Page 60 of Axe Backwards
Every time I looked at her, that persistent ache inside me intensified. Tonight, it was all-consuming.
The need to be close overwhelmed me.
The desire to touch her was impossible to resist.
We stood together in the quiet.
Quiet was scary. Quiet was dangerous.
Yet it was strangely exhilarating with this woman at my side. Like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, ready to jump off into oblivion.
“Thank you,” I rasped. I’d said it before, but it was impossible to put into words how grateful I was. She’d been by my sidefor hours, helping and encouraging, even making me a damn sandwich.
“You already said that.”
It was two a.m., and we were both deliriously tired.
But yet.
I ran my fingers along the edge of her jawline, testing the boundaries of the new territory we’d entered.
Leaning into my touch, she peered up at me. Vulnerable and beautiful. Did she feel this too?
Gently, I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, unable to take my hands off her.
To my shock, she responded in the most unexpected and incredible way. She moved in close, and when our chests were mere inches away from one another, she bit her lip.
As she regarded me, there wasn’t an ounce of self-doubt. No hesitation.
The last of my resolve crumbled.
Cupping her jaw, I angled in, eager to savor the sensation of our lips touching.
She gripped the front of my T-shirt, her breathing picking up.
God, I’d never wanted anything more than I wanted to kiss this woman.
Slowly, I tilted my head and brushed my lips against hers. Breathing her in, I—
“I like warm hugs.”
I jumped back.
Vic did too, a small squeak escaping her.
“Do you want to build a snowman?”
“I like warm hugs.”
She gasped and whipped around, zeroing in on where the noise was coming from. “Is that… Olaf?”
Eyes closed, I vowed to smash that fucking toy with a hammer. When I opened them again, I found the possessedstuffed snowman. It was lying on the floor next to the Pack ’n Play.
Motherfucking Olaf.
“Some people are worth melting for. I like warm hugs.”
“Warmhugs.”
