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He raised his eyebrows.
Iwent too far, shoot.
His surprise sent me into panic mode, and Itried to fix the embarrassing situation brought on by the euphoria from two orgasms. “Afriendly kind of part.” Iflipped my hair over my shoulder, making this as casual as possible. “Not the big, serious type.”
“No?” Thomas’seyebrows dipped even lower than their ascend, aconfused frown marring his features. “Because Iwas. Being serious.”
“I—Ithought… You seemed scared when Isaid…”
He kissed my lips, strong and demanding, then stroked me from my shoulder down my curves in repetitive motions, rendering me silent. “Iwas surprised and happy, not scared. I’dbeen wanting to hear these words for weeks now.”
His eyes followed the trail his finger left on my body. “Erin, I’ve been serious about you since the day we kissed, and I’mglad we got to know each other as friends but honestly what Iwant for us is arelationship.”
“Arelationship?” Igrabbed his finger, forcing him to meet my stare.
“Yeah. Avery serious one.” He failed to suppress asmile at my stunned look. “Ispent years deviating far away from this, not trusting my heart with anyone, not with my history.”
He retracted his finger from my hold and traced my lips with it. “With you though, the feisty petite woman who wanted to pepper spray my ass—Itrust my heart with you completely.”
To take over someone’sheart was aheady feeling that transcended into soulful bliss, since that person, Thomas, had my heart in his hands just the same. Imarveled at his admission, knowing that even though he trudged alone through ahard life, first with his parents and later going through endless struggles in Russia, he survived, he thrived, and he was still able to take achance with me.
My growing admiration for him strengthened what Mom and Laura told me. Their insistence that Icouldn’tdeny myself or him happiness, because he was right. He, felt right.
Thomas continued, pulling me from my thoughts, “Icould tell you weren’tready and Iwas more than willing to wait for you.”
He draped the blanket over my shoulders when Ishivered, even if it wasn’tthe cold that had me trembling. “You’re worth the wait. Worth every second.”
My brewing emotions, the pain, the want, the longing for ameaningful relationship despite everything I’dbeen through, came rushing out of my eyes in the form of tears. Itrusted him with my being weak and fragile just as Itrusted him with my heart.
“Erin, don’tcry.” He kissed the tears from my cheeks, his eyes growing soft. “You’re good. It sounds simple, but you are just that, inherently good. I’dbe crazy not to want you in my life.”
Thomas bent forward and kissed my shoulder tenderly, careful not to shatter me into amillion pieces. “If you’ll have me.”
In that room, in the dim light of the winter and enveloped by the gentle giant that was Thomas, Isaw him better than Ihad over the past three months. The sensitive boy who craved love hiding behind the shield he held high to protect himself from the world.
We weren’tso different, not as Ithought.
“Thank you for this gift of time you’ve given me.” Iheld on to him as tight as my sleep-deprived body allowed me, my voice becoming groggy with sleep. “Ineeded it to process the past few years, to be sure Iwanted this. The wounds became more like scars, alot thanks to you. Idon’tneed any more time. Iwant you.”
As the admission poured from me, Ifelt cleansed, my body ready to give in to sleep. My eyelids grew heavy as though they were curtains rolling down on my eyes and Ideparted to the world of sleep with the shy smile that bloomed on Thomas’slips.
