Michael lets out a deep breath and brushes my cheek with the tips of his fingers. “How could you think that?” he whispers softly.
“Because it’s impossible to know how you really feel.”
He places his forehead against mine. His green eyes are so clear right now. They have a shine to them as they stare at me.
“I’m going to kiss you now,” Michael announces. “Not to shut you up but because I’ll die if I don’t.”
My heart goes into overdrive as he lowers his head and captures my lips in his. The kiss is slow, sensual, seductive. My hands move to his shoulders and I pull him closer when I should be pushing him away
.
But then his tongue thrusts into my mouth in a deep, punishing stroke. I moan, and Michael swallows the sound with a hungry kiss. He grips my ass and yanks me against him, kissing me until I’m breathless.
His lips are utterly dominating. Then, suddenly, he slows down. His tongue licks my bottom lip and he buries his face in my neck, lavishing it with soft kisses that leave me tingling in their wake. I capture the hem of the shirt he’s wearing and pull it over his head before eagerly sweeping my hand over his bare chest.
He groans and threads his finger through my hair, watching me with heat in his eyes. I trace a finger down his chest to the line of hair leading to his waistband. Then I flatten my palm and stroke his erection over his pants. Michael jerks, smirking. Two can play at that game, his eyes seem to be saying.
His lips find my neck again. Then, with deft fingers, he lifts my dress up and his hands reach for my panties. Pleasure ignites inside of me when he cups my breasts through my bra. He sweeps his thumbs over my nipples and I moan softly.
“Oh, God.”
He tugs my panties off and wastes no time bringing his hand between my legs. I don’t expect it when he slides two fingers inside of me.
“Fuck, Michael,” I hiss.
His eyes are practically glittering now. He spreads me apart with his fingers and starts working me over slowly. When he drags the pad of his thumb over my clit, I shut my eyes as the wave of pleasure hits me. Soon enough, I’m trembling and moaning and rocking against his fingers as I come.
I collapse into his arms and Michael carries me to the bed. He sets me down gently before climbing in beside me.
“Now that I’ve got you sated and more compliant,” he starts, making me glare, “I can tell you all I’ve been meaning to say.”
He clears his throat and I could swear he looks nervous right now. But Michael Crane doesn’t get nervous. He never lets anyone see through the cracks. Except me, it seems. I’m the only exception, and the realization fills me with a rush.
“I was fourteen the first time I realized I had feelings for you,” he begins.
I find myself holding my breath out of fear that he’ll stop talking and I’ll never find out the truth.
“I was terrified and had no idea who to talk to. You don’t know this, but I’ve always admired you. You always seemed to have your shit together. You were brave and mature. Back then, we were all kids pretending to be adults, but not you. You knew what was right and wrong, and you always stood up for what was right. It drew me to you.”
He pauses to look at me, and
I hold my breath as he pushes a strand of hair from my forehead.
“Then I went to high school and managed to convince myself to let go of the silly crush. You were younger than me and I thought there would be other girls. But I found myself unable to stop thinking about you. I wanted to protect you, but I also wanted to stay far away. It was a lot to deal with, especially for a teenager, because even I didn’t understand what was really going on. And I had no idea how to talk to anyone about it.” Michael clears his throat and I place a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” I say softly.
He shakes his head. “You couldn’t have. I guess I was fine with the lingering feelings I had for you. I kept telling myself that I would eventually work up the nerve to talk to you, maybe ask you out. You became a freshman and I was in my junior year, and I wanted so badly to tell you, but I guess I always lost my nerve. Then I was a senior, and soon enough, I was graduating. It just seemed like I lost my chance, you know?”
I nod slowly.
“And then, I found out you and Matthew started dating. I’m going to be honest, Christine, I was crushed. Your relationship with my brother came out of nowhere and practically blindsided me. I didn’t know how to react to it. I had to pretend to be happy for you both, but I was fuming inside. I couldn’t bear to see you with him. I hated that I had wasted all that time. I honestly felt like all hope was lost and I managed to convince myself to forgive you.”
“Until your dad died,” I start.
“Yeah, until he died and you showed up in front of my cottage, looking impossibly beautiful. You talked me into an emotional release, and I realized how much power you had over me. How much power you would probably always have. When I kissed you, I swear it felt like everything in my life aligned at that moment. That night was honestly one of the best things that ever happened to me.”
I’m overwhelmed by all this information. It’s one thing to hear this from his aunt, but hearing it all from him shocks me to my very core. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to say.