“Your crush, huh?”
I opened my eyes and chuckled. “You know what I mean.”
“You’re interested in me then?”
“So much it scares me. This isn’t a situation where we date and see how it goes. You don’t feel like others have when I was into them. This feels bigger. Maybe it’s just me. I’m sorry for rambling.”
“Don’t apologize.” His hand lifted to my cheek, where he gently rested it, his fingers brushing over my scruff. Chills raced across my skin. “It feels bigger for me too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, Forest. Much, much bigger.”
I let out a breath, suddenly remembering I hadn’t brushed my teeth, and backed up, his hand falling from me.
“What happened?” he rushed to ask.
“Nothing. I’ll be right back.” I got out of bed and went into the bathroom, quickly brushing my teeth. Fuck, he probably thought he did something wrong with how I bolted from the room.
The door, which I hadn’t closed all the way, slowly opened, Sheldon heavily leaning against the doorframe. With the light from the bathroom on, I could really see him. His eyes were brighter, but those dark circles were prominent. His hair was loose, not quite to his shoulders.
The way his hip rested against the doorway was what drew my attention and held it. His shorts sat low at his waist, a sliver of skin showing where his shirt wasn’t pulled down all the way. I had to remember to keep brushing.
Sheldon watched me in the mirror until I was done and rinsed my mouth out. I turned, my ass against the counter. “Do you need a toothbrush? I have extras.”
“No, I brushed before I came here. Not in anticipation of anything. Just out of habit.”
“Okay.”
We watched each other, our eyes meeting, my body heating. I had no idea what I was doing or where we’d go from here; however, there was no doubting how much I desired him. Fear was there, an undercurrent keeping me from getting hard.
Sheldon pushed off the frame and walked closer, not stopping until he was a breath away, the warmth from his body radiating to mine. “I’d give up everything to taste your lips right now, but you’re not ready.”
“Says who?” I breathed. I was more than ready. This close, the fear began to dissipate. My dick most certainly was in charge as it began to harden.
He laughed deep and throaty. “I could wreck you, Forest, and would love every second of it.”
“Do it.”
His hand found the side of my neck, his thumb brushing over my lower lip. “Don’t tempt me, beautiful. I’m far too tired to be the man you need right now. Let’s go to bed. I want to hold you.”
My breath hitched. The last time I slept with a man in my bed was when Vail and I had sleepovers as kids. That felt like many lifetimes ago.
“I can stay on my side of the bed if you’d like,” Sheldon whispered.
“No.”
“Can I hold you?”
“If you don’t, I’ll be pissed.”
“I had it wrong. You’re going to be the one who wrecks me.”
“We could both be destroyed, but we’ll be okay as long as we’re in it together.”
Sheldon’s eyes slid halfway closed as he leaned in, his nose touching mine. “Don’t tease me, Forest. I have no restraint left.I’m a second away from pulling you into my arms and never letting go.”
I wanted to tell him to do just that. To hold me and confess how much he desired me. I could say it back, say how I didn’t want anyone else. But what if we did this, and I didn’t like it? What if I’d built it up in my head so much that the reality couldn’t live up to it? Now wasn’t the time for promises.
