She laughed at the description. “That describes L—” she cleared her throat, “me perfectly.”
This wasn’t the first time she’d stumbled over her words today. Each time she did so, her eyes darted away from his and she closed her mouth. Stopped talking.
He placed his thumb under her jaw, trying to draw her attention back to him. “Don’t stop now,” he urged.
“He used to say I didn’t have to fill every silence. I always hated when he said that.”
His jaw tightened instantly. That pissed him off more than it should have. Because it was like the pot calling the kettle black. A lot of Grayson’s issues with Lark in the past were because of those exact same things. It rubbed against the grain to think he might have more in common with Tommy than he cared to admit. He tried to soothe himself with the knowledge that he at least knew how to laugh.
“You shouldn’t let anyone try to change you.” The words came out rougher than he intended, and her gaze lifted to his.
She smiled. “That’s what I said to L—um…Tommy. I think if you love someone, you should accept them for who they are, not who you want them to be.”
Grayson nodded. “You’re right. You shouldn’t have to become less just to please someone else. It sounds like you made the right decision breaking things off.”
Her bright smile told him he’d said the right thing.
“Thanks,” she agreed.
They fell silent, simply looking at each other…and something in the air shifted, thickened. The silence stretched.
“I feel safe here with you,” she whispered.
The confession hit him square in the chest. Because there was something deeper beneath the words. Something that sounded like wonder. Like safety wasn’t something she expected to feel.
“Good,” he replied, confused by her comment. Lark had always seemed so fearless. Right now, half awake yet sleepy, she appeared almost vulnerable.
Grayson didn’t remember deciding to touch her. He simply lifted his hand, gently brushing her cheek.
She inhaled slowly but didn’t pull away. Her eyes searched his.
“Tell me to stop,” he said, lifting his head from the pillow as he moved closer.
She didn’t move, didn’t speak.
The space between them narrowed slowly, as every instinct in his body screamed at him to take his time, to proceed with caution. He paused when only a few inches separated them, her breath hot on his face. He gave her time to say no.
She didn’t.
Instead, her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip.
That was all the permission he needed. The last of his restraint shattered.
He lowered his mouth to hers slowly, giving her one last chance to stop him. The kiss was soft at first, as he tested it out. She froze for just a moment, but then…holy hell…she kissed him back.
Heat exploded through him. Her lips were warm and sweet and a little tentative, but when she sighed against his mouth, something inside him came undone, and he kissed her deeper.
Grayson put everything he had into the kiss, trying to tell her without words what he’d known the second he held her at the festival.
She was his.
And he would move Heaven and Earth if that was what it took to claim her.
For one perfect moment, she responded completely. Her fingers curled in his T-shirt, gripping it tightly, and her body melted into his.
Grayson had never felt more lost and more found, all at the same time.
He wanted more, wanted to pull her on top of him and spend the rest of the night kissing her, until neither of them could breathe. He wanted to explore every inch of her, to possess and caress and claim.
