My heart feels like it’s about to explode. I’m tumbling down a dangerous slippery slope towards being completely addicted to this woman, and I’m powerless to stop it.
Juliet breaks the kiss, leaving us both breathless and panting as she pulls back to meet my lust-filled gaze.
She brushes my hair off my face before trailing her fingers down my cheek.
I shiver from her touch.
“Are you okay?” I ask when she doesn’t speak.
“I’m trying to work out if you’re real or just a fever dream,” she murmurs, her fingers continuing their exploration over my heated skin.
A chuckle slips past my lips. “Oh, pixie, I’m one hundred percent real.”
She shakes her head with a dazed smile. “I don’t believe you.”
I capture her wandering hand and place it on my chest, letting her feel the way my heart beats for her. “Thisis real.”
“This is crazy,” she says, her eyes dropping to her splayed hand.
“Maybe,” I agree. “But we’d be crazy not to see where this goes.”
“Yeah,” she breathes. “We would.”
I press my lips to her forehead, then shift her so we’re snuggled next to each other. She tucks her legs underneath her, resting her head on my chest. My dick protests, straining against the confines of my pants, but this isn’t about sex for me. It’s about her. In less than three months, this woman has turned my world on its axis and broken down nearly every wall I’ve ever built around me, and for the first time in my life, I’m not running scared.
Am I terrified?
Abso-fucking-lutely.
Juliet has this aura that draws you in without trying. There’s a warmth and a gentleness to her that makes me want to protect her, even if it scares the shit out of me. She’s been hurt, I know that much, and it has something to do with Everett’s father. But she’s still putting herself out there, and for some reason, she’s choosing to pursue something with me.
We both have scars. I only hope mine aren’t what ruins this.
She’s the first thing I’ve allowed myself to want, the first person I’ve allowed myself to go after. If I lose her, it will fucking end me. But there’s no way I can walk away from her now without trying. Without knowing if happiness is ever on the cards for me.
I’m going all in, and I’ll deal with the consequences later.
Chapter 15
Juliet
My mind is completely at war with my heart as I nestle into Blake’s side, my thumb lightly brushing over my kiss-swollen lips.
The chemistry between us is magnetic and intoxicating, and I can’t deny how safe I feel in his arms, but I need to be smart about this. As much as my body is screaming at me to drag him into my bedroom and lose myself in his touch, my head is telling me to be careful. I rushed into a relationship with Edward, who was charming and swept me off my feet, and that ended in three years of physical and mental abuse that almost broke me.
I can’t put Tinsley at risk by rushing into something with rose-coloured glasses on. My little princess has been through so much in her short life. She’s seen the worst in her father, and I desperately need to believe that he was the exception, not the rule. I want her to know that not all men are like him.
Kissing Blake is intense and passionate and all-consuming, but there’s a level of comfort and ease in hisembrace. There’s no demand, no expectation. I’m in charge, and though it’s so far from what I experienced with Edward, a little voice inside me keeps telling me to be careful.
I don’t know Blake. How do I know he won’t hurt me?
“What’s on your mind, pixie?” he murmurs, pressing his lips to the top of my head.
I groan, burying my face in his chest. “That I overthink things way too much.”
He squeezes me tight. “You and me both.”
“Great,” I tease, tilting my head to look at him. “We’re both screwed.”
