He comes to the side of the bed and cups my chin. “You don’t need to worry about the what, just the why, honey. And the why is you. I’m doing this so I can be with you, Kenzie.”
My stomach rides a nasty roller coaster. Not the kind that makes you scream with a thrill, but the kind that you wish you never stepped on that almost breaks your will.
Danger. Danger.
There’s a little siren going off in my head, but my heart is trying to run up there and knock that alarm out of service.
“Okay,” I say, smiling softly. “I’m here for you.”
“There’s so much I want us to do together. We… I mean I… I just need a clean slate.”
As much as I’m on edge, Dean’s practically vibrating.
“Why don’t you lay down and I’ll give you a back rub?” I tug on his t-shirt hem, running my fingers across his tense abs.
He raises an eyebrow. “Back rub, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m good at them,” I say with false bravado.
He chuckles. “One thing you’re not good at is… lying.”
“Well, I’ve never had the opportunity to be good at lots of things, Dean. But I’ve never wanted to touch a man like I do you. That’s the truth.”
He stills. “Are you telling me something, sugar bean?”
My heart slams against my ribs. “I’m a virgin, Dean, and I… I want you to be my first.”
His chest rises and falls quickly. “Well, fuck me.”
“I think that’s what I’m suggesting.”
He throws his head back laughing and my chest warms, the beating now steady and sure.
He grabs my hand and pulls me to stand. “Let’s dance first.” He puts on a slow, sultry song, one I’ve never heard before, but it’s doing something to me.
My mother was right, when it’s the right man, I will dance. He won’t judge me.
I slip my hands around his neck, cupping the back of his head, and his hands go to my hips, the pads caressing my skin. My shirt is tied at my waist, exposing skin. Even though I’m a curvier girl, I allow small glimpses of my stomach. I’m not ashamed of my body. It’s who I am. His fingertips burn hot and dig into my body with a possessiveness I’m just starting to understand.
Pulling me close, his arms wrap my body, molding us into one movement. “You smell like strawberries, shortcake.”
My body bounces against his with a silent chuckle. I lean back and run my finger over the stubble on his chin. “I guess this is a little late, but do you have a girlfriend?”
He slows the sway. “Actually, I do.”
My heart stops. “Oh. Fuck! Then we shouldn’t do this.”
“Why not? It’s what I want to do with…” he leans down to my ear and whispers, “my girlfriend.”
I grunt, pushing on his chest and trying to get out of his hold. “Then maybe you should go see her!”
He shakes his head. “Kenzie, it’s you. You are my girlfriend. At least, if you want to be. There’s no one else. No one.”
I stop. “Oh… why didn’t you just say that?!”
Dean cups my face. “You’re adorable. You know that?”
“And you’re…” I contemplate what I want to say. I breathe out the word that hits me hard, “Mine.”