“That shouldn’t have been our first time.”
Unexpected relief washes over me.
She doesn’t regret what happened—justhowit went down.
I gently cup the side of her face, and when she leans into my touch, I take a moment to savor the sensation. “You don’t have to apologize, mon ange. As long as that wasn’t our last time, I’m good.”
She gives me a pitiful smile but doesn’t reassure me or deny that it’s a possibility.
That’s okay.
For now.
I can give her time and space. She asked me to try, and I fully intend to. Words are cheap. I need to prove myself. Actions are all that matter now.
Though I can’t let the moment pass without addressing concerns of my own.
“For me, the worst part of last night was worrying about what would have happened had we showed up even just a few minutes later.”
She presses her lips together and turns her head, breaking our connection.
Gripping her by the chin, I gently tilt her face back, forcing her to meet my gaze.
“Baby, I was scared shitless last night. You went to a party in an unfamiliar city, took whatever drugs Keira gave you, and almost got yourself in a really scary situation.”
Tears well in her eyes, but she doesn’t look away.
“There were so many versions of last night that could have played out differently,” I say. “Had we not found you quickly, or had we gotten there even a few minutes later—”
“It was okay, though,” she whispers. “You were there for me when I needed you.”
I grind my molars. Fuck. I don’t want to push so hard I create more distance between us, but I’m desperate to get through to her about just how fucking scared I really was.
“We got really lucky. Lucky that I hadn’t crashed for the night before Bryant called me. Lucky that Noah answered the phone the second I called and that the roads weren’t too bad on the drive there. Luck and timing were on our side. That’s what it all came down to, mon ange. Luck and timing. Please don’t ever do something like that again.”
Tears fall down both her cheeks as she nods. “I won’t. I promise.”
She turns her face and snuggles against my chest.
“Thank you for being there for me. I know it probably took a lot to call Noah and to team up with him and Mercer.”
Understatement of the fucking year.
But also something I’ll have to get used to, apparently. I’ll be teaming up with Noah and Mercer for the foreseeable future if this goes the way Sawyer hopes it’ll go.
Fuckin’ A.
“I’ll always be here for you, mon ange.” I plant a kiss on the crown of her head. “All I want to do is be here for you.”
She pulls back, once again searching my face. But this time, instead of snuggling closer, she brings her mouth to mine in the softest, sweetest probing kiss. There’s no urgency in the way her lips glide over mine. She’s exploring, familiarizing, learning. I kiss her back, careful to ease into it rather than ravish her the way my instincts are screaming at me to.
When she licks my bottom lip, I greedily open for her, desperate for more. With a little giggle, she teases my tongue with the tip of hers.
Heated electricity sparks through all my limbs, spurring me on. I lick into her mouth, and when she returns the gesture, my balls tingle in anticipation.
I have to fucking learn not to come within twenty seconds of contact, especially now that it seems like we may have an audience more often than not.
So, begrudgingly, I pull back, resting my forehead against hers as I pant and tamp down on the fiery need threatening to consume me.
