“Heath—” I whisper, my hand reaching for his T-shirt. He changed in it before slipping into bed, saying he gets hot under the covers. I feel the scorching heat of his skin through the thin material of his t-shirt. He is burning.
“I thought you only liked me,” I whisper.
He smiles in the dark. “Idolike you, but it’s more than that. It has been for a while.”
“Since when?”
“Since the first time I saw you.”
I gasp. “That long?”
He nods. “I was captivated by you the moment I caught you staring at me through the window.”
“But you were glaring at me.”
“I was, because it bothered me that one look at you and I forgot to say everything I wanted to.” He chuckles. “You looked so beautiful that day.”
My cheeks redden. “I wasn’t wearing anything special.”
“It wasn’t the fucking clothes. It was thegirl.”
I clear my throat, feeling warm inside. “I fell for you when I started trusting you.”
“So it wasn’t my looks?” He teases.
“No…that’s not what I’m saying. I mean, you are handsome and your face is pretty?—”
“Just pretty?”
“—and your body?—”
“My body?”
“—it looks good?—”
He bursts out laughing, the sound warm and bright like the first ray of sunshine on a frosty, cold morning. His whole chest shakes, the strong vibrations traveling through my palm, into my skin. My hand twitches as if to grab and hold them forever in me.
“For fuck’s sake,” he mutters. “I work out for hours, do boxing, and you think my body looks just good?”
Of course, it doesn’t look just good.
It looks delicious.
He draws me closer, and wraps me up in his big, muscular arms that make me feel safe. We’ve been this close before, but this is different. It feels oddly cozy to be this close with the person you love.
“Remember I asked you out on a date?” He rubs my back. “Would you like to go with me?”
“A date.”
“Yes, Rose. A date.”
“Where would we go?”
“Anywhere you want to go.”
“I’m fine with anything.”I just need you with me.
Heath starts drawing soothing circles on my back, the movement so careful and gentle it lulls me to sleep.
