Page 27 of If You Loved Me

When he finally spoke, I let loose the breath I was holding. “Sarah, I can’t pretend that I haven’t been through some shit in my life and a lot of those things have left scars on me that I’m not sure will ever go away. I’ve been fucked up in ways I can’t even pretend to understand. I’m not the kind of man your mother would want you bringing home.” He ran his fingers along the bottom edge of my jaw, his gaze dropping to my parted lips for a single moment before he looked at me again. “If you can honestly say you can look past all of that, then I’d be fucking honored to take you on a date.”

Elated words were on my tongue just as the Ferris wheel slammed to a halt and our cab swung wildly back and forth, back and forth. I felt my eyes go wide, realizing just how high we’dgotten during our conversation. All the fear that had somehow taken a backseat came rushing back, making my stomach do somersaults as I made the fatal mistake of looking down.

“Oh. My. God!” With one hand, I grabbed the side of the cab that was still rocking out of control and my other hand landed on Ranger’s thigh.

Oh no.That isnothis thigh.

My cheeks flamed red as I looked at where my hand had firmly grasped his crotch and beneath my palm I could feel his reaction to my touch flexing.

“Ah!” I yanked my hand away, covering my face that I was sure rivaled the red of a bell pepper. But when I looked down again, the swirl of fear had my heart bursting from my chest.

“This was a bad idea. Bad. Bad. Bad,” I murmured to myself over and over again, frozen in a swinging metal contraption with a man whose crotch I invaded because I can’t handle heights.

“Sarah,” Ranger said, tightening his arm around my shoulders.

I was too embarrassed to look at him so I settled for squeezing my eyes shut so I didn’t go into a full-blown panic attack.

“Sarah,” he said again, gentler this time. Then I felt a calloused palm against the side of my cheek as he slowly angled my face to the right.

“Open your eyes, beautiful.”

I took a moment to focus on his voice, letting it calm mynerves before I slowly peeled my eyes open to find him smiling at me.

When I shifted to look down again, he whispered, “No. Just look at me.”

Those blue eyes dipped to my lips and maybe it was the adrenaline spike that had me doing crazy things, but I kissed him. His lips were firm at first like I’d completely taken him by surprise, but then they softened and butterflies soared through me as he pulled me in close, wrapping his strong arms around me.

Soft curls met my fingertips as I wove my hands around the nape of his neck, drawing him closer as I opened myself to him. The warmth of his tongue against mine had me pressing my thighs firmly together as heat pooled in my center. As if a strike of lightning struck me from the sky, I felt electrified by his touch.

The swinging of the cab, the bright lights of the fair and the murmur of the crowd below us drifted away. He was the only thing that existed in my world and I didn’t want it to end.

Chapter 12

Ranger

Sarah’s lips weren’t made for this earth with their softness and taste of sweet honey. If heaven ever existed, it was right here with this woman who smelled of powdered sugar and spice. My own special treat, like nothing I’d ever had before.

My hands shook as we came up for air. Her lids were heavy with the same emotion I felt taking hold of my entire body.

“Wow,” she whispered. “That was incredible.”

Pinching her chin between my thumb and forefinger, I tilted her head back and pressed my lips to hers once more.

So sweet.

Everything about her was decadent. I found myself overwhelmed by it all. It wasn’t supposed to be this good because simply kissing a woman never had been before. But Sarah was different.Iwas different when she was around and there was no more denying that. Hell. There was no more denying that I couldn’t stay away from this woman, no matter howscared I was that she was going to use me up and toss me to the side once she took longer than a moment to see who I truly was.

I stomped those thoughts out though because the fear didn’t matter anymore. Sarah lassoed my heart with that kiss and I’d follow her down whatever path she wanted to lead me.

“Ride’s over. Time to get off,” the attendant shouted a little too close and when he tried to unlatch the metal bar, I shot him a look that told him to think better of it. Eyes wide, he took a step back with his hands up.

I looked back to Sarah. “Ready?” I asked.

She just nodded with a smile that touched a part of my heart I wasn’t sure still existed. Wrapping my hand around the back of her head, I pulled her close to me and pressed my lips to her forehead before I reached to my right and unlatched the metal bar. I kept the cab steady as she made her way off the ride and towards the crowd.

She looked back at me, that smile broadening. “Come on.”

When I got to her, she slipped her hand in mine and I was sure nothing else had felt so right in my entire life. That voice in the back of my head told me to be wary. That this wouldn’t last long because nothing good ever lasted for people like me. There would certainly be something that stole her away from me and I would be left to pick up the pieces, just like I always was.

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