Page 4 of Where I Escape

“Finn,” she whispers. In her eyes I see many emotions, but the strongest is hope.

Standing from my chair, I walk over, stopping in front of her. She peers up at me, and I hate not being on her level, so I kneel on the floor before her and carefully take her hands in mine. Her bottom lip quivers. “I’m not proposing marriage or anything.” I chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. A small smile breaks out on her face. “If you’re up for it, I’d like to date you, Blair. I’d like to take you out, have fun with you, maybe end the night with a kiss if I’m lucky.”

“This is like something out of one of my books.”

“It’s better. Because in your head it’s merely fiction. I’m here in real life, in front of you, asking for a chance at more.”

She leans forward and softly brushes her fingers over my cheek then returns her hand to mine. I’m suddenly grateful I decided to shave this morning, and my skin is smooth. I wouldn't want to miss a second of feeling Blair's touch. "I don't want to ruin our friendship."

I lean away and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “I understand.” I move to drop her hands, but she doesn’t let me. She holds them tighter.

“You didn’t let me finish. I want this with you, but I’m scared. I don’t ever want to lose what we have. Can you promise me, no matter what happens, we won't lose that?"

I move in closer, to the point she parts her legs so I can wrap my hands around the back of her waist and peer into those gorgeous eyes I see in my dreams. “Nothing will ever happen to our friendship, Blair. But I can’t predict the future. I can’t tell you whether this is a good idea or not. All I know is I have to try, because not being able to touch or kiss you is the worst kind of torture. You’re all I think about, Blair. You’re all I want. And if that means what we have is nothing more than a friendship, I’ll take it. If it means more, I’m on board with that, too. You hold the reins here. Nothing will happen unless you want it to.”

“A date?” She smiles.

“A date. My treat. And it will be a surprise.”

“Tonight?” she asks eagerly.

“Tonight.”

Blair reaches up to cup my cheeks. I relish the touch. I want to hold on to this feeling forever. “Can I kiss you now and after the date?”

“You can do whatever you want to me.”

Blair leans down. Her sweet breath ghosts over my lips a second before she touches hers to mine. It’s a soft kiss at first, tentative. I let her lead but can’t help tightening my hold on her waist. I’m worried at any moment I’m going to wake up and this will all have been a dream.

The first touch of her tongue to my lips has a moan rising up my throat, as I immediately part them for her. She has all of me. Her tongue seeks mine out, and the second they touch, it's like everything in my world is finally right. Like I'm home with the woman in my arms.

We angle our heads to deepen the kiss as Blair’s fingers thread into my hair. My body is at war with my mind. I’d love nothing more than to pull her from the chair onto my lap so she can feel how much I want her. I’m hard as a fucking rock, and it's all thanks to a kiss from Blair. But I resist. I won't do that. I meant it when I said nothing would happen unless she wants it to. She's leading. I’m along for the ride.

Blair pulls back, breaking our kiss, but doesn't go far. She smiles, shyly. "Wow." Her fingers dance over her lips. "That was… Wow."

I smile. “You can say that again.”

“I always wondered what it would be like to kiss you.”

I jerk back in shock. “You did?” No. Blair couldn’t have been thinking about me like I was her. Right? We couldn’t both have wanted this for a while. If so, that means we could have been together. We could be in a committed relationship right now.

I want to say we missed out, but that would be a lie. Truth be told, I don't regret a day I spent getting to know Blair. Every single one is a gift. And if it led me to where I currently am, I’d take it slow again in a heartbeat.

“I’ve kind of had a crush on you, Finn.”

I quirk an eyebrow. “Kind of?”

She shoves my shoulder lightly, but I don’t move. “Okay. For years I’ve been lusting after you. There. Are you happy now?”

I move closer until our lips are millimeters apart. “You want me, Blair?” She nods. “I’m yours. There’s no one else I desire like you.”

"Oh, Finn." She closes the distance and kisses me again. This time it's more urgent, needier. I fucking love it. I love that she confessed her feelings to me.

After a minute, I’m the one to break us apart.

“What’s wrong?” she asks.

“Nothing. But if we don’t stop, we’ll go further than I’m willing to at the moment.”