Mouthing a response I’m not even sure I want to say, my brain struggles.
Pulling away, she sits up and stares down at me. She’s got a little pout on her lips. “You made me care about you, too. We’re screwed. What are we going to do?”
My heart picks up in my chest, and I get the silliest idea. “Why don’t we just stop fighting it and take one day at a time?”
My pulse is still kicking, growing louder and louder. She can hear it, can’t she? How in the hell do the other guys take this on? I feel like I’m having a heart attack here.
Leah blinks, considering my words. “What if you die? Then I won’t have anyone.”
“Then I won’t die.”
“You can’t promise that.”
My smile grows. “Well, I am. If you’re mine, there’s no way in hell I’m not coming back to you. Are you kidding?”
Looking up at me with those wide eyes again, she searches mine. If she’s looking for any signs of me lying, then she’s goingto be searching for a long time, and she’ll be disappointed. I mean every word I said.
I regret not telling her sooner. Even if it risked pushing in ways I shouldn’t, she wouldn’t have gotten this upset in the first place.
Well, if she knows that I love her, I don’t have any reason to hold back now, do I?
Catching her chin with my finger, I stroke her cheek with my thumb. “You are trouble, Leah. Such a handful, you know that? How long have you been holding back on me, and why does it take getting yourself in this state to be honest about all these feelings?”
Pulling back to pout at me, she stares long and hard at my face. Just when I think she’s trying to think of a reason, I realize she’s staring at my mouth.
Her flush looks even deeper now that I’m not completely distracted by this exchange of feelings.
Instead of giving me an answer, she leans down and presses her lips to mine.
The kiss is all soft heat and the faint, husky hint of tequila. Her aim is off, her mouth landing clumsily against the corner of mine before sliding, warm and searching, to find a better fit.
I go perfectly still. My hand, still cradling her jaw, steadies her. She lets out a small, shaky sigh against my mouth, a sound of profound relief, and her entire body seems to melt into the touch.
My thumb strokes her cheekbone, feeling the incredible heat there, and I kiss her back with the same gentle, unwavering certainty. As her tongue swipes across the space between my lips, I can’t help but open up to really taste her.
Her tongue is warm and clumsy, a slow, sweet exploration. A soft, contented sound vibrates in her throat, and the sound goes straight through me.
Shifting my weight, guiding us until I’m flat on my back on the worn blanket, she follows, leaning over me. The new angle deepens the kiss. Her tongue slides against mine once more, and she lets out another little sigh, this one breathier, more pleased.
Her hands begin to wander. Her fingers, tentative at first, trace the line of my throat, the sensation sending a shiver down my spine that simmers into something hot. They drag down, over the hammering pulse at the base of my neck, to the collar of my shirt.
Her touch is a brand through the thin cotton. Without prompting, her fingers slip beneath the collar, touching me directly. Her fingers are searing and demanding. The woman touching me isn’t concerned with the stresses of everything happening between us as she melts.
If I keep this going, it’s going to feel less pleasurable and more like I’m taking advantage of the situation.
Right now, Leah is feeling the most vulnerable she has in her lifetime. I can see this, and her future self will as well. I can only imagine that she’s been holding onto her feelings as long as I have mine. So, as much as I want to continue this, I won’t.
Stopping her from letting the kiss become something more, I hate the way she frowns in misunderstanding.
“You’re drunk, and I am incredibly sober and still healing. As much as it hurts me to say this, I think we have to wait.”
Thankfully, she nods. There’s still a part of her that is still strong enough to hold back. Instead of climbing on me, she licks her plump lips before lying back down, cuddling my side. A yawn leaves her, and I already know we’re not leaving this bed anytime soon.
I guess we really are staying here tonight. Tomorrow will be interesting.
7
Leah
