I put my hands on the doorjamb and leaned forward. I refused to touch her, afraid that if I did, I'd never let her go.
Locking my eyes with hers, I decided to give it to her straight.
“I want to come inside.”
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.
“But I’m fuckin’ scared, Amy. I’m scared that I’m gonna do somethin’ to scare you, and that’s the last goddamn thing I wanna do.”
“You won’t,” she said softly.
“I will.” I made sure there was a ton of confidence in my tone. “I can only take so much, and the more time I spend with you, the more I want to touch you, to kiss you.” To lay you down and bury myself inside your body. I kept that part to myself, though. “And if you let me in your house, if you sit down to dinner with me, if you smile at me the way you did today … I’m scared I won’t be able to stop myself.”
I saw the way she swallowed hard.
“Do you understand what I’m tellin’ you?”
She nodded.
“That’s why I can’t come inside. It has nothin’ to do with Rhys.” I shook my head. “Well, maybe a little, but like I said, that’s complicated.”
I got another nod.
I pushed off the wall and stood to my full height. “I’ll see you at Reagan’s.”
Turning away from her was the hardest damn thing I'd ever done, but I knew I had to. It was the right thing to do.
“Wolfe.”
I heard her feet on the wooden porch behind me.
“I want you to come inside.”
Dropping my head, I closed my eyes. “I don’t wanna fuck this up with you, Amy.”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I do.”
I turned to face her. Only then did I realize how close she was standing. I had to stare down at her, holding my breath when her arms moved toward me, her hands sliding up to my neck, pulling me down.
My entire world collapsed into that one single moment when her mouth touched mine. I didn’t kiss her back. Not at first. But when her fingers slid into the hair at my nape, I lost control.
Cupping the back of her head as gently as I could, I tilted her head and pressed my lips to hers. When she drew in a deep breath, I slid my tongue over her lower lip, then dipped into her mouth. Amy kissed me back, her tongue gliding against mine hesitantly at first, then more confidently.
Jesus.
How could one kiss be so fucking hot?
I was lost to it. Lost to the sensation, the overwhelming desire that crashed in my veins. My body tightened, but I remained as still as I could, afraid to move closer, afraid to do anything that would cause her to pull away from me.
I allowed the kiss to go on for a minute, but then I pulled back, my entire body aching for her. Keeping her head cradled in my hand, I pulled her against my chest and sighed when she wrapped her arms around my waist.
I held her, my muscles vibrating with need, but sated by the fact she was in my arms, touching me even if we were still outside, still standing on her porch. Even if I still wasn’t going to go inside.
This woman … this one sweet, far-too-innocent woman was going to be the one to bring me to my knees.
