A green dress hugs her petite body, highlighting her slim waist and the soft roundness of her hips. I grip her underarms and sit her on the countertop, away from the mess she made. I take a step closer, standing between her legs, dizzywhen I have her this close.
Fear no longer taints her steel-gray eyes. She’s calm, and that’s how she should be all the fucking time.
“I missed you,” she whispers, tracing the contour of my jaw with delicate fingers.
I breathe out, relaxing under her touch, and move my hands to her thighs, caressing her soft, smooth skin. We have an equally overwhelming effect on each other. The electricity jumping between us, the longing, the pure lust is more than I ever expected to feel. I grip her jaw, closing her parted lips with mine, pouring my emotions into one forceful, greedy kiss. I dip my head to graze my lips along her neck and kiss away the goosebumps dotting her skin.
No other woman ever reacted to my touch the way Layla does. Like I’m all she craves, all she needs. Theory confirmed when she tilts her head, giving me better access to her neck. The sweet scent of her perfume envelopes my confused mind, soothing the anger that’s usually bubbling non-stop.
“Good girl.” I slide her dress off one shoulder, kissing along her collarbone. I’ve imagined this moment every day for two fucking weeks. “Mygirl.” I move my hands higher, climbing her thighs until my fingers disappear under the hem of the green dress.
Layla tenses, spine straight like a guitar string, but she doesn’t move away like I expect. She clings to me harder, clawing at my shoulders to hold me closer. This is not the first time she’s craved my touch, but it is the first time that I don’t mind.
My fingers sink firmly into her thighs and keep climbing, exploring every inch she’ll let me explore. I’m in for the wait of a lifetime before she’ll want sex, but I’m curious how much she’ll let me do.
Not much.
She turns rigid again when I touch the lace of her panties, my mind in turmoil once my fingers find a wet patch. She’s soaked... aroused... so warm. Her eyes fly when I stroke her pussy through the lace fabric, barely putting any pressure. An ugly grimace distorts her calm, gorgeous face before two small hands shove me away with more strength than I’d expect in her frail body.
I take an involuntary step back. Fear clouds her face rendering me temporarily insane. My throat constricts as if someone’s tying a rope around my neck, pulling harder and harder. Anger spreads like a malignancy when one thought hits me with the force of an avalanche...
I should’ve fuckingkilledRomeo.
By the look of her, reality blurs inside her head with the memories from last night. Her cheeks burn scarlet when she jumps off the bar, pressing the back of her trembling hand against her forehead. My hands shake, too, when I turn to pour myself a large, neat drink.
Layla walks away, curling into an almost fetal position on the couch, eyes focused on mint leaves drowning in her drink. She tries fishing them out with a straw as if her life depends on it.
I gulp half of my whiskey before I sit beside her, watching her face, so I won’t miss her reaction. “Baby... are you scared because you think I’ll hurt you or because you think I want to sleep with you tonight?”
“You don’t want to?”
“Of course, I do.” More than she’ll ever know. I’m holding myself back on the shortest leash, trying my best not to rush her, but I am a red-blooded man craving what’s mine. The image of her naked body writhing beneath me on my California King bed upstairs plagues me in my dreams. “I want to know if Romeo last night scared you so much that all you think about when I touch you is that I’ll hurt you.”
Her cheeks burn bright red, the color almost matching the Shelby in the corner, but she shakes her head. “He didn’t scare me that much. I know you won’t force me to do anything I don’t want.”
“That’s right.” I curl my fingers under her chin. “I will be your first, Layla. I’ll show you exactly how good sex can be. I’ll teach you every trick. You’ll learn how to meet my needs and demand I meet yours, but it won’t be today, tomorrow, or any time soon.” Giving up on her body until further notice is the last thing I want, but I can’t claim her virginity tonight. She has to trust me first.
“I don’t understand. You want to sleep with me, but you won’t? Why?”
I smirk, tugging her hand until she takes the hint and straddles me. “You’re the one who needs towant, baby. to want, you need to trust me.”
“I trust you.”
“No. No, you don’t. Not yet. You want to trust me. You want to believe not everyone is trying to use you. I’ve got time, Star, but don’t push me away again. We won’t have sex until I know you’re ready, but I will be touching you.Everywhere.AndI’ll be very possessive when I do so.”
Her red cheeks fade to light pink. “I’ll let you know when I’m ready.”
“No need. I can read you. You tensed when I touched your hips. I wanted to know how much you’ll let me do before you sayno. I just didn’t expect that you’ll panic.”
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight—”
“Don’t apologize for listening to your instincts.” I rest my hands on her hips. “And, get used to this because my hands will be here a lot. Just as much as here,” I squeeze her butt, “Also here.” I cup her face, closing her lips with mine. “And now...” I pat her butt. “I should grab a shower, Star. We need to be at the club in an hour.”
She moves away, and the pure joy dancing in her gray irises reminds me of her younger self. Back then, she looked at me just like this. As if I were her favorite person.
“Try not to demolish the house.”
“I’ll try.” She sips from her glass, then spits a mouthful back with a wince. “This is awful. Wine might be a better idea.”