His gaze drops to my mouth and he grips his lower lip in his teeth. “You were perfect.”
A ray of sunshine breaks loose inside my ribcage, heating ip places that haven’t felt warm in…forever.
Maybe the dark, damaged part of me was suppressing the ability to acknowledge him. All men, really.
“Sorry…I’ve just…” I shake my head. “Had a lot going on. I’m distracted a lot when I’m working.”
I rifle through the jumble of memories, trying to force something to return. But I’m in that foggy state a lot—the kind that leaves me staring out the window, unsure how long I’ve been there.
These are crevasses inside of me. Big, dark, ominous voids.
He shifts, the angles of his oversized shoulders bunching as he begins to frown.
“Like I said, don’t worry. But I should have made a point to talk to you. I feel bad about that, maybe I could have prevented tonight form happening if I had.”
“That’s crazy. How would you have?—”
“By asking you out.”
This causes me to laugh harshly, but that sound morphs into more of a sob.
“Oh god.” I dash the tears away angrily, embarrassed. “I’m a freaking mess.”
I’m not sure if the fact that I’ve just had the best kiss of my life is making me more emotional or if it’s the whole disaster that my life has become.
“Hey, angel, it’s okay,” he rumbles softly, “you’re safe now.”
There’s a sharp spasm in my heart. If only that were true. But that’s a promise he can’t make.
When I open my mouth to say something, I’m swarmed by the echo of that warm, kind voice which has now set up shop inside of me. You’re safe now.
“Let’s get you out of here,” he says kindly, magical fingers working at the top of my neck, soothing the knots.
Velvet.
He’s gravel, and dynamite, and velvet. A dangerous combination.
I lean into his touch without thought until I give myself a hard mental shake to see if I can get myself off of this crazy rollercoaster. “I should go back to work.”
“You don’t need to. You’ve been through enough tonight.”
His voice does something to me, but his touch? God. I’m starved for it.
So I don’t pull away. Not just yet.
Gliding, smoothing, working my skin and muscles, he’s vacuuming the fear right out of me.
Along with my energy.
“I do…feel like I need to sit down. I’m not sure what’s wrong with my legs.”
Reaching out, I clutch a fistful of his flannel shirt to stop myself form sliding to the grimy pavement, but he’s already in motion.
“I’ve got you. Let me take your weight.”
A wall of warmth surrounds me as he pulls me into his body. Taking the entire weight of not just my body, but of my existence.
Strength brackets every inch of me. “You’re safe. That fatigue…it’s the adrenaline crash.”
