AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She hesitates. When she speaks, her voice is barely a whisper. “What if – what if I do?”
I smile gently. “Then you’ll know you aren’t as broken as you think.”
Long moments pass, and I can see her mind racing as she bites her lip. I let her twist the idea around for a bit before I put her out of her misery.
“The only way to know is to try. I’m offering you a safe option. Just think about it. It’s an open-ended offer.” I push off from the counter and grab my crutches.
“Okay,” she says suddenly. “Okay, let’s try it.”
Yes. Let’s.
A smile spreads slowly across my face. “Okay, then.” I move toward her.
“Wait. Now?” she asks hastily.
I pause in front of her. “Did you have somewhere important to be?” I tease gently. She stares up, her eyes wide. She’s not frightened. She looks… curious.
Good.
I balance my weight on my left leg and prop my crutches against the island. My right hand grips the counter. I’m less than a foot from her.
Her face is upturned as she studies my face. Her breathing has quickened slightly, but she doesn’t look scared. “No,” she answers slowly. “Now is fine.”
“Good.”'
My eyes don't leave hers. Charlie’s a fighter. She wants to know if she can move past her fear of physical touch, or if the bastards have truly broken her beyond repair. I know her, though. She’s much too strong for them to have beaten her. She just needs to find that out for herself.
“My right hand is going to hold the counter so I don’t fall on my ass,” I grin as I point to it with my other hand, “and my left hand won’t wander. If you feel uncomfortable or want to stop, pull back or tell me, and everything stops.”
She nods her agreement. I scrutinize her closely. “You’re sure?”
She nods again, looking slightly nervous, but not afraid.
The smile on my face gradually fades as I gaze into her impossibly deep emerald eyes. Her beauty grips me, beauty I’ve forced myself to ignore for nearly twenty years. “Damn, you’re beautiful, Baby Girl.” My voice is rough as I lift my left hand and brush the pad of my thumb across her cheek. I slide my hand behind her neck, my thumb beneath her jaw, and tilt her face up, slowly lowering my mouth to hers, giving her time to change her mind.
She doesn’t.
My lips skim over hers lightly. She’s tense. To be honest, I’m not sure she’s still breathing.
“Relax,” I whisper, nudging her mouth with my own. I kiss her again, very lightly, and she responds hesitantly, standing up on her tiptoes to meet me.
I pull my mouth away from hers. “Hang on,” I tell her, scooping her up beneath her thighs with my left arm. She gasps and slides her hands up to my shoulders. I deposit her gently onto the island countertop so we’re face to face.
“That’s better,” I murmur, giving her a slow smile before my mouth closes over hers again.
She tentatively returns the kiss, still holding back. “Stop overthinking things,” I mutter against her lips. “Just let go and feel.”
With that, I deepen the kiss, my lips becoming more firm against hers. I move my left hand to the nape of her neck, spearing my fingers through her thick hair, lightly gripping it to tilt her head back. My mouth turns hot, insistent, seeking, and when my tongue gently licks across her lips, she shivers, then parts her lips for me. My tongue sweeps into her mouth. She tastes faintly of vanilla and wine, honey sweet. Over and over, my tongue caresses hers, dancing and circling.
Her anxiety melts away. She leans into me, meeting my tongue stroke for stroke. She slides her hands up to wrap them behind my neck, twisting her fingers into my hair. She tugs at it and pulls my mouth closer, getting lost in the moment, this one perfect moment.
Yes.
Our kisses continue, heated and wet, but I focus on her response. She presses closer to me, pushing her breasts against me. Her nipples tighten against my chest.
Her nipples.
God. I picture them, rosy-brown, pert, straining toward me, desperate for my touch. For my mouth. My teeth.
