I pressed a thumb against her full lip, silencing her. I just needed to get this out. “For once, wanting something good doesn’t feel wrong.”
After holding on so tight to my suffering, carrying it all alone because I believed I didn’t deserve happiness after what had happened…I let go. I cut loose the brambled, thorny mess around my heart and opened myself to comfort instead of punishment for the first time in almost eight years.
She stared at me, throat bobbing as she swallowed.
My thumb caressed her bottom lip; there was a small gash from where she’d bit it. Without thinking, I leaned forward and kissed it.
She gasped, a small intake of breath, but it was enough.
Heat sparked in my chest as all the emotions I’d been too ashamed and scared to face rolled over me all at once.
My lips moved against hers, kissing her with every ounce of desire I’d been tamping down.
The world narrowed to the warmth of her mouth, and the way her body leaned into mine like she’d been waiting for this moment. Palmer had come into my life so unexpectedly, but she made everything better—like the warm, golden beams of sunlight melting the snow in the spring.
My tongue caressed the seam of her lips, and she opened for me, letting out a moan that sent jolts of electricity through me.
She shifted closer, her chest brushing mine as her fingers slid into my hair.
For so long, I’d kept myself locked away from this, afraid of letting anyone else in. I was terrified to fail and lose someone so vital to my very existence.
But with Palmer, it was impossible not to reach for more.
I broke the kiss first, not because I wanted to but because I needed to see her.
Her breathing had quickened. A faint flush colored her cheeks.
My hands moved carefully along her arms, my thumbs grazing the places where the fire had rewritten her skin.
Palmer tensed, as if it were a reflex to shy away from this part of her.
I wouldn’t let that happen anymore. Gradually, I lowered my mouth and pressed a gentle kiss to one of the grafted patches along her forearm. She inhaled sharply. I kissed another. Then another.
Every one felt like a promise. She was not broken. She was not something to hide.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured against her arm.
She made a small sound, like something between a whimper and a sigh. The look on her face was doubtful, like no one had said those words to her before.
I meant every one. Every inch of her told a story of survival.
My hands slid to her waist as I guided her back toward the bed. She went willingly, and when the backs of her knees hit the mattress, she sat down and shifted until she was lying against the pillows.
She tracked me as I settled above her, staring down at her open, trusting expression. God, I needed her. Every molecule of my being was drawn to her, longing for her to take whatever pieces of me were left to give.
I leaned down, my lips finding the curve of her shoulder and trailing up her neck. The sharp gasp she let out sent a shudder down my spine. I was so ready for her, but I forced myself to pull back.
She gazed up at me beneath her lashes, cheeks flushed. Her pulse thrummed visibly at the base of her throat, and I had theurge to press my tongue to that spot, to taste her skin and feel that heart beating wildly because of my touch.
“I want you,” I ground out between my teeth, my voice wrecked. “Can I have you, Palmer?”
That lovely blush deepened, and she nodded.
I smiled, a self-satisfied smirk, but when I leaned down close to her, I didn’t touch her. Instead, I whispered low into her ear, “Use that mouth of yours, Golden. Tell me.”
“Yes.” The word came out in a breathless sigh, hurried and impatient. “You can take me, Roman.”
And that was all the invitation I needed.
