AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“And,” she continued as if I’d never spoken. “Basically pulled Gayle’s strings to become the new marketing slash campaign director at ULC.”
“I did.”
“All in an attempt to…get next to me?”
I scoffed. What I felt for her couldn’t be diminished to an antiquated statement like “getting next to her.”
I took a step forward, relieved when she didn’t move away.
“No. The plan wasn’t to get next to you, baby. It was to get to know you and give you the chance to get to know me, because I’ve gotta be honest here—”
“That’d be a first,” she quipped, but the playfulness in her eyes gave me hope.
“I’ve wanted you, all of you, since the moment I laid eyes on you. It’s been downright torturous for me, trying not to come on too strong and scare you away when I want you forever.”
She shook her head.
“We’ve spent five weeks together, Oden. You can’t know that you want me forever. I don’t even know if I want my hair like this for the summertime!”
“Oh, I know,” I assured her in a confident voice. “I’m just waiting on you to know. And I’m willing to wait as long as it takes.”
Her lips pursed, and she stared at the floor.
“I said no secrets.”
I nodded, though she couldn’t see me, taking a few more steps forward until I was standing directly in front of her. Placing my finger under her chin, I gently lifted until she was looking me in the eyes.
“I know, baby. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to scare you away.”
Her eyes drifted to my lips, and I knew she wanted a kiss, so I happily gave her one. It was slow and sweet, but turned me on nonetheless.
She was mine.
“Stop,” she whispered, pushing at me. I moved away from her.
Our eyes locked, and I didn’t like what I saw in hers.
“I said no secrets,” she repeated in a resolute tone.
What she was saying, or more accurately, what she wasn’t saying, was that I’d blown it. I’d screwed this up and pushed her away, despite my best attempts not to.
A tsunami-sized wave of silence rolled through the box of a room and drowned us in it. It was overwhelming to stand here and not be able to touch or kiss the woman I wanted to be with. I had to get out of here.
“Ahem,” I said awkwardly, running a hand through my hair. “I’d better get going…flight to catch.”
Averting my eyes, I walked around Kerenza, giving her a wide berth, and left the room.
Space.
She just needed time and space, then she would come around, I assured myself again. If that were true, then why did every step I took away from Kerenza’s room feel like a mistake?
