Page 35 of Unraveling with You

He laughs. “I love how tenacious you are. You’re not letting me get away with sharing unequally, huh?”

I bite my lip, but this time, I don’t look away.

Remington holds my gaze. He doesn’t smile. Instead, he softly touches the bottom of my chin. “Look at you. You’re doing so well in such a short time, and I’m so goddamn impressed.” His voice drops as he leans in. “I’ll tell you a secret: this is the type of affection I like most. Watching you slowly unravel beside me. Trusting me enough to witness it.”

I feel like my insides have been lit on fire. I don't know how to speak or breathe. I just know I want to be close to Remington. Touch him.

“C-can I hold your hand?” I ask.

Remington’s eyes sharpen. “Yes.”

He opens his palm for me. Even though I hesitate, I drag my fingers up it. He’s so warm. Calluses line the top of his palm, but the rest of his hand feels ridiculously soft. Remington adjusts to meet my touch until our fingers slip together. Giving me a slight squeeze, Remington stokes the fire in my belly.

“Big feelings” doesn’t cover this. My heart screams that I’m holding a hand I want to hold for ages. Even if it’s not forever, a tugging, guiding pull in my chest overpowers everything except now. Without the future in the way, all I want is to be beside Remington in the present.

Rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb, I sputter out air, unable to put words together to describe the sensations in my chest.

Remington brushes my cheek again, sending tingles down my neck. “Talk to me. Even if it comes out wrong.”

“I want to touch you more,” I blurt out.

His eyebrows raise. I blink a few times, struggling to catch up with reality. Why did I say it like that? That sounded much more sexual than I meant for it to - and right after Remington sounded concerned about me only wanting him for sex.

But Remington uncrosses his foot over his knee, placing both soles on the ground to scoot closer to me. There’s no gap between our thighs now.

Running his free hand down my arm, Remington softens his voice just above a whisper. “There you go. You’ve got yourself all wrong, Lilibeth. I see you working so hard to achieve more and more of what you want, but you’re actually taking the hardest steps that most people wouldn’t dare. Ever since we’ve met, you’ve been a little powerhouse.”

“Still little, though.”

He laughs. “I’ll give you that.”

His hand slides to my lower back, drawing a line of pleasure down my core. I suck in a tight breath.

Remington freezes. “Should I stop?”

I don’t know what to say. I like it, and I like that he remembers how sensitive it feels for me, but his touch on such a vulnerable area feels overwhelming today - while we’re at Club X, in particular.

But I’ve already let Remington touch my lower back before. And what if this is a test? What if he’s a dom, like I’m suspecting? Does he want me to say “yes?”

Either way, I’ve taken too long to reply. Remington removes his hand, and I deflate. “Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about. You’re allowed to say ‘no.’”

I loosen in relief without meaning to.

But Remington becomes startlingly serious. He turns to face me directly.

“I want to be clear about something. You have full autonomy, and you always will.”

My heart hammers into my throat. “And you too, right?”

Remington swallows hard. The intensity behind his stare dims, and I fidget a little, unsure if I should be feeling such a deep need in my lower belly during this serious discussion.

But Remington speaks even softer. “Yes, if we’re good partners toward each other, we’d both have full autonomy, even during any extreme type of play. And let’s say you’re interested in pursuing some type of kink or BDSM together. Everything we’d do would be discussed and agreed upon, and forever changing. Even if we end up doing something for years, you could still change your mind one day, and I wouldn’t do it again unless you asked.”

I tighten my belly to stifle my excitement. “Y-years?”

He chuckles, copying my eager lean with a slow, drooping weight into his arm over the couch’s back behind my shoulders. “That’s another big secret I’m afraid to share with you. Because I don’t do these things with just anyone. I wouldn’t have even brought you here if I didn’t feel strongly about you. I’m just shy as fuck about how hard I’m crushing on you, L.L.B.”

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