Page 68 of Protected from Malice
His hand comes to the back of my head, his fingers tunneling through my hair.
He moves closer still. Until our faces are just a whisper away.
Then he kisses me, and my heart nearly bursts from the joy of it.
It’s just a light kiss. A brush of his lips across mine. But it feels…
It feels likeeverythinggood.
Just as I start to respond, he pulls away. With obvious concern, he asks, “Was that okay? I hope I didn’t trigger?—”
“No.”
Rafe’s face pales as horror flashes across it. “Fuck.Fuck. I’m so sorry.Shit.”
I rush to explain. “No, you didn’t trigger me. At all. That’s what I meant. But it was okay.”
He still looks like he doesn’t believe me. “I shouldn’t have done that. Not without asking. Dammit.”
“Rafe.” I can’t bear to see his misplaced guilt another second. “You did not do anything wrong. I’m glad you kissed me.” A terrible thought occurs to me. “Unless you regret it?”
“No. Not for a second.” It’s quick. Adamant. “The only thing I’d regret is hurting you.”
“You didn’t.” Using his shoulders for balance, I press my lips to his. “I’ve been… I wanted to kiss you the other day. But I thought you didn’t want to.”
His arms come around me. “I wanted to. But I didn’t think it was the right time. With everything else going on…”
“I understand. But now? How do you feel?”
“I feel like I want to kiss you more than I want to breathe.”
Oh.
OH.
Rafe is brave. Strong. Bold. He flings himself into the most dangerous situations without missing a beat. But right now, he’s just a man who wants to do the right thing.
He’s afraid of hurting me.
He doesn’t know the only way he could is by leaving.
I give in to one of my long-wished for desires, brushing my fingers across his bristly cheek. It’s a stark contrast—rough hair to soft skin—just like he is. “That’s how much I want to kiss you, too.”
Rafe exhales. His mouth descends on mine. This time he lingers, not pushing me to do more, but just waiting.
He’s giving me control. He thinks I need it.
I don’t. Not with him. But I’ll take it.
Heart pounding, I kiss him harder. Nipping his lower lip and stroking away the slight sting left behind. Teasing his mouth open and tentatively dipping inside.
My body is on fire for him. It wants things I once thought I’d never want again.
Kissing Rafe is more than I ever dreamed it would be.
I’m not sure how long we kiss. Long enough for Rafe to cast aside his worries and kiss me back, not cautiously, but passionately. Long enough for me to feel him hardening against my belly. Long enough for him to pull me against him, holding me like he never wants to let go.
It’s not scary. At all.
