I lower my forehead to hers.
“I want all of you,” I say quietly. “But only if you want me too.”
She nods, breath trembling. “I do.”
My chest aches with how much I believe her.
I kiss her again, slow, then hungry, then slow, and her hands slide to my shoulders, pulling me closer, trusting me without hesitation.
That trust is the most intoxicating thing I’ve ever felt.
I guide her toward the bed.
She goes willingly.
And when I lay her back against the sheets, her red dress against the soft grey blanket, I nearly lose control.
I breathe her in.
Her scent, her warmth, her softness.
I press my lips to her collarbone, her shoulder, the side of her throat. Her fingers tighten in my hair, a breathless sound escaping her.
I murmur against her skin:
“Tell me if you want me to slow down.”
“I don’t,” she whispers.
My restraint snaps, slow and sweet/
Tonight… tonight I’m giving her everything she asks for.
CHAPTER 43
Ruby
Iwake up warm.
Too warm.
Wrapped in something soft that smells like cedar and expensive cologne.
My eyes open slowly, dazed, half-dreaming, and then I realize:
This is not my ceiling.
This is not my bed.
This isnot my life.
I sit up too fast.
“Oh god.”
Memories flood in like a montage:
The kisses.
