Page 56 of Hold Me Tight

The permission to decide.

When she doesn’t pull away, I dip my head close enough to taste the air between us and feel the hunger clawing at my ribs.

“You better be careful, sweetheart.” My voice is low and rough as it frays the edges of my restraint. “Keep talking like that, and I won’t be able to control myself.”

She swallows hard as a shiver courses through her and her legs shift restlessly beneath me. There’s a war being waged in her eyes. She’s unsure if she wants to surrender or escape.

Should she give in to the want or cling to self-preservation?

God, I want this woman.

Not just tonight.

Or for now.

I want her forever.

My gaze dips to her mouth. The slight tremble of her lower lip and the subtle invitation written across her expression calls to something primal deep inside me.

Even when her lips part and her eyes darken with desire, I don’t move.

Callie isn’t a distraction, a temporary fix, or a one-night escape from reality. She’s the future I didn’t know I was missing until the moment she walked into my life.

The sad truth is that she’s not ready yet.

Not in the way I need her to be.

Not for what I’m offering.

I want more than just her body pressed beneath mine.

I want her trust.

Her truth.

Her heart.

Every scar.

Every shadow.

All the pieces she never lets anyone see.

Already, I realize that if I push now and take more than she’s ready to give, I could lose it all.

So, I do the only thing I can, and force myself to retreat.

My fingers loosen from around her wrists, the contact slipping away even though every part of me protests. I sit back slowly, putting space between us, even when it feels like I’m ripping out a piece of myself to do it.

The silence stretches as I watch her closely. It would be impossible not to notice the way her expression shifts. How she processes what didn’t happen.

Even though it’s only been a few days, I’m getting better at reading her.

Disappointment flashes in her eyes before she can hide it. And that nearly undoes me on the spot. I could have kissed her and given her what we both wanted. Confusion settles in next. She doesn’t understand why I stopped or what it means.

And finally, the one that confirms I made the right call.

A burst of relief that’s small and fleeting, like it was caught inside for too long.