Page 127 of The Lilac River

No more dwelling on the past.

Tonight was about us.

About healing.

No more words. I stepped forward and slowly, purposefully, tugged one of the little shoulder ties on her dress. It slipped loose with a gentle sigh. Then the other. My breath hitched as the straps dropped.

I traced the curve of her breast with my fingertip, watching her nipple pebble beneath the thin cotton. A tiny moan escaped her lips, low and sweet, and it went straight to my dick, heat coiling in my gut like wildfire.

Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her teeth catching the bottom one. Her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths. She was shaking, just slightly, but not from fear.

"Turn around," I said, my voice low and gravel-rough.

She hesitated just a beat, then did as I asked, sweeping her hair over one shoulder to reveal the zipper trailing down her spine.

I stepped closer and slowly dragged it down, savoring the whisper of fabric and the tremble in her body. Her breath caught.

The dress fell to the floor.

She wore only a white lace thong. Nothing else.

Fuck me.

Her ass was the kind of perfection sculptors dreamed about. Round, firm, tanned. I had to grip my thighs to stop from biting it right then and there.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and turned her to face me.

Tan lines teased across her breasts—sunshine ghosts on honeyed skin.

"Jesus, Lila." My voice came out as a rasp. I skimmed my thumb along one soft curve. "You have no idea what you do to me."

Her hand pressed over my heart, trembling slightly. Her eyes searched mine, glassy with emotion. "I never thought... we'd get back to this. Me. Here. In your room."

I silenced her with a fingertip against her lips.

"Doesn’t matter. We’re here now."

Still, she shook beneath my hands.

"It’s just..." she whispered. "Last time was fast and frenzied. I'm scared this won't be enough. That I'll disappoint you."

My entire chest clenched. Her fear, her vulnerability, her heart laid bare.

"You couldn’t disappoint me if you tried," I said, and sealed it with a kiss.

She gasped against my mouth, and the sound ignited something wild in me.

I needed her.

My shirt was off in seconds. I backed her toward the bed.

"Sit," I growled.

She obeyed. Legs pressed tight, thighs twitching with need.

"Nash," she breathed, voice unsteady.

"Open your legs."