Page 74 of Ly to Me

She scanned the shower wall, probably wondering where her things would go. I didn’t wait to add, “I’m getting one of those shelf things. Should be here tomorrow, but if you don’t want to wait, just put my stuff on the floor or toss it. I don’t care. Take the whole shower if you want.”

She nodded weakly and set the bags down. Her cheeks were less red when she looked up at me, but were damp. More tears.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry more.”

Her hands clasped behind my neck. “Thank you,” she whispered into my chest.

My arms circled around her slowly, and as my chin dipped to rest on the crown of her head, I took in a deep breath, as if before this it had been too difficult to do so. Notes of oak and sunshine floated from her as I held her to me.

If someone ever said sunshine didn’t have a smell, then I’d say they’d never breathed before. Truly, breathed. I’d been trapped in a cycle of LED lights at the facility, then dark nights by myself. But, her scent, her warmth, her touch—it was giving me the breath I’d thought I’d lost forever ago.

She was pure sunshine—mixed with a little bit of me.

I wanted to ask her why she picked Georgia. Why she left me and this town without leaving a note or saying goodbye. I took another deep breath above her hair and chose silence, instead.

“Car?”

“Yeah, Ly?”

She sniffled again, her cheek pressing against my thundering heart. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

“It’s okay.” I stroked my palm down her hair. “I get why you did it.” Though it hurt like fucking hell.

“Doesn’t make it right.”

“Neither does me adding that into the contract. Giving yourself to me should be up to you. Not about money or how others perceive us.”

“Is that why you crumpled it up?” She lifted her chin, propping it on my chest.

I dipped my chin to look back at her. “Somethin’ like that.”

Her dark hair fell like water through my fingers as she pulled back, and my heart sank to my gut. I’d said something stupid, or done something wrong. Maybe she saw the mini first-aid kit and got mad about the glass I had her kneel in, or—

“Can I have a redo?”

“A redo?” My brows dipped as her fingers threaded through mine, and her backward steps moved us closer to the bed. “You don’t have to, Ly. You already fulfilled it. I won’t make you—”

“You said giving myself to you should be up to me, and the way I see it, it was up to me in the truck, just like it’s up to me right now.” Her ass met the edge of our bed, her fingers dropping mine as she kicked off her boots and scooted back.

I stepped in between her thighs as she settled back on her elbows, my thumbs rubbing her knees. “You sure this is what you want?”

“Yes.”

My hands smoothed up her thighs. “It won’t be fast.”

Her throat bobbed. “I know.”

“I’ll want to kiss you.”

“I know that, too.” She sat up and gripped my shirt. I followed her pull, bringing my lips closer to hers. Lyra’s gaze darted between my lips and eyes, her back arching toward me as her breaths became clipped. She reached up and grazed her thumb over my bottom lip, and I groaned. Smooth as silk fingers continued over my upper lip, tracing the small divot in the center.

“Lyra,” I growled. “If you’re not serious, I’ll go mad.”

“I mean it,” she whispered.

“You’ll let me have you how I’ve dreamed of having you? How I’ve wanted to have you for every hour of every day since you’ve been gone?”

She reached behind her, but kept her focus on me as the zipper of her dress parted. Lyra pulled the bows of her straps apart next, letting the top of her dress pool around her waist, exposing her hardening nipples.