“You make it sound so easy, but I don’t think you’re taking into consideration how hard baking is without the right tools.”
“I can have some people drop stuff off here if you want.”
“Rich, I can’t keep moving through life scared like this. I’m stronger than that.”
His hand gently caresses my throat, then the mark on my face. “I know, baby, but he’s already hurt you once. I can’t let that happen again.”
I careen against his palm, needing more than just a sweet embrace.
“Take off your mask, Rich.”
“Excuse me?”
She smiles shyly. “Take off your mask so I can see your entire face, especially those deep blue eyes. Your eyes are my favorite part about you.”
My cheeks instantly heat. “Most people run and hide when they see my face.”
“Well, I’m not most people,” she fires back, giggling so adorably that she lets out a small snort. “Man, I haven’t snorted since high school. Forget you heard that.”
“No way! That snort was the sexiest thing I’ve ever heard. It needs to stay. It shows that you’re real.”
“Real nerdy,” she jokes, her gaze turning seductive. “Come on, Rich. Please take off the mask; I want to see all of you.”
Carefully, I undo the straps, opening myself up to her without thinking twice. “If you were anyone else, this wouldn’t happen…”
She laughs, cupping my face so the warmth in her palms heats my frozen heart. “There’s that beautiful face I love so much.” She fingers my scars as she says it, admiring them instead of being repulsed.
But honestly, it’s her words that land deep.
I pull her against my chest, my arms wrapping around her instinctively. She fits there like she belongs, her head tucking under my chin, her hands sliding up my back, holding on like she needs the contact as much as I do.
“I don’t feel safe with anyone but you,” she murmurs.
“I’m glad to hear it. It’s been my vow since the day we met, to always protect you,” I promise her, my lips brushing over her hair, across her temple, and down the curve of her cheek. “And keep you with me.”
She blushes again, but this time it’s heating her whole body.
Her fingers curl into my shirt as I tilt her chin up. Our kiss starts slow, like we’re both testing the ground beneath us to see if it’s stable. When she sighs against my lips, I deepen the kiss, my hand sliding to the small of her back, pulling her closer.
She responds instantly, her palms flattening against my chest, feeling my heartbeat that stutters every time she looks at me. Her body presses into mine without hesitation, like she trusts me to catch her if she ever were to fall.
I lift her easily, carrying her toward the couch, never breaking contact. I lower her gently down, hovering above her for a second, so she has the chance to stop me.
She doesn’t.
Her hands come up to frame my face again, thumbs brushing over my cheeks, grounding me like no woman has before. Every fear I have of her rejecting me dwindles away as I trail kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and linger where her pulse jumps beneath my lips.
Her breath hitches, soft sounds leaving her that make my grip tighten. I’m not rough with her, just meticulous with every move, certain there’s no other girl that could ever compare to her.
The usual rush to get things over with isn’t there. I want to take my time, to savor every moment like I’m back in high school and losing my virginity all over again.
I trace my fingers along her arms, then down her waist, memorizing the way she feels beneath my hands. She pulls me closer, forehead resting against mine, breath mingling in the darkness, eyes confused but trusting.
“Please don’t disappear on me again,” she whispers. “I know you’ve been watching me from afar, but when I came out of that building, and you weren’t right there waiting for me, I felt a part of myself die a little.”
“Never again,” I vow, pressing a kiss to her brow, her nose and then her lips, taking what my heart wants to own.
“If you want me to stop, just ask.”
