Page 55 of Hold Me Tight

She glances up as I enter, her gaze meeting mine in the quiet hush of the room. For a beat, everything goes still. The heavy weight of what I feel for her presses in, coiling around my ribs like a vise.

Without a word, I tug my shirt over my head. The cotton catches slightly on my shoulder. Her gaze never leaves me. I feel the heat of it like a brand on my skin. The rustle of denim fills the silence as I unbutton my jeans and let them fall to the floor.

Still, she doesn’t look away. Her breathing changes, becoming shallow and slower as she grips the edge of the blanket like it has the power to steady her.

Even more surprising is she doesn’t try to hide her interest.

It’s a small thing, maybe. But it means everything. It’s a tiny crack in the walls she’s built around herself. A glimpse of the curious and brave woman hiding behind the facade.

God, I want her to stop fighting this.

I want her to lean into whatever’s building between us.

I want to be the soft place she finally lets herself rest.

Her comment breaks the quiet. “You have tattoos.”

I pause, catching her eyes as I let her see all of me. “A few.”

Her gaze dips, tracing the ink on the left side of my ribcage, her curiosity fighting to break free. “What’s that one for?”

Each step is careful, like I’m approaching a skittish animal that will bolt if I move too quickly. “That one’s for Willow.”

Her gaze roves over me. “You two must be close.”

I nod, settling on the edge of the mattress, close enough for us to touch.

“Yeah,” I murmur. “She was diagnosed with leukemia when we were in high school. And for a while, it was bad. Really bad.” When the words get stuck in my throat, I swallow them down and keep going. “There were times when I thought we’d lose her.”

Callie’s features relax, and for a moment, all the guarded distance she keeps between us dissolves.

“I’m sorry,” she says gently. “That must’ve been terrifying. I can’t imagine.”

“It was.” I glance down at my hands, at the ink on my skin, before looking back at her. “But she’s okay now. Married, actually. To Maverick McKinnon.”

Her eyebrows shoot up, and the tension in the room lightens as she smirks. “Wait… are we talking about that Maverick McKinnon?”

I grin. “Let me guess. You think he’s good-looking.”

Her eyes sparkle with amusement as she shrugs. “I mean, who doesn’t?”

The smile tugs wider at my mouth as heat pools low in my stomach. “Is that so?”

I pounce in one fluid motion, bracing my weight and pinning her wrists to the mattress as I hover inches above her. Our bodies don’t quite touch, but the space between us crackles like a live wire. It’s electric and volatile, pulsing with all the things we haven’t said.

Her lips part on a shaky exhale as her chest rises. The desire she’s trying so damn hard to bury, flares in her eyes, breaking through the surface like a spark catching flame.

Her pulse flutters beneath my fingertips where I hold her wrists as her gaze stays locked on mine. It’s wide, filled with something raw and unspoken.

It’s so damn tempting to kiss her.

Hell, I’d like nothing more than to devour her in one tasty bite.

Instead of giving in to temptation, I hold still and inhale her sweet scent, letting her feel the power in this moment and know that it belongs to her.

I’m not here to take.

I’m here to give her the choice.