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Moving slowly, I stroll over to Libby, stopping only a foot in front of her. “Give me your hands.” When she hesitates, I soften my tone. “Please?” I reach out and she grabs hold, her fingers light as feathers. I hate that she constantly tries to hide herself, like she’d rather crawl under a rock than have me look at her. She’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever laid eyes on, and I want her to feel it.
“Can you trust me?” It’s a big question. I honestly wouldn’t blame her if she didn’t. We don’t know each other very well, but there’s a small part of me that hopes she knows me well enough. Her eyes soften, and her shoulders relax just a hair. I know the answer without her words, but that won’t work for this. “I need to hear you say it, Libs.”
“I'll try.”
My heart explodes in my chest. I’m the luckiest damn man on the planet. “Come.” The word drips off my lips with the double meaning. Focus. Gently pulling her behind me, I walk over to the couch, but she tenses, so I stop to study her face. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine.”
“Libby, I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me.” The need I have to fix everything for her has a stronghold on me.
She looks everywhere but at me. “It’s just… it’s too open in here.”
She feels too exposed in her own home. What’s happened to this girl to make her think she needs to burrow away in order to feel safe? I want to find out, but she has to let me in. And in order to do that, she has to know that I see her for more than what she thinks her weaknesses are.
“I can fix that.” I pull her into the hallway. The same one where I first lost a shred of my control with her and pushed the boundaries a little. She seemed comfortable then. I can only hope it will help now. I situate us so her back is against the wall and I’m in front of her. She only has us to focus on. “Are you more comfortable here?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I know this isn't real attractive of me.” She twists her fingers together nervously.
I place my hands on either side of her face, tilting her head up towards me. Having her in my grasp just feels right. “You have nothing to be sorry for. The world has clearly been cruel to you, and you’re doing your best to work through it. I can see that, but you are beautiful. Nothing you struggle with could ever take away from that.”
Libby’s eyes drop and her cheeks burn under my touch. I trace a line across her cheek, over her nose, and across the other cheek. “Your face is dusted with the most amazing cluster of freckles.” My finger trails down to her chin and pushes in a bit. “And your dimple here gets deeper when you frown, so even when you’re sad, you get more beautiful.” I continue to slide my hand down her neck. “I can see every time your pulse picks up, letting me know what you like or what makes you nervous.” As if on command, it does just that, and I can't hide the smile that spreads across my face. Going over the tops of her shoulder, I turn my hand over so the back of my fingers graze down her arms. “You have even more freckles on your arms.” Getting lost in their maze, I linger there, searching for something I'm not sure exists. “I’d love to spend my days counting them.”
I stop once my hand is back down to hers, pulling them apart and interlocking our fingers. I rub the thumb of my other hand back and forth on her face, causing her eyes to flutter shut. God, I just want to wrap her up in my arms and keep her to myself. I patiently wait for her to open her eyes and when she does, I search their very depths.
“Your eyes, Libs.” I let out a breath. “They are my favorite part of you.” Her lips part as she sucks in air. Fuck. It’s hard to concentrate when she does that. Clenching my jaw together, I hold my composure and continue. “It’s where I can see you. You could never say another word to me, and I’d still know what you need, how you feel, and where you are in that pretty little head of yours.”
“What are they telling you right now?” The question catches me completely off guard. I love when she finds the confidence to challenge me. Her icy blues are bouncing between my eyes, waiting for my answer. Not able to help myself, my focus flicks to her lips one more time, causing her to gasp, and my chest tingles with desire. Pulling my gaze up again, I can see it written right there in the crests of her irises. I know exactly what she wants. What she needs.
“Do you want me to kiss you, Libby?”
Her eyes zero in on mine, daring me as desire swirls in them. “You already know the answer,” she whispers.
Shaking my head, enamored by her bluntness, I know we are on the same page. I don’t waste another second before I crash my mouth down onto hers. A small whimper escapes her and I swallow the sound. Her lips are perfectly soft. Her taste is intoxicating. With one hand on her cheek, my other one finds her waist, keeping me centered. All my senses are consumed by Elizabeth Clark. She is everywhere; here in my arms, on my lips.
Her hands burn a trail up my arms as her body responds to what is happening. Our kisses become more eager. Testing the waters, I swipe my tongue against her lips and, to my amazement, she opens for me. When our tongues collide, Libby gives out the sweetest moan. I almost lose it right then, but I do my best to keep a cool head. If I scare her off, I’ll never forgive myself. Libby deserves to be confident, which is exactly what I plan on accomplishing.
Her fingers tangle in my hair as she pulls me closer, causing a low rumble to escape my throat. Losing a fraction of my control, I pin her against the wall with my hips. There's no doubt she can feel my length pressing against her. Her chest heaves against mine and there isn’t an inch of space between us, but I want to be closer to her. I want more.
“Libby…” I warn, needing her to know that I’m becoming weak. It takes only a second for my tone to register and before I know it, she’s shoving my chest. I let my body slam back against the wall across from her. The only sound is our panting as we catch our breath and our thoughts.
Refusing to look away from her, I try to gauge where her mind is. Her eyes are stunned but frantic; she’s in shock. Shit, I’ve pushed her too far. I let my gaze fall down her body, wanting to remember everything from this moment, from this hallway. Her cheeks are flush, her lips swollen and parted. Not needing to get lost again, I work my way back up to her icy blues.
And there I see it. The wall she’s put up.
Fuck.
17
Ifucked up big time. Needing to get away from this moment, I turn and walk down the hallway towards my room.
“Libs,” Colt calls after me, but I don’t acknowledge him. I need to create space to regain clarity.
As soon as I get into my room, I shut the door and sit on the floor, pulling my knees into my chest. In for four, out for four. What the hell was I thinking? I should have known better than to let Colt show up here, especially knowing we would be alone. I’m barely getting by each day, making sure my anxiety doesn't get the best of me. I had a panic attack the day Blake went to get my things from Jett’s, but I didn’t tell her. She would have called Tyson again, and the guys would have showed up again, and I'd be humiliated again.
I’ve had fun texting with Colt. It’s definitely given me a sense of lightheartedness, but I need to get my life back on track before I let myself divulge in any pleasures. It's only been two weeks since my last relationship ended. What kind of slut would I be for hooking up with someone else so soon? At one point, the idea of Colt as a rebound sounded like the cure I needed. But now that it's here, looking me in the face, it's evident that I'm not the rebound type.
There’s a thump on the other side of the wall and my anxiety spikes before I hear his words. “I’m sorry.” I remain silent. He has nothing to be sorry for. “I shouldn’t have let things go that far. I didn’t mean to scare you, Libs.” His voice is low and slow. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be right here if you need me, or until you tell me to leave.”
