And I wouldn’t.
Avoiding the allure of her light-blue eyes, open and trusting and curious as she gazed at me, I stayed strong.
Rejecting the pull to lean in closer and give her another kind of support and comfort, I exhaled as calm and steady of a breath that I could.
I won’t do it.
I refused to take advantage when she was still figuring out how to move forward.
The close proximity of our situation was hell on me. The blue balls syndrome struck again, and I just knew that the second I got to my room and locked my door, I’d be in the shower and jerking off to the memory of her so close. Of her curvy body. Of her sweet perfume. Of her beguiling doe eyes that called to every possessive and protective instinct I had.
Don’t.
“You’re okay,” I told her again.
She nodded, blinking quickly and straightening instead of leaning on me.
What a fucking lie.
She wasn’tokay. She was starting to get interested. She was lost about what to do with these new feelings. I couldn’t read her mind, but I damn well knew how to read a woman’s body when she was struck with desire.
I released her slowly, making sure she wouldn’t slip again.
“Just be careful,” I advised once she retreated from me.
I meant it with the soapy water on the floor and her not slipping. When we caught each other’s eyes again, though, and she hadn’t lost that lusty look yet, I felt like someone needed to be givingmethat particular line of wisdom.
Just be careful.
I had to. Because letting myself lust for this woman and want to make her feel so good would start to mess with my head too much.
“Yeah,” she replied, avoiding eye contact as she reached for the edge of the counter to steady herself.
“Be careful and don’t slip with this water,” I clarified unnecessarily. “I don’t want you falling and getting hurt.”
She peeked at me with a shy smile.
“Because I’m here to help you, Kalina. To look out for you.”
The intensity of her stare on me was almost my undoing.
“In any way you need,” I added.
She swallowed hard, almost as if she might’ve been starting to piece together that I was catching on to how she watched me and might want me.
“Whether it’s keeping you from falling, or anything else.” I prayed I wasn’t overdoing it. That I wouldn’t scare her or give her any reason to assume this could be interpreted as an expectation.
“All you need to do is ask,” I said before backing away to retreat to the privacy of my room.
Please. Just ask for whatever you need to erase the sadness and fear from your eyes for good.
More than anything, I wanted to be her hero, her rock.
16
KALINA
Alexsei made it sound so simple.
