Page 34 of Mine to Love
“I wasn’t asleep, but you can wake me anytime. Come in, angel.” She does, slipping past me as I hold the door open for her. She gives me a shy smile and proceeds to the armoire in the corner of my room, quickly stowing the freshly cleaned linens. As she moves into the darkness, I get a whiff of her intoxicating scent. Somehow, it’s much warmer and sweeter than her daytime aroma. Instead of honey, it’s caramel I smell.
As my gaze trails down her, my eyes narrow and saliva fills my mouth. The glimpse of her backside in her light pink nightgown only adds to my desperation for her. The cotton fabric hits just below her knees, hugging her curves to perfection. As she turns to face me, now empty-handed, the full view of her threatens to tear my self-control to shreds. I cock my head to the side and my fingers ache with the need to touch her.
Thin spaghetti straps hold up the delicate nightgown. White lace trims the slit running up her thigh and the deep-set v-cut neckline. A tiny white bow rests at the bottom of Darcy’s luscious cleavage. God, what I wouldn’t give to take her breast into my mouth, as much as I could fit. Let it suffocate me for all I care. I can’t think of a better way to die. I’d tease her nipple with my tongue and then my teeth. I stifle a moan as they harden beneath my gaze. Right in front of me, the object of all my desires stands ripe and ready. Yet, she has no idea what she does to me, how much I want her in every scenario, every position, every moment of every day.
“Gio?” Darcy says softly. Her innocent tenor reminds me she isn’t ready. Perhaps I’m not ready either. The tension in my muscles, the flush of warmth tingling my skin, and the throbbing between my legs let me know I’m too riled up to be gentle, to go slow, to be what she needs.
I shake my head. “Sorry, um, yes?” I ask, completely ignoring the fact that I was fucking her with my eyes and hoping she does the same.
Darcy lowers her gaze to her hands, now clasped at her bellybutton. She picks at her cuticles. “I, um, I just wanted to say that I had a really nice time today.”
“Me too.” I step toward her, drawing her seemingly nervous gaze back to me. Her lips part as I take another step. One more, and her eyes drift down my chest all the way to the waistband of my pants.
“And, um, last night,” she continues, dragging her eyes back up to mine. “I really enjoyed the book we chose.”
I stop mere inches from her. The moonlight, my friend, glints across her delicate face, allowing me to see the blue hue of her eyes. They are so bright, so ethereal. It’s as if she is the moon and I’m the cold, dark night surrounding her as both predator and protector. I want to hold her as the night cradles the moon, slaughtering anyone who dares to approach what is mine. And, yet, I also want to devour her, invade her just as darkness surrounds and sinks its teeth into the moon’s pearly surface.
“Would you like to read some more tonight?” I ask, surprised at the steadiness in my voice. Despite my feelings, I suppose sensing her nerves has allowed some of the lust in my blood to simmer.
“Yes,” Darcy replies quietly. Is that why she came to my room? The covers could’ve waited until morning. But, this conversation, the one she seems quite nervous to have, couldn’t.I lift my palm to her cheek and brush my thumb over her soft skin. It’s a test of my self-control before I take her to my bed.
She isn’t ready. But maybe she is softening. Only a week ago, I practically had to beg her to join me, even when her only other option was the terrifying streets of New Orleans. I lower my hand, tracing a single finger along her forearm before intertwining our fingers and leading her to my bed.
Laying down beneath the covers,I pull the iPad from its place on the bedside table just as Darcy nuzzles in beside me, throwing her leg over my body and resting her head on my arm. Having her body on mine feels amazing. She is warm, cozy, and soft. And, thankfully, her leg is positioned just above my dick, so she is unaware of— “Oh, sorry!” She says, removing both her leg and head almost as quickly as she positioned them. At first, I think she must have felt my erection, but then she says, “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Excuse me?” I look at her, dumbfounded. She pulls the blanket up over half her face like she did the night before. Was she worried about putting too much weight on me then too? I thought we were working on this. Ever since she made a similar comment, I’ve been sure to give her plenty of compliments. If I were an insecure man, I’d be insulted. But alas, I know her insecurities have nothing to do with me. They are, however, my personal mission to resolve.
I purse my lips and place the iPad back on the bedside table. With ease, I slip my arm underneath her waist and pull her entire body toward me. Cradling her with one arm, I use my other to pull her leg back over me as if she is my favorite blanket, and she is.
“Haven’t I told you how perfect you are? Your body is a work of art. And if my words aren’t enough to quieten the fears in your mind, let my actions be. I workout six days a week andyouare not even a warmup set.”
“What does that even mean?” She bites her lip.
Her cheeks are rosy-red, and her skin is hot to the touch. We’re so close, I can hear her heartbeat. It beats fast, too fast. Though I can hardly blame her. Having her like this, in my arms, her breasts pressed softly against me, my heart beats faster than normal to. It’s then that I realize my hand is still pressed firmly against the back of her thigh. Just a little higher and my fingers could easily enter her—from both the front and back. I wonder if she’s wearing underwear. As someone who sleeps naked, I know I certainly wouldn’t be.
Shoving that thought from my mind, at least trying to, I say, “It’s a gym term. It means I’ve got you—all of you—with ease.” Darcy sighs as I refuse to let go of her until she accepts my reassurances. “Now, just relax, relax into me.”
I slip my arm out from underneath her and wrap it around her as she rests her head on my chest. We lay like this in the moonlit darkness without a word nor a glance at the iPad. At some point, I begin running my hand up and down her thigh. Darcy settles into me more and moves her hand from my side to rest overtop my heart. As I play with the hair draping down her back, she traces something on my chest with the tip of her finger. If I could focus on anything other than her touch, I’d try to figure out what she is spelling. Instead, I kiss the crown of her head softly, savoring the silence with her.
“This feels nice,” she says then.
I smile. “Yes, it does.” I wonder which part she enjoys the most—being held, having her thigh caressed, or the kiss I planted amongst her curls. Just as I’m about to ask, I feel a coldtear drip onto my chest. Darcy ignores it and continues tracing something over my heart. But I can never ignore her tears.
“Hey, what’s going on in that head of yours?” I ask, my voice as gentle as my touch as I take her hand in mine. Perhaps if I still her fingers, her thoughts may also calm. Darcy sighs. In this position I can’t see her face, and I debate moving so that I can.
“I’m just…trying to figure you out,” she finally says.
“Me?” Needing to see her and hold her, I do something I probably shouldn’t, and pull her all the way on top of me so that she straddles my lap. Darcy gasps and I’m mildly aware of the way my dick presses into her ass. But her tear-stained cheek reminds me that isn’t remotely important right now. “No hiding. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
Darcy presses her lips into a flat line and lowers her eyes to my chest where her palms now rest. I squeeze her hips gently. I don’t enjoy seeing her like this, especially if it has anything to do with me. “Talk to me, angel.”
“It’s just…” Darcy starts, lifting her eyes to mine. She pauses as our gaze locks. I lift one hand from her hip to her cheek and caress her in a way she seems to like, or at least not dislike. “It’s that. It’s the way you look at me, the way you touch me. There are a thousand words hidden behind your amber eyes and in the way your fingers soothe me, and I just wish I knew what they were.” Her brows furrow with confusion and her shoulders hunch with desperation.
“No one has ever looked at me the way you do. No one has ever treated or touched me the way you do. And I want to askwhy. I want to ask why you truly gave me this job. I want to ask…” With tears in her eyes, Darcy stops herself. She takes several deep breaths as her body shakes, not unlike when those men had her cornered. Is she having a panic attack? Because of me? The sight of her riddled with such emotion makes my throat raw.
“Darcy.” All I can say is her name as I wrap my arms around her and pull her down onto my chest. She crashes into me, and I hold her tight, too tight. But she’s shaking so intensely I feel it’s the only thing I can do to keep her grounded. “It’s okay,” I whisper against her neck as she cries into my chest. “It’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I crossed a line, if I made you uncomfortable, if I?—”
“Don’t.Don’t be sorry. Don’t apologize for making me feel special, cared for, important. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt those things and I’m sad because I don’t want to lose it. But I don’t even know if it’s real or if I’m ready for it.”
