“I would always come for you.” The words seemed to slip out before he could stop them. His body tensed, as if he wanted to take them back.
But I didn’t want him to take them back. I wanted to revel in them. I knew what they meant.
I’ll always be there for you.
I’ll take care of you.
I’ll protect you.
It was everything I’d always wanted to hear from Rodney, but never had. I’d been too young when I’d been with him, not aware of what real love could look like. I’d settled for what he’d given me.
Now I knew it wasn’t enough.
ButHallwas enough. In just these few short days, he’d shown me what being a man really meant.
I tilted my face up toward his. We were so close. Close enough that I could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes. I tried to will him into action as I shifted towards him, my chin rising higher until my lips were in line with his.
Kiss me, Hall. Just do it.
Surprise landed in his eyes. Followed by a hint of fear. But he didn’t pull away. He stared at me, mesmerized, as if he couldn’t quite figure out how I’d landed here on his couch next to him.
Was this happening? Was this gorgeous man really going to kiss me? I could feel the kiss hanging in the air between us. But last time this happened he’d retreated instead. Would this time be different?
He leaned closer slowly, giving me every chance to pull away. But I didn’t want to pull away. I wanted this. Wantedhim. Even if it didn’t make sense. Even if it was too fast, too soon.
And then his lips brushed mine, soft and questioning. The whisper of contact sent electricity sparking down my spine.
I made a small sound, something between a sigh and a whimper, and that seemed to break something loose in him.
He kissed me for real then. Deep and slow, his mouth moving against mine with a hunger that made my toes curl. One of his hands came up to cup my face, his thumb stroking my cheek, while the other arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me closer.
I melted into him and opened for him. I let him explore my mouth with his while I clutched at his shoulders, desperate to get closer. He tasted like chocolate and coffee and something uniquelyHall, and I wanted to drown in it.
His hand slid roughly down my side, over the curve of my hip, and I moaned against his mouth. He swallowed the sound, kissing me harder, deeper.
That’s when his fingers found the hem of my sweater and slipped beneath, skating across the bare skin of my waist.
There was nothing gentle in him. Hall was hungry, barely contained, and I knew in an instant what it would be like to make love to him, a stallion fucking me hard with all the wild instincts inside of him taking control.
I was burning up. Every place he touched felt like fire, and I wanted more. I needed his hands everywhere. Wanted to feel the weight of him pressing me down into the couch cushions, taking what was his.
As if he’d read my mind, he shifted, lowering me back. His body covered mine, all that solid muscle and heat, and I could feel him hard against my thigh. The evidence of his desire made me dizzy with want.
Every rough touch from this man erased the memory of Rodney’s hands on me. Every kiss seared into my being in a way my ex’s kisses never had.
Rodney felt like a boy in comparison to this man. How had I ever been satisfied with him?
It had been so long since I’d been intimate with anyone, or even wanted to be intimate. Hall was stoking a fire in me that had died to embers long ago.
He slipped his hands up to my breasts, squeezing and tugging and kneading them through my thin bra until every nerve ending in my body was lit up.
He wasn’t gentle. He was abeast.
Now the heat was flying through me, burning me up. I was slick with wetness, and there was an aching throb between my legs that could only be salved by one thing… this man.
“Hall,” I whispered against his lips. “I want you to take me. Take me hard.”
But my words didn’t have the intended effect.
