Page 50 of Twisted Gift

I hesitate before rounding the bar, watching him turn in his seat until I stop in front of him.

“Give me your hand.” Once I oblige, he lifts my hand in his and places it against his chest. His heart beats fast against my palm, and my breath catches. “Okay?” he says, his voice low.

I manage a nod.

“Let me in, sweetheart.” His eyes flick back and forth between mine. “Please.”

I keep coming back to the words my Mom said.Anything as important as love is worth the risk.

Swallowing hard, I squeeze my eyes shut and let the reins loose on my emotions until they’re visible, radiating from me like a beacon of multicolored lights. The dark blue fear, the muddied brown uncertainty, the vibrant pink all-consuming love. It’s all out in the open for him to see. Tofeel.

“Open your eyes,” he whispers.

“I’m scared,” I breathe, my hand still trapped in his, pressed against his chest.

“I know, sweetheart.” He lifts his free hand to my cheek, brushing his fingers along my jaw. “Open your eyes,” he repeats, and this time I do.

His eyes are gentle, and his expression is soft, understanding,loving.He loves me.

“Tristan—”

“It’s okay, Rory. You don’t have to say anything.”

I nod, biting my bottom lip to keep it from trembling. “I showed you mine. Now you show me yours.” I smack his arm when his lips twitch. “Funny,” I mutter.

“I’m sorry,” he says, pushing the hair away from my face. He closes his eyes and relaxes his posture. Moments later, color starts to flow from him, surrounding us in a bubble of what he’s feeling. His emotions are like the warmth of the sun on my face. They wrap around me, bringing me comfort, clarity, reassurance.

Tristan opens his eyes and meets my gaze, sliding his hands into mine. “Okay?” he checks.

Instead of answering his question, I pose my own. “Take me home?”

He pulls me into his arms and finally, after the weeks of being utterly lost, I feel as if I’m home.

12

At the Westbrook Hotel, we’re barely in the elevator five seconds before our lips are locked, fighting for control as we grasp at each other desperately. I’ve never felt a need so strong. The only way to describe this feeling, this exchange between two people who have lived without each other for too long, is a lust-filled frenzy. My head is swimming in a haze of warmth and Tristan’s clean, crisp scent.

We break apart at the chime of the elevator reaching the penthouse, and we stay that way for the time it takes to get inside his suite. He kicks the door shut and pins me against it, kissing me hard. I can taste the bitterness of his anger and the saltiness of his worry. We never should’ve been apart. I shouldn’t have let my fear keep me from the one thing I’m sure about now.

We tear at each other’s clothes, unable to get them off fast enough. He growls, and I growl right back until we’re both laughing and fumbling with zippers and buttons. I get his shirt off before he distracts me with his lips, taking the lead.

Tristan spins me around and hauls me against his front as he unzips the back of my dress, and his lips devour my neck.

I gasp, my eyes rolling back as I lean into him and feel the hard planes of his body against me, kicking the temperature of my body up until the tops of my ears burn. This time isn’t going to be slow and sweet like our first. I don’t want it to be. I need Tristan. I need himnow. I turn to face him, kissing him hard before pulling back enough to see his face.

My dress slips off my hips, pooling on the floor, and his gaze darkens when it lands on my bare chest. “You bring me to my knees, sweetheart.”

A grin tugs at my swollen lips. “Can you take your pants off first?”

He chuckles, shaking his head as he slides them off. “What am I going to do with that smart mouth of yours?”

I smirk. “I’ve got a few ideas.”

His eyes widen a bit, and he closes the minuscule distance between us, sealing his lips over mine as he grips my hips, holding me against him.

My eyes close as I lean in, losing myself in the feel of his mouth on mine, of his body pressed flush against me.This. This is home.My heart lurches in my chest, and I break away suddenly, choking on a sob. I’ve missed him so much it hurts.

“Aurora?” His voice is soft but urgent and filled with concern.

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