Page 61 of Second Chances

“Of course, you do,” he said softly.

“So, you see why I’m concerned. If you…” She shook her head. “I can’t ask you to stay. To commit to a life here. Not when you’ve been so many other places.”

“Hey.” He lifted her chin with his fingers until they were eye to eye. “Have I given you the impression that I’m going anywhere?”

“You… told Sarah that you might fix the place up and sell it.”

He frowned. “When?”

“The first night we met.”

He shocked her by laughing. “If I ever had that intention, it disappeared the moment I kissed you.” He pulled her close. “Trust me, I’m not going anywhere soon. I’ve put sweat and blood”—he showed her a few knicks on his hands and smiled— “into making this my home.” She relaxed. “Is that all that was holding you back?” he asked.

She thought about it. “That and my fears about trusting again,” she admitted. “But after your story, I’m willing to chance it. For you.” She lifted her hand and ran her fingertips over his face. “You’ve let your beard grow.”

He smiled. “It’s the style. Besides, you said you liked it.”

“I do.” She leaned in to kiss him. The feel of it brushing against her face warmed her.

“Olivia, I want you,” he said softly. “I know you said…”

“I want you too. Take me upstairs.” She looked into his eyes.

Then he was kissing her, and she no longer cared where they were, if they went up to bed or not. All that mattered was him. His hands ran slowly over her body, causing her to burn. She wrapped her legs around his hips, pushing his erection, still trapped in his jeans, up against her core. She wanted him, needed him, inside her.

It was a craving so deep, so primitive, that her mind simply stopped working, allowing her body to take over. She clawed at him, pulling, pushing his clothes from his body while he did the same to her.

When she finally felt his skin against hers, she moaned and sighed as her body continued to build. Her nails scraped his skin, her fingers dug into his muscles, his hips, pulling him until finally he settled between her thighs.

His lips roamed over her jaw, her neck, her breasts as she waited in anticipation for him to thrust into her. When he finally did, she cried out his name, trying to hold onto that moment forever, needing it to last. Willing it to stay a lifetime or longer.

Then he started moving inside her, and the last threads holding her heart tucked away snapped.

When she fell asleep in his arms on the sofa, wrapped in his embrace, she knew that she was helplessly in love and there would be no recovering from heartbreak this time.

Her phone alarm chimed almost an hour later, signaling that she needed to go get Simona from Kayla’s house.

“Hmm.” Todd moaned and buried his face further into her hair.

“I have to go get Simona,” she said, trying to untangle their limbs.

“Mkay, bring her back here. I want to hold you all night long,” Todd said, his voice deep with sleep.

“I… wish I could, but not this time.” She pulled out of his hold and slipped on her jeans and shirt.

“What do you need to make this place more comfortable for her so we can have sleepovers?” Todd asked, fully awake now and sitting up, watching her.

She thought about it. “Simona would need a bedroom and maybe some of her things. Not to mention an explanation of why we were sleeping over.”

He cringed. “You want to tell your six-year-old what we’re doing?”

“No.” She rolled her eyes. “But she should know that you and I… that we are dating, at least.”

“You don’t think she knows that already?”

She shrugged, unsure what her daughter thought about their relationship. “I need to talk to her.”

“Yeah.” He smiled and walked over to her, then wrapped her in a naked embrace, though she was fully clothed. “Go, have a good night. But next time you come over, plan on staying. Both of you.” He kissed her.