Page 65 of Perfectly Complicated
“I know,” I whisper.
This changes everything.We can’t go back to pretending we’re just Christmas rivals. Not after this.
“I’m not scared anymore, Rourke. I want this. I wantyou.”
That’s all it takes for him to lift me again and kiss like we’re drowning in each other, like this was where our path was always leading, no matter how much we tried to fight it.
There’s something different about the way he coaxes his lips over mine, like he’s trying to tell me things he can’t say out loud. I tip closer, letting the moment unfurl.I can’t fight this anymore.His mouth claims my lips again.You’re mine, angel.Another kiss, deeper this time.I’m not letting you go.
When I let out a soft sound against his lips, he does it again, slow and sure.
You belong with me.His hand slides into my hair.You’ve completely wrecked me.His thumb traces my jaw.I never stood a chance.
When I finally catch my breath, he slows, his lips curving into a smile against mine.
“I think if I kiss you anymore, I might not survive,” he murmurs.
“I wouldn’t want to ruin you,” I whisper back.
“You already have, angel,” he says softly, stroking my hair away from my face. “Completely ruined me.”
Then he laces his fingers through mine and leads me toward the couch. He sits first, pulling me down beside him, but I don’t stop there. I curl into his side, fitting against him and closing my eyes. His arm comes around my shoulders, and then he presses a kiss to the top of my head, and it travels all the way down my body.
This should be strange. Too fast, too much.
But instead, being in his arms feels like the most perfect way to end this day.
He traces lazy circles on my shoulder. “Stay,” he murmurs. Not a question, a wish.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I mumble, already half-asleep.
I feel him smile against my hair. “Good. Because I don’t planon letting you go.”
Then his lips brush my temple. “I’m falling for you, Janie,” he whispers, so soft I almost miss it.
I want to tell him I’m falling too, but I can’t. My body is too heavy, my mind already drifting off.
The only thing I register is the steady beat of his heart, the warmth of his arms, how I feel safe and wanted.
EIGHTEEN
Janie
I wake up to light in my eyes—Christmas lights to be exact. For a moment, I just lie there listening to Rourke’s heartbeat, the steady drumming under my ear as I breathe in the scent of his soft shirt.
“Morning, angel,” he murmurs against my hair.
“Oh, hi,” I say, lifting my head to see him better.
He gives me a sleepy smile and brushes my cheek lightly, sending tingles through my body. So different from when David touched me and I felt nothing but the desire to flee the opposite direction.
The sound of Aria’s babbling comes through the baby monitor, and I reluctantly pull away from him.
When I return with her in my arms, Rourke is sitting up, his hair adorably mussed, a crooked smile on his face.
“Coffee or something else?” I ask, setting Aria on the floor to play.
“Definitely something else,” he says with a glint in his eyes, before pulling me onto his lap. “Something blonde…” He begins trailing kisses along my cheek. “…with pink highlights.”
