Page 143 of Chandelier Enthralled
“It was spontaneous.”
He came closer. “You’re shivering. Come here.”
I felt a flood of gratitude as I moved closer, pressing against his warmth, allowing myself to be wrapped in the safety of his embrace, yet I was still weighed down by shame for causing him anguish.
I needed him, but in this moment, I felt unworthy.
He pressed his lips to my forehead, and his cologne smelled soothing. I buried my face in the crook of his neck so I could breathe him in.
“Talk to me,” he said softly.
The scent of chlorine, and something headier, our desire and his fierce embrace, filled me with lust. A charge in the air between us seemed to move into the water, and it was like an electric pulse had linked us beyond all understanding.
“I can’t be friends anymore.” I tried to swallow the truth, but it slipped out anyway. “I mean,justfriends.”
“Then don’t be.” He cupped my face with warm palms and dragged me in for a kiss.
This time it was different, this time it was an earth-shattering kiss, eliminating all doubts that we shared a need to be more to each other.
His breath entered my mouth, and it was like he had sucked all the oxygen from my lungs, shocking me back to reality.Thiswas what my heart craved more than anything.
Him.
Our bodies melded into one, perfectly, his body heat radiating into my flesh as we floated into the center of the pool together.
Weightless in his arms, flushed from his kiss, I felt safe cocooned in his embrace, yet the weight of my guilt lingered, heavy in the space between us. His strength seeped into me, offering comfort, but I couldn’t escapethe ache of knowing I’d let him down. I needed him more than ever, yet I felt unworthy of his care, trapped in a paradox of longing and shame.
“It’s forgotten,” he said, as though reading my mind.
I shook my head refusing to accept that.
“I know what it’s like to carry guilt,” he said. “But I’m the one who can take yours away.”
I gave him a hesitant smile. “You are.”
He gripped my waist now with masterful control, and his right hand slid down my belly, reaching between my thighs, finding my clit—tenderly caressing and flicking it.
He watched my reaction, his eyes on mine as he played with me. “You like that?”
Oh, God, did I. He’d found the spot right away, his finger moving with a brilliant rhythm, applying just the right pressure at the exact point of pleasure.
“I feel seen,” I said breathlessly.
“Good.”
“But…do I make you happy?”
He smiled. “You make me very happy, Willa.”
I exhaled in a rush of relief. “Are you sure?”
“You look at me differently,” he said.
“How?”
“You make my complicated soul feel understood.”
With my right hand, I reached behind his neck and pulled him closer, conveying my surrender.
