She stared at me like I was her entire world. Then she kissed me, like she didn't have words for what she was feeling and had decided she didn't need them.
"Okay," she whispered against my lips. "Okay. Help me."
"Always."
She took my hand and led me into her small office, then kissed me again, slower this time, her lips trembling against mine. I ran my thumb along her jaw, letting her feel that I wasn't going anywhere.
Her hands found the hem of my shirt, inching it up my body until I had to break the kiss to pull it over my head.
Her eyes roamed my chest like she was memorizing me, then she traced the crooked bridge of my nose with a feather-light touch. "Does it hurt?"
"Not anymore," I said, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to her palm. "Not when you touch me."
Her gaze, vulnerable and open, met mine in a look that unraveled me. I leaned in, her scent filling my senses, and kissed her again, softer this time, savoring it.
She let me undress her, then I eased her back along the worn couch, and she sucked in air thanks to the cold leather. For a second, I didn't move, too busy drinking in the perfection of her body. Her curves called to me, her lush breasts begging to be touched.
I lowered my mouth to one, teasing her nipple with my tongue until she sighed my name, her back arching into me. She met every touch warm and eager, and I lost track of everything except her. My hand slid lower, slipping into her folds, stroking until her thighs opened willingly for me.
She gasped when I found her slick and ready, her hips rocking against my fingers. "Love me," she whispered, clutching my shoulders as I laid her back on the couch.
"I will," I promised, and I meant beyond this moment. Then my brain caught up with the rest of me, and I went still. "I don't have a condom on me."
She blinked up at me. "The player came unprepared?"
"I stopped carrying them." The admission cost less than I expected. "Around the time I started chasing you. Got myself tested instead, in case this ever went somewhere. Carrying one felt like assuming. Getting tested felt like hoping."
Something shifted in her eyes. She reached up and laid her palm against my jaw. "I'm covered. I trust you."
Three words I'd done nothing to earn yet and everything to keep. When I finally covered her, pressing into her slowly, she clung to me, her forehead resting against mine, our breaths tangled.
I stayed still, giving her time, giving myself the chance to feel the enormity of what this meant. Then I moved within her, deep and unhurried, nothing between us, savoring the way her body welcomed me.
Every thrust was deliberate, every kiss lingering. She whispered my name, tracing patterns down my back as we moved together. I held her close, pressing kisses to her temple, her jaw, her lips, grounding her even as the pleasure built between us.
When she came, it was quiet, her body trembling around mine, her lips pressed to my neck. I followed, groaning softly into her hair, the release more tender than raw.
This was uncharted territory for my love life, and it scared the crap out of me. We stayed tangled together, breaths mingling, sweat cooling slowly, her head tucked beneath my chin.
"I need to tell you something," she whispered.
"Okay."
"When the woman from Elevate called, when she knew all about my family... She even mentioned my sister and her kids." She took a calming breath before going on. "For a second, I thought about taking the offer. Not because I wanted to, but because it would be easier. Safer."
"But you didn't."
"No. I'd spend the rest of my life wondering if I could have made it work. If I'd given up too soon." She looked up at me. "I'm not ready to do that."
I squeezed her, then kissed the freckles on the bridge of her nose. "Good. Because I know you'd hate yourself if you bailed."
"Even though it's terrifying?"
"Especially because it's terrifying." I kissed her forehead this time. "But maybe that's okay. Maybe being terrified means we're doing something that matters."
"Then I suppose we keep doing it," she said.
"That's the plan. Now, come on. Let me take you home. To my place. You need proper sleep in an actual bed, not on this couch. And I need to know you're safe."
