Page 91 of The Back Forty
He lifts his arms to scrub a towel over his head, and the motion makes his biceps and abs crunch even harder. I swear I'm drooling when he catches me watching him.
“Hope you don’t mind,” he says, glancing down at his bare chest. “I didn’t pack a T-shirt because I can't sleep with one on and thought I'd be sleeping alone.”
I blink. “No. That’s fine. Totally fine.”
It’s more than fine. It’s possibly illegal how fine it is.
Then I practically trip over my own feet to get into the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m shaved, moisturized, blow-dried, and standing in front of the bathroom mirror giving myself a pep talk like I’m about to go into battle. My cheeks are flushed from the steam, my eyes are bright, and the silk of my slip clings to all the right places. My nipples are visible through the fabric. It’s a lot, but I look beautiful. I feel beautiful.
“You can do this,” I whisper. “Just tell him the truth. Be honest. He's not going to hurt you like your ex. You owe him a chance.”
I exhale slowly and open the door. He’s lying on the pullout couch now, arms folded across his chest, eyes locked on the TV as the end of a professional basketball game plays. The glow from the screen flickers over him, catching in the grooves of his muscles.
“Hey,” he says without looking at me. “Game’s almost over. I’ll turn it off in five if that’s cool with you?”
“Yeah,” I say, voice tight. “That’s fine.”
I step a little closer, unsure what to do with my hands or my nerves. This could backfire spectacularly. He could laugh or worse, be disappointed. Tell me I missed my shot and now it’s gone. But hejustate me out. Like, less than 48 hours ago. He wants me. I know he does. I just need to stop playing scared.
I clear my throat softly which causes him to finally turn and notice me. His eyes drag over me, slow and stunned. And then again. Lower. Like he can’t believe what he’s seeing.
“Dani.” His voice is heavy. “What the hell are you wearing?”
I glance down innocently, then back up at him with a smile. “Oh, this old thing? These are my pajamas.”?
He narrows his eyes, gaze sharpening like he’s trying to figure out if I’m joking, seducing him or both. Then, slowly, like a match catching flame, his expression shifts. His eyes turn molten, sliding over me like heat.
“That’s not pajamas,” he says. “That’s a fucking tempting piece of silk wrapped around a body I—” He cuts himself off. Swallows hard.
“A body you what?” I ask softly.
He closes his eyes. “A body I love. A body I can’t stop thinking about. A body I told myself I wouldn’t touch again because I refuse to cross that line with you when you’re scared.”
My chest tightens as I step forward. He doesn’t say anything more. Just shifts upright on the couch, legs planted wide, arms braced on his thighs like he’s trying to stay grounded. I walk toward him slowly until I’m standing between his knees.
“I’m crossing the line then,” I whisper.
He doesn’t stop me when I press my palms into his thighs. Doesn’t move when I swing a leg over and lower myself into his lap, straddling him gently. My hands find the nape of his neck, fingers sliding into his damp hair and tugging.
He looks up at me, eyes searching mine, looking tortured and full of heat. He wants me. He wants me just as badly as I want him. And I'm tired of running because of fear.
“What do you want, Dani?” His voice is raw now, frayed and thick with everything he’s holding back.
“You,” I breathe. “I wantus. But I’m scared, Lawson. I’m terrified that working together… and doing this might be too much. That it might ruin everything.”
His hands finally rise, gripping my hips like he’s been dying to touch me. He rocks me forward slightly, and I feel the hard length of him underneath me. My breath catches.
“I promise I’ll try not to bring work into this. Not at home, anddefinitelynot into our bedroom. Our bedroom will be for one thing only, bringing you pleasure and connecting.”
My heart races and my thighs clench around him as I grind down, my body taking over before I can overthink things. “I know you mean that. I do. But I’m still scared, Lawson.”
His eyes soften, and his hand comes up to brush my hair off my shoulder, fingertips grazing my skin softly. Then he leans in and presses his mouth to the side of my neck—soft at first, then firmer, sucking gently like he’s savoring me.
A full-body shiver ripples through me, heat pooling low in my stomach as he pulls back and meets my gaze.
“Sweetheart,” he murmurs, his voice like gravel and velvet all at once. “I don’t want you to ever feel scared when you’re with me. I meant what I said. If this is too much, I’ll let you go. But if you want this,reallywant this… then I need you to jump. Not with one foot still on the ground because you’re nervous. I want all of you. No halfway. No holding back and waiting for the other shoe to drop. You give me everything, and I’ll give you the same. You’ll have all of me, Dani. I won’t hold anything back from you. You have my word.”
