He was joking, but she didn’t even crack a grin. “Yeah. You did.”
His hand slid up and down her side. “I could touch your curves all day and never tire of them.”
A rush of warmth spread over her skin. “You know, I went through a period where I hated my body.”
“How could that possibly be true?”
“I felt like my body betrayed me by getting sick.”
There was a small tightening of his eyes. “What changed?”
“I realized it wanted to heal as much as I did. That we were on the same side, fighting the same disease.”
“Your body fought with you.” He set a soft kiss on her forehead.
She smiled, but the smile slipped when some of that old fear slipped back in. “Holden…I need to know what last night was for you. Did you sleep with me just because what happened with Scarlett scared you? Or did it mean more to you? Because it meant more to me.”
Something flickered in his eyes, a hesitation…a fear. Then he blinked and it was gone. “It meant something to me too.”
“You’re not going to pull away from me, are you?” A million fears came alive in her belly at the possibility. Because the longershe was with him, the deeper she’d fall, and the more it would hurt if he ran.
For a second, he didn’t say anything, and his face was so unreadable that the fear simmered and rippled inside her.
Maybe now wasn’t the best time for this conversation. Her heart was too vulnerable after last night.
She started to get up, but he snagged an arm around her waist and tugged her back down before rolling them. “I’m not going anywhere, Clara.”
He was everywhere. Over her. Around her. He was all she could see or feel.
“Promise me,” she whispered.
“I promise.”
His words were whispers, but he looked so deeply into her eyes that she believed him.
Relief had air rushing out of her lungs.
Then he kissed her. A slow, gentle kiss that made the last wisps of fear slip away. His tongue tangled with hers, his hand slipping down her body, heating her skin.
She was just wrapping a leg around his waist when an alarm went off.
Her eyes flashed open. “What’s the time?”
“Hm…not sure.” His mouth moved down her neck.
“I set it for seven thirty. I have a client at eight.”
“I agree with Jess. You should cancel.”
She wanted to. But she couldn’t do that to her client. They booked because they needed her. Whether it was for their mental health or physical, every appointment was important.
She pushed at his chest. “I need to get up.”
He nipped her neck. “Reschedule.”
“No.” She pushed again. “You need to go.”
He laughed as he lifted his head, but not his body. “If you think I’m leaving you alone in this house, you’re out of your mind.”
