“I set the heater to high, and there’s plenty of blankets, so what do you say to spending a lazy afternoon on the sofa with me?”
My heart takes off like a rocket and nearly beats itself out of my chest. I get what she’s alluding to, but I still want to hear her say what she wants me to do. Not because I’m fucking stupid or weak—of course I want to get in there with her with as little clothing on as possible.
She drinks me down, her eyes moving slowly over my black shirt, dropping to my black dress pants. “Tynan, I’ve seen you in your boxing silks. If I survived that, I’m about eighty-five percent confident I’ll be fine with you watching a movie with me in your boxers. Unless, of course, you prefer to romp around naked. And then that percentage drops significantly.”
“Tally, you want me naked?” I ask, surprising myself by not ripping my clothes clean off.
She bites her lip and tips her head to the side, like she’s deep in thought before she’s looking me square in the eye. “Yeah. Oh my god, I meant nah. Oh, sheesh, that’s a really good idea, actually. Nearly nude movie marathon.” She’s blabbering, and it’s adorable.
I gulp and will my dick not to get erect. Of course, it’s Tally I’m with, and she keeps surprising me to no end. She stands up, balancing on one leg as she loses her hoodie. With a flick of her foot, it comes flying at me. Like waving a red flag at a bull.
There’s fire in her eyes and innocence on her face that doesn’t match the tiny thong she wears. Her scent comes in waves, juicy peaches. Really fucking juicy peaches.
I have no hope of keeping a soft cock.
Taking a step forward, I’m drawn to her beauty. “Firecracker, your body is incredible.”
Her eyes drop, and a blush cascades down her cheeks.
“Look at me,” I demand under my breath, and she does.
I barely heard my words myself, but it’s like that with us. We don’t need volume or endless conversation to explain ourselves. There’s this thing between us that’s as alive and tangible as her physically standing in front of me.
Without her blazing confidence and ready-to-slay persona, she’s softer. Gentler. I love all sides of her personality, but this one, this less confident version, is my favorite because I’m pretty sure it’s the real Tally O’Connor.
“I’ll tell you you’re gorgeous, Tally, every day of our lives, just to see that glow on your face. But you also got to know you are beautiful.” I reach for her hand that’s already floating up.
She moves as if the ground is uneven, but it’s only because it’s her and me. I swear this space we share is raw, perhaps even brutal because of its intensity. Without context, it probablylooks like we’ll burn out after a short time together, as if it’s not authentic, but what we share is hauntingly deep.
“I’m not putting the ring on, Tynan.”
Not yet. “I didn’t ask you today.”
“But I know you want to,” she counters on a whisper.
I lift her hand and place it on my chest. “You’re in charge today.”
She laughs as she towers above me. “You might regret that.”
“I wouldn’t ever regret any time with you.”
Her hands fall off my chest, her smile disappears, and the walls in her pretty eyes start to rise like the turning tide.
“One day. Let’s have one day, Tally. I won’t push you, you won’t pull away from me.”
Her hands cover her face, her voice hardly loud enough. “I can’t do that.”
I gently pry her hands off her face. “Why?”
And those eyes that render me speechless and rob me of so much are full of her fears, but she tells me, anyway. “Because one day will never be enough, and we both know that.”
“We’ll be fine. I promise.”
“You say that now.”
“I’m going to say this again for you,” I offer, unbuttoning my shirt, letting it fall off my shoulders before I speak. “If this is our time, then let’s not waste any more of it questioning if we should or shouldn’t. I won’t break.”
She huffs a strange laugh and refuses to look at me for a few moments, all but confirming whatever it is that threatens to take this from her is bigger than the both of us.
