Page 61 of Obligation
His eyebrows shot up, and his ears rang. “I scare you?” Dumbfounded, he pointed at himself as if that would somehow explain what she’d just said. “Carissa, I never—”
She stood abruptly and faced him. “No.” She shook her head adamantly. “Youdon’t scare me, Bradly.Being with youscares me.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What was he supposed to say to that?
Chapter Twenty-Four
Crossing her arms over her chest, she mentally scolded herself for saying that to Bradley. She hadn’t meant to imply thathescared her. He was the least terrifying person she’d ever met. He was always so kind and caring, and he made her feel things she never knew possible.
Instinctively, she reached up and touched her still tingling lips. She wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, to feel his arms around her, to taste his lips, to hear his ragged breaths as he stole her ability to think. And God help her, she wanted the weight of his body on top of her, his erection pressing between her legs and hitting all the right spots.
“You’re going to have to give me a little more,” he said, “because I have no idea what you mean.”
She sighed, hoping she could explain what she meant without making things worse. “When I first got together with Danny, things were great. He was so nice to me, and we couldn’t keep our hands off each other.”
Bradley scowled. “Okay, maybe you don’t need to give me that much.”
“Let me finish. Please.” She stared at him with a pleading look. More than anything, she needed him to understand.
He nodded for her to continue.
“Things with Danny were crazy intense at first, and I’ll be the first to admit that it overwhelmed me, but I liked it, y’know?” She paced toward the window, then turned back. “I thought we had something special, but then things changed.” She shrugged and shook her head, frustrated. “I’m not making any sense.”
“No, I get it,” he said and moved around to the other side of the bed. Though he didn’t come too close to her, and she wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or grateful for that.
“What I’m trying to say is… everything I felt with Danny in the beginning of our relationship is nothing compared to what I feel when I’m near you,” she said, her voice dropping to a whisper. “No matter how many times I tell myself that I’m going to stay away from you, I can’t. I’m drawn to you in a way I can’t understand let alone explain.”
“Trust me. I know the feeling,” he muttered and raked his hand through his hair.
Her fingers tingled at the memory of running through his thick, soft locks, of how he’d groaned with pleasure. She dropped her arms and flexed her fingers, but the sensation wouldn’t go away.
“That’s what scares me, Bradley. My inability to stay away from you. My reactions when I am with you. I can’t seem to control any of it.”
He took a step closer, then another. She stiffened. Was he going to touch her? Kiss her? If he did, she wouldn’t be able to tell him no again. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. Thankfully, he stopped just in front of her.
“Is that such a bad thing?” He tilted his head, eyes narrowed, studying her. “I’ve never had this reaction to anyone before, either. The only difference is I’m running toward it, not away from it.”
Her shoulders slumped, and the threat of tears burned the back of her throat. She wanted nothing more than to run toward her feelings for him, but how could she when she was still with Danny? And breaking up with him wasn’t as easy as everyone thought.
“Look.” He shifted on his feet, bringing his body closer. “If it wasn’t obvious from the moment we met, then after what happened just now”—he inclined his head toward the bed—“it should be crystal clear how I feel about you.”
She averted her gaze, unable to look at him. She had known right from the start that he liked her, and she returned those feelings, but things were too complicated. Bradley deserved more than what she could give him.
“I’m sorry.” She lifted her head and looked him straight in the eyes. “It was never my intention to lead you on.”
“I know that,” he said, his tone ringing with sincerity.
She buried the urge to rest her head on his chest and sob. Instead, she straightened her shoulders and held her head high. “I think it’s best if you take me home.”
“Is that what you really want?” He raised a brow, everything he wasn’t saying coming across loud and clear.
Hesitating for a moment too long, she ran through all the possibilities in her mind. She could say no, tell him she wanted to stay here longer, that she wanted to hide from the world so that she could be with him. But that wasn’t fair to him, and he was too great of a guy to take advantage of, because she had no doubts if she did say all that, he’d agree.
“Yes, I think it’s best,” she finally said.
“Okay.” He nodded. “I’ll get dressed, and we can go.”
“Thank you.”
