Her soft, floral scent invades my lungs, the ache in my skull fades, and my mind is suddenly crystal clear. It’s almost painful.
My weak hand curls into the sheets below while I lift my other and cup her soft cheek. In seconds, my hearts racing and heat floods through me like her kiss is igniting every nerve inside me and waking up every single cell that’s been dormant these past few days.
“Aerin,” I gasp hoarsely when the kiss breaks. “There’s so much to?—”
“Shhh,” she whispers. “I know what you’re going to say and I don’t care. Forget everything, okay? It’s just me and you. I need that after…aftereverything.” She leans back and then, suddenly, we both freeze.
It was one kiss.
One simple, gentle kiss.
Nothing special.
Yet I’m as hard as a rock and was completely unaware until her weight settled back on my hips. Her brow lifts and I know she feels it.
“Wow,” she murmurs, looking down between us. “Are you…?”
“It’s the meds?” I jest softly. “Maybe. I don’t know. It’s you.”
Aerin settles back a little more and I groan, closing my eyes briefly. “You wouldn’t taunt an injured man, would you?”
I open my eyes and Aerin’s hands are on the hem of her shirt. “Yes, I would.”
26
AERIN
This is really happening.
Maybe I should stop. Falco’s hardly in the best state for anything like this, but he’s looking at me like he wants to devour me and heat’s building low in my belly that I can’t ignore. So, in a rush of confidence that I grasp before it can escape, I pull my shirt over my head and cast it aside.
My heart pounds wildly in my chest like it’s trying to break free from the confines of my ribs. I can’t look Falco in the eye. It’s such a bold move, but what if he doesn’t like what he sees? What if he’s the kind of man who only truly appreciates a slim body with a flat stomach?
As soon as that intrusive thought spikes through my mind, I shove it away. Falco’s not that kind of man. His hands rest lightly on my thighs, and his fingertips suddenly dig into my flesh, drawing my eyes up. In the past few seconds, his eyes have grown impossibly dark and his lips rest about an inch apart as he stares at me. Every half second, his eyes dart down to my breasts then back to my eyes, almost as if he’s trying not to stare.
I want him to stare.
“How…” I croak and my cheeks flush as the words catch in my throat. “How do I look?”
“You really have to ask me that?” Falco sounds like something is pressing on his neck from how hoarse his throat is. With a dart of pink, his tongue swipes across his lower lip. “You’re torturing me,” he adds. “Looking like that when I’m like this.”
“Should I stop?” Concern rises within me, but before it can chase away the building warmth of lust Falco’s hands tighten on my thighs once more.
“Not on your life,” he replies. “But…Aerin. Your first time, it shouldn’t be like this.”
“Why not?” I place one hand lightly on the bed as I lean over him. “I have everything I want. The man I want. The privacy I want. Control of the pace. What more could I ask for?”
“But—”
Our eyes meet and I see deep in his eyes what he really means.
He doesn’t think he’s worth breaking this rule for. If we go any further, we’re signing a death warrant for him and for me.
“Iwantto,” I whisper, lowering until our noses brush together. “I almost lost you and it made me realize you’re the only thing I want. I don’t care about anything else. This…it showed me how quickly things can change, and I don’t want anything else in my life but this.”
Falco’s head tilts, gently nudging his nose against my own.
“But,” I continue softly, “if you want me to stop then I will.”
