Page 51 of Trust Again

“I made a mistake,” he murmured.

Slowly, I let my eyes drift across the planes of his face. “What do you mean?”

“For months, I asked you to go out with me, thinking I was doing everything right. But you don’t have to do it, if you’re not ready. It’s okay.”

“You can’t say that,” I whispered.

“But it’s the truth. I’ll take you any way you’ll let me have you, Dawn,” he whispered back.

I shook my head. “I can’t, Spence.”

His eyes softened. “Why can’t you?”

My breath was shaky. “Because you’ll hurt me.”

Now it was his turn to shake his head. Very slowly, he raised his hands up and placed them on my thighs. It felt warm and strong. It tingled like crazy. Something in me melted.

“What we’ve been doing for months, this constant back and forth, this uncomfortable distance—that’s what hurts.”

He was right. Every time we saw each other, it took everything I had just to look away. To keep my eyes from lingering. To keep myself from touching him.

“I won’t hurt you. I couldn’t, because you won’t let me. Remember?” he said in a husky voice, as his hands slid up my thighs to my waist. He pushed under my jacket and caressed my torso until I caught my breath.

“You can do what you want with me,” he said softly, stroking down my sides with his fingers.

And back up again, until goose bumps spread over my body. Suddenly he grabbed me tighter and pulled me toward him so I sat on the inner edge of the low wall.

“The only thing is, you have to do it soon, because I can’t take it much longer.” He clenched his teeth; it seemed there was more he wanted to say, but he held it back.

I couldn’t breathe, but this time it had nothing to do with fear. My need to fall into his arms was overwhelming. And this was the night—this was the one time—when I would finally do what I wanted. What we wanted.

Bending forward, I brought my face close to his. Spencer’s eyes widened and he held his breath as the distance between us narrowed. Finally my lips were nearly touching his; only a breath separated us.

Spencer bridged the last millimeters between us and kissed me. His lips were warm and inviting, but also cautious. His arms rested against my sides and he circled his hands around my back. I let my hand glide over his shoulder, pulling him closer. Spencer let out a deep groan. I drew his lower lip between my teeth and bit lightly, trying to tip him over the edge.

That was all it took.

He pulled me closer, and wrapped his arms tighter around me. Our tongues met and now I was the one groaning.

Spencer’s hands moved up my back; he stroked my neck as if it were something precious and curled his fingers into my hair. He pulled me even closer, deepening our kiss. My senses were overwhelmed. His lips, his tongue, his smell. All of him, all of me.

God, he felt fantastic.

All my hesitation and fear had evaporated. I could finally touch him the way I’d longed to since we first met. My hands moved over his shoulders, so strong and firm. I clutched them briefly and then slid my hands down across his chest. Spencer placed a hand over mine.

“Feel that?” he asked.

His heartbeat pounded against my palm, and a stupid grin spread over my face.

“Like a little mouse,” I said, tracing a line along his chest with my finger.

There was a dangerous sparkle in his eyes. His pupils were dilated and I felt his breath on my lips.

It was unclear who kissed whom this time. All I could feel was his mouth on mine… his body… and the deep moan that rumbled in his chest when I opened my lips for his tongue. While the first kiss was over far too quickly, this time we lingered.

I drowned in him.

He kissed me so intensely, with such concentration, I thought I might never stand up again—my knees were like rubber. He slowly stroked my neck with his thumb and ran his fingers through my hair, brushing it away from my face. His lips extinguished all my thoughts. There was only room for the burning heat that his touch kindled.