“Okay,” I whisper, staring into his blue eyes that have softened. They remind me of an ocean on a summer day. Thecolor so bright, blue and beautiful that it imprints itself on my mind, making it impossible to look at the shade again without thinking of him.
“You look nervous. Is something wrong?” His thumb caresses my chin. “Tell me so I can fix it.”
“Uh, it’s nothing like that.” My heart pounds.
“There is something that is bothering you.”
How can I tell him it’s the idea of intimacy that scares me?
Perhaps, the thought hasn’t crossed his mind and only I’m fussing over it.
“I…” I can hardly speak.
“Are you worrying yourself over what I said to you earlier?”
“No.”
“You don’t need to do anything you don’t want to. We’re taking things at your pace. Whatever you want, I wantthat.” He tucks my hair behind my ear. “If holding my hand is how you want to comfort me then it’s enough. You are enough for me.”
I shake my head. “I can do more, but I feel scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Not knowing what I’m doing.”
He smiles down at me. “That’s fucking impossible. Whatever you’ll do to me, I promise you, I’llfeelit.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“We’re only on first base.”
“I’m aware.”
“Don’t you want to go to other bases?”
“Doyouwant to, Rose?”
Heat flushes through my body, igniting every inch of me.
“I…” I stammer. “I… I…”
Heath presses a soft kiss against my temple like I’m the most precious thing in the world to him.
“It’s okay if you don’t have an answer right now. Think about it and tell me later.”
I shake my head and force my hands up to fist his hoodie into my hands. Despite how hard my lungs ache and how fast my heart beats, I refuse to let myself be the shy, nervous girl who can’t communicate. With him I want to share my thoughts no matter how absurd they seem. He deserves to know all of me.
Because he likes me.That means something.
I push him back to straddle him.
Once I’m sitting on his lap with my knees on either side of him, only then I meet his gaze.
Heath looks utterly stunned. His eyes are wide and his mouth is a little open.
A flush of heat curls in my stomach and turns my insides into liquid.
