“I wish you knew how badly I want to let you be that person for me.”
“What’s stopping you?”
“I’ve made some big mistakes. I don’t want to make another.”
“What if I could promise you that I won’t be a mistake?”
“You can’t do that.”
“I can do that. I can look you in the eye right here and right now and swear to you that I won’t be a mistake.” He takes hold of my hand, and I let him while trying not to notice the jolt of electricity that travels through me when he touches me. “I swear to you, Sofia. You can have faith in me.”
Reluctantly, I pull back my hand. “I need to think about it some more before I decide anything.”
“I completely respect that, but will you give me the chance to show you how it might be with us while you do your thinking?”
“How would you show me?”
“One hour at a time. One day at a time. One week at a time. However long it takes to prove to you that you can put your faith in me.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“Why me?”
NICO
I’ve never worked so hard to convince a woman to date me. Sofia has been unique that way from the beginning, and now I have to find a way to tell her how and why she’s special. “Have you ever had something—a toy, a car, a friend, anything—that made you feel better when you were around that thing or person?”
“I have that with Mateo.”
“That’s how it is for me with you. When you’re around, I feel better. I feel lighter, happier, excited. It’s like the best kind of natural high. I felt it when we got our first dog and when I bought my first car and when I started my business. But I’d never felt that with a woman until I met you. Every time I see you or talk to you, I can’t wait until I can do it again. I never want to leave wherever you are, and it absolutely kills me to see your ex giving you a hard time and making you feel unsafe. I want to fix every problem you have or will ever have, and I just want to take care of you and Mateo.” I feel like an idiot for going on for so long. “To answer your question, that’s why.”
She surprises the fuck out of me when she rises to her knees and comes toward me, stopping when she’s an inch from me. Then she nearly stops my heart when she curls her arms around my neck and presses her lips to mine. I’m afraid to move or breathe or do anything that’ll spook her.
“Are you going to kiss me back?”
“Do you want me to?”
Before she finishes nodding, I’m up on my knees, with my arms around her and my lips sliding over hers, while reminding myself to go slow, to take it easy, to let her set the pace. I quickly discover that her pace is all in, right now, much to my astonishment. When her tongue caresses my bottom lip, I almost come in my pants for the first time since my nightmare teenage years when it seemed to happen every time a girl looked at me.
Christ have mercy, she’s sexy and sweet and curvy in all the right places. I’m not sure what I’m allowed to touch, so I keep my hands on her back even though they’re dying to wander and explore. But the last thing I want to do is startle her or remind her that she wanted to think about this as recently as ten seconds ago, and now she’s kissing me like she’s done thinking.
I wish my mind would shut off and let me fully enjoy the feeling of her tongue rubbing up against mine, her full breasts smashed against my chest and the extremely tempting ass that’s located just below my hands. But I want to do this right. I’ve never been less inclined to end a kiss, but that’s what I do, withdrawing gradually as she whimpers.
“Easy, love.” With my hands on her face, I compel her to look at me while I try to ignore the sexy pout on her swollen lips. “A minute ago, you said you didn’t want to rush into anything, and if you keep kissing me like that, things are gonna get real.”
“What if that’s what I want?”
“I’d love it if that’s what you wanted, but I want to do this right. I want us to date and for you to totally trust me before we take this any further.”
“What you said…” She’s staring at my lips, which makes it hard for me to think about anything other than kissing her again. Being honorable truly sucks sometimes.
“What did I say?”
“About how you feel when I’m around and how you want to keep us safe…” She tips her gaze up to meet mine. “No one has ever said things like that to me before.”
I take her hand and place it on my chest. “Feel that?”