ILAYthere with my eyes wide open, afraid to close them, terrified that Lynx would disappear again. She was sleeping in my arms, snuggled into my side, soft and naked, her tattoo on display, and I couldn’t stop watching her breathing. Her rib cage rose and fell, and my gaze lingered on each movement as if my very next breath depended on it.
I kissed the top of her head, letting my lips linger one beat, then two. I had to make this work. We both had shit in our pasts we wanted to forget, and it was time to push forward.
It was up to me to make it all happen.
“Hey.” Lynx stirred in my arms. “What time is it?”
“About midnight.”
“Wow, I should go.” She propped herself up on one arm.
“Don’t.”
I expected a fight, braced myself for her grabbing her clothes, calling a cab, tossing my love back in my face.
“Okay,” was all she said before she settled back into my arms.
Okay.
It was only minutes before Lynx was fast asleep again, her body warm and still pressed against mine. At some point, I dozed next to her, falling into the best sleep I’d had in a long time.
LYNX WASin my shower.In my shower!
It was surreal.
I was making breakfast when her phone rang in her bag. A chill ran down my spine, remembering the days when Bruno would call and she would give in to his demands. Pushing any negative thoughts to the back of my mind, I focused on making coffee, resisting the urge to look at her phone.
It wasn’t easy, especially when I also had to tamp down a strong desire to join her in the shower. We’d made love the night before, but she was skittish when she woke up—and I didn’t push. She was here, and that was enough for now.
“Morning.” Her voice rang through my kitchen and then she appeared, wearing her clothes from yesterday, her hair on top of her head in a messy bun.
“Coffee?”
“Yeah, that’d be nice.”
Coffee in hand, I approached with caution. “You good?”
She nodded, accepting the steaming mug. Jealous, I watched her lips wrap around the lip of the mug, wishing they were pressed to mine. She took a sip and set it on the counter next to her.
“What’s wrong?” I stepped close, but stopped short of touching her.
She stared at my bare feet and then closed her eyes. “Did we make a mistake?”
“No, not even a little one. This is a good thing. A very good fucking thing.”
“You want me? This?”
Now I bridged the gap, my hardness connecting with her curves, making sure there were zero loopholes in my words. “More than anything in the world. No hesitation.”
My lips met with her forehead, and I placed a chaste kiss there. “No hesitation at all,” I repeated, then picked up her mug and put it back in her hands. “Drink your coffee.”
“I’d like to see your hotel in broad daylight. The Firefly, right?”
I nodded. “Then we’ll do that.”
She took another sip of her coffee, keeping her eyes trained on me.
“Oh, your phone rang,” I told her.
