lips grazing the side of her neck in return. The act wasn't calculated or practiced—it was instinctive, like he needed her warmth, her presence, to drown out the noise in his head. "But you don't understand, Tess. You're... You're my undoing."