“Why then?” she whispers back.
There’s no option but to tell her. As Yoda would say,“Do or do not, there is no try.”And this has to be adomoment.
“Because that was when I realized I love you.”
Chapter twenty-four
Lark
“Dan,” I whisper seconds before crashing my lips onto his. I’m overcome with emotion, floating on an endless sea. He’s loved me for so long. He carries me with him, every day of his life, and has for years.
And what have I done?
I’ve allowed myself to believe that doing what I thought was expected of me was the right choice. I believed so little of myself, I was able to overlook this beautiful man and his love.
It would be so simple to spiral into self-flagellation and guilt over how much time I wasted. Time I could have spent with Dan. But now, when those thoughts creep in, it’s easier to push them away. To center myself in his kiss, in his arms around me, and in the deep sense of knowing this is exactly how it should be.
Eventually, we break apart, and I remember my curiosity when I found him in the bathroom, bare from the waist down.
“What exactly are you doing?” I don’t bother trying to hide the way my gaze travels down his body, landing on that beautiful cock of his that’s so hard, it’s pointing at me. Butsomething’s different. I lean forward slightly, squinting. “Um, Dan, why is your —”
“It’s all Yami’s fault!” he blurts out, attempting to cover himself with his hands.
“I’m sorry, what?”
Dan groans, his head falling forward. “He was with me when I was grabbing groceries for tonight and you know how he can’t shut up. I swear, I didn’t tell him anything. And I’m definitely not presuming something’s gonna happen, but just in case, he said something about manscaping, and I started googling, and then you showed up, andfuck.”
I’m openly laughing now, and Dan’s cheeks are bright red. I’m starting to understand the bizarre sight I walked in on. My laughter dies as I comprehend more of what he’s saying.
“Are you saying you want to…”
His eyes flash with something indescribable, and his head moves in the barest of nods. “I do. With you. I want you, Lark. In every possible way. It doesn’t have to be tonight, not if you don’t feel ready yet. But when you are, just know, so am I.”
How do I tell him I’ve been ready for this, for him, ever since I realized my feelings went way beyond friendship?
How do I tell him it’s been many, many months since I had sex, and my body is already aching for relief?
How do I tell him I feel so incredibly honoured that he wantsmefor his first time?
I register the downturn of Dan’s face a second later and realize I’ve been so caught up in my own feelings, I didn’t actually respond to him.
I lean in and press my lips to his jawline, peppering kissesdown the column of his throat. Then, knowing I have to be brave and bold, I take his hand and slide it down the front of my leggings.
His fingers brush over my damp panties and his head falls to my shoulder with a groan.
“In case that isn’t clear enough, I’m very much ready.”
With a deep rumbling sound, Dan lifts me up and throws me over his shoulder, bringing me almost eye level with his bare ass. “Oh my God!” I shriek, closing my eyes and giggling. Wait. Why am I closing my eyes? I open them and take a good look at the round, tight bubble butt on my favourite catcher.
When my hand just so happens to pinch it, Dan yelps, and then I’m tossed down, bouncing on his mattress. “Did you just pinch my ass, Birdie?”
He sounds so outraged, my giggle turns into a full body laugh. Which grows even more when I look at him standing there, his arms folded across his chest, his dick jutting out at me. It’s clear he’s also barely holding back his laughter, and a second later, it breaks free. He jumps on the bed, making me bounce and shriek again. But this time he muffles the sound with his lips on mine as he lowers his large body between my legs.
My hands wrap around his back and find the hem of his shirt. Tugging, I lift it up. Dan raises his upper body and quickly pulls it the rest of the way off until he’s completely nude.
“You look way too damn satisfied for a woman who hasn’t even had an orgasm yet.”
I can feel my smile grow even wider. “With a view like this, who wouldn’t be satisfied?”
