Her body pulsed as Kayden’s kiss softened, slipping into something else, something smoother…gentler.
When his head finally lifted, his eyes were an intense blue, and he looked at her like she was the only thing he saw.
His mouth lowered to her ear, and he nipped her lobe. “You’re so fucking sweet.” When he finally slipped his fingers out of her, she whimpered. She tried to reach for him, but he gripped her wrist, halting her. “That was just for you, honey.”
“Kayden…”
His mouth trailed back to her mouth before he lifted his head. “I’m gonna take a shower, then make you breakfast.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “How am I supposed to stay mad at you when you make me feel so much?”
One more kiss of her lips before he whispered, “You’re not.”
Kayden turneddown the heat on the eggs. He’d taken the coldest damn shower of his life, but even that hadn’t calmed his heated body. Touching Tilly, tasting her…fuck, it made him lose his damn mind with need.
He grabbed the bagels out of the toaster and placed them on the plates.
But he was a patient man. He had to be. Last night she’d asked him to stay with her because he made her feel safe, and this morning she’d let him touch her. Hell, he’d woken with her body slung across his. That was progress, and he just needed to keep building on that and chipping away at the wall that had been constructed because of his doing. Soon, they’d be back to where they’d been before…only better.
He’d just placed the bacon on the plates when Tilly stepped out of the bedroom. Her hair was down and falling over her shoulders, and she wore black pants that hugged the curves of her thighs.
For a moment he couldn’t move…couldn’t breathe. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
One side of her mouth lifted. “I’m wearing work slacks and a sweater.”
“Gorgeous.”
A hint of a smile pulled at her lips as she perched on a stool at the small island. “You made bacon and bagels.”
“And eggs and coffee.” He slid the eggs onto the plates before finishing the coffees.
When he returned to Tilly, it was to see her brows knitted together as if she was deep in thought.
One side of his mouth tugged up. “What’s on your mind, honey?”
“Did you mean what you said? That the reason you struggle to let people in is because of your mom, and you want to be better?”
“Every word.” He lowered to the other stool but angled his body toward her. “I’m not good at letting people in, and I kind of knew that, but it was confirmed when I met you. I wanted to let you in so damn bad, and I was terrified. But I want to keep trying. You make me want to be the man you deserve.”
Her brows flickered. “I’m scared to let you in again. Relationships are tested all the time.”
His heart cracked. “Iwillbe better at the next test.” When she still didn’t look convinced, he reached out and took her hand. “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but the next time something happens, I’ll be your greatest protector, Tilly. That’s a promise I intend to keep.”
Hope flickered in her eyes. She wanted to trust him, he could see it. But he’d fractured her belief in him.
He lifted her hand and kissed the back. “Eat, honey.”
As they ate, he turned the conversation to work. She spoke about the visits she’d organized for local schools. The progress on the skywalk, which was almost complete. She loved her work. It was obvious in the way she lit up when she talked about it. The excitement in her eyes as she talked about the increase in visitors and exposure. They didn’t talk about what had happened with Macy’s stabbing or Jake’s shooting, instead keeping conversation light.
“I just want everyone to experience what I did as a kid,” she said quietly.
“And what’s that?”
“The magic of the mountains we get to call our backyard. All my best memories growing up were in those woods, and all with my mom.”
“Not your dad?”
Her smile slipped, and her gaze lowered to her almost finished plate of food. “He worked a lot. I barely saw him. I thinkthat’s why my mom and I were so close. I was an only child, and she was my best friend.”
