“It was hard. Every day I had to do the work, do the breathing exercises until the anxiety left me. I still have to work at it every day.”
“I’m sorry you went through all that. I thought you woke up on a fluffy cloud every day of your life and floated down to join us mere mortals.”
“I wish it was that easy. But the truth is, I work at this every day. It’s a decision I’ve made about how I want to live my life and what I want my purpose to be. It wasn’t the life I thought I was going to have, but it’s the life I choose now.”
He’s silent in the dark, and I wonder if I’ve scared him off. He must have had this idea of who I was, and the truth is I’m not that person. I’ve had to work to be the serene yoga instructor he sees.
I have to work at being content with what I have, not wanting too much, or I might spiral into that place I was before.
“You’re brave, Kayla.” Jace’s hand pauses on my back. “Most people don’t have the balls to change their life. You did it.”
I shrug. “Sometimes life doesn’t work out how you want it, and you have to adapt.”
“And sometimes, life throws you together with a beautiful, smart, brave woman and you have to act.”
His lips are inches from mine, and his gaze is on me. He leans forward, and his breath tickles my lips as he grazes them withhis. His lips are cool and soft, and I close my eyes and let him kiss me.
His hand slides up my back and tangles in my hair as he draws me close to him. I part my mouth and his tongue slips inside, warm and insistent.
My heart beats faster as he crushes me against his chest. Our bodies are moving together, and the heat that’s been sparking between us all week ignites.
I move my hips and they roll against him, pressing into his hardness.
“Be careful,” Jace growls out a warning.
“What if I don’t want to be careful?”
Because suddenly, the only thing I want is to live in the moment with Jace.
8
JACE
Kayla rolls her hips against mine, and I groan at the sensation in my cock. It’s been far too long since I had a woman, and Kayla isn’t just any woman.
She’s strong and brave inside that serene exterior, but there’s also a vulnerability about her. She’s opened up to me, and I want to wrap her up and keep those vulnerable parts of her safe.
But right now, I want to explore this attraction between us, because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this short life, it’s to seize the moment. I’ve never felt this connected to a woman before, and she’s here in my sleeping bag like a gift from the gods, rolling her hips against mine and moaning as I kiss her.
My hand slides down her throat and over her breasts. She’s wearing the sweater I helped her get into earlier, and I slide my hand under it and under the t-shirt to her smooth skin. She feels as warm and silky as I imagined she would, and my hand moves upward to her breasts. I’ve been longing to cup them ever since the torture of undressing her earlier, and now as I slide a heavy breast into my palm, I groan at the feel of it. My thumb strums her nipple, and she lets out a squeak.
“Too sensitive?”
“No.” Her reply is breathy. “Too good.”
She arches her back, which pushes her hips into me and sends shock waves through my dick.
In the darkness, I can just make out her features. Her eyes are closed, and she bites her lower lip. Fuck, she likes her nipples being tweaked a hell of a lot.
I grab one between my thumb and forefinger, and she lets out a strained mewl. She’s going to go off soon, and I want to help her along.
I slide my other hand into her yoga pants, and she bucks her hips when I make contact with her soft, downy hair.
“Is this okay?” I need to check before I go any further.
“It’s good.”
That’s all I need to know. I slide my finger between her wet folds, and she’s soaking wet. My cock aches to explore her sweet spots, but I want to give her a release first. I want to make Kayla fall apart.
