This time he pulled back.
“Tell me your heart no longer hurts.”
“It no longer hurts.”
He growled low, his hand gripping the back of my neck as he gave me a hard kiss.
“Tell me I can touch you.”
“You already are,” I panted.
“Tell me,” he repeated.
I knew what this would mean, and a knot formed in my stomach. I could feel what he wanted to do to me.
“We’re moving too fast. Can we slow—”
He kissed me hard on the lips.
“Do you trust me?” he asked.
“I do.”
“Then let me touch you.”
Staring into his eyes, I saw a thread of doubt and hesitation there. He didn’t believe I fully trusted him. And why should he? I’d been sending so many mixed signals. Snuggling him at night but asking him not to touch me too much. Acknowledging his interest and my own but saying I needed more time.
Hadn’t I only seconds ago decided that time wasn’t the answer? That trying was? I needed to stop hesitating. Tor wasn’t Adam. He wouldn’t walk away.
I smoothed my fingers lightly over Tor’s cheeks.
“You can touch me.”
The sound he made was pure triumph. He claimed my lips again, one hand on the back of my neck and one hand on my butt as he stood with me. He didn’t give me a chance to ask what he intended. He moved. I felt him climb the stairs, and my heart started to hammer as I hungrily kissed him in return.
The mattress touched my back before I even realized we’d reached the bedroom. It jolted me, and I started to panic.
“Wait,” I panted, tearing my lips from his. “I’m not ready.”
“Shh. Show me your trust, June,” he said, kissing and nipping his way down my neck. “Tonight, I only want to see you. That is all.”
His words reassured me enough that I didn’t fight him when he reached for the bottom of my shirt and gently tugged it up over my head. He tossed it aside as his gaze swept over my bra. I thought he’d reach for that next. Instead, he dipped his head, kissing and licking his way along my collarbone.
That he meant to take his time became abundantly clear when he moved to my shoulder. I relaxed and threaded my fingers through his hair. The heat that had started with the kiss on the couch continued to build with each press of his lips. I squirmed underneath him, and he whispered soothing non-human words against my skin.
A whimper escaped me when he moved to the other shoulder. How had I gone from worrying he wanted too much to needing him to take off my bra?
Releasing his hair, I reached underneath me and unclasped the hooks. Tor didn’t hesitate to slide the straps down my arms and toss the bra away, like he had the shirt. His keen gaze swept over my breasts with a reverence that melted my heart further.
The flat of his tongue stroked over my nipple before he sucked it into his mouth. Another small sound escaped me as he flicked and drew on the tender peak. I didn’t realize I’d threaded my fingers in his hair again until I tried tugging him over to the other side.
“Patience, my June,” he whispered. “I will taste all of you. I promise.”
My core clenched as images of the last time he’d tasted me rose to mind.
“Take my pants off then,” I panted.
He ignored me and continued to suck and lick one breast before finally leaving it for the other. I gasped and panted when he gave the second one the same treatment. My skin tingled when he moved lower, kissing the undersides of my breasts then my sternum.