Page 48 of Only For You

Abbie drew back to rest her forehead on mine and closed her eyes. She clung to my forearms like I was her lifeline, and the corner of her mouth lifted a little, but when a single tear leaked onto her cheek, fear stirred in my chest.

I’d fucked it up.

“Hey.” I brushed the lone tear off her cheek with a sweep of my thumb and tilted my head to tickle the tip of her nose with mine. “Was it that bad?”

She huffed out a laugh. “No. It was… perfect. It was the kind of kiss people write books about.”

I inhaled deeply, then released a breath that took my apprehension with it. “But?”

Abbie shook her head with small, fast movements. “This doesn’t only move the line, Will. It—”

“Erases it?”

We stood pressed together at the forehead, the chest, the hip, the toes, my hands cupping her face. She opened her eyes and gazed up at me, bit her lip, and nodded.

I was overcome with a rush of emotion for this woman—for the girl she used to be, for the person she was now, and for the way we’d grown up together not only over the years but in the last couple of weeks—and I was done tiptoeing along a fucking line that neither of us wanted. We were stuck because Abbie had been the one to draw it, and she didn’t know how to take it away, but I was going to make that decision now—for both of us.

“Good,” I replied, and her eyes widened. “I don’t want any more lines between us. I’m done pretending.”

Abbie pressed her eyelids closed, and her fingers tightened around my wrists. Her voice was barely audible as she asked, “Pretending what?”

“That I don’t love you.”

Her eyes flew open so wide it showed the whites all around her honey-brown irises, and I could almost feel the panic coming off her in waves—or maybe that was the vibration of my own heart beating at a hundred miles a minute. We were so close, and I couldn’t screw it up now.

“Will—”

“Stop.”

I drew back so I could duck my head and hold her gaze. Her throat bobbed with an uneasy swallow, but she nodded in small motions that told me she understood what I was trying to do here, and her grip on my forearms tightened.

“I know you’re scared,” I said, “and I get it. I’m freaking terrified, but I want to do this anyway. I want to give us a shot.” I shifted my hand to drag a thumb over her bottom lip, watching it pull at her skin as if I could shape the words I needed to hear. “Tell me you feel the same.”

Abbie inhaled deeply, and her eyes grew glassy. My heart, which had been ready to beat right out of my chest a moment ago, suddenly stopped altogether. The whole world came to a standstill as my question sat between us.

When her answer came, it was delivered in a shaky whisper. “I do.”

The pulse of my blood beneath her fingertips sputtered as I asked, “You love me?”

Her mouth tipped up on one side. “I love you.”

My heart took off again, and an exhilarated laugh bubbled up from deep inside my chest. Abbie grinned up at me with pink cheeks before she slid her hands into my hair and dragged my mouth back to hers.

This kiss was nothing like the first—desperate instead of patient, demanding instead of sweet. I wrapped my arms around her waist as she sagged against me, and I claimed her the way I’d always wanted to. Years of desire exploded like fireworks between us, all oxygen evaporating as I breathed in nothing but the coconut scent of her skin. Opening her lips with mine, I sought the stroke of her tongue with insistent sweeps of my own, and when her hands clutched at my shirt hard enough to pinch my skin and a needy whimper vibrated in the back of her throat, my dick thickened fast. I groaned and kissed her harder.

“Will,” she muttered, turning her head. I rained open-mouthed kisses along her jaw, down her neck, and across her collarbone. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, and with a reluctant moan, she pushed me away. “Not here.”

Not here?I’d forgotten whereherewas. The church hall foyer with my baby boy tucked into his pram just a few steps away.

Reason brought me crashing back to Earth. I stepped back and ran a hand through my hair, chest heaving as I caught my breath. “Right. Not here.” Stepping to the side, I glanced into the pram to make sure Seb was okay, and his little face turned up, totally unaware his old man was pawing a woman just out of sight. “Not here. Not now.”

Abbie cleared her throat and picked up her mat, which I promptly took and slung over my shoulder before scooting ahead of her to hold open the door. She set her hands on the pram and wheeled Seb through, her chest stained with mottled pink and obviously avoiding looking at me, so as she passed, I lowered my head and whispered in her ear, “But soon.”

26

Abbie

Will and I triedto keep things normal on the way home, but I hadn’t felt butterflies like this since I was a kid. We talked about Seb and the bar, and I steered the conversation away from anything that touched on the state of my studio and apartment in too much detail. In every pocket of silence, Will gave me a sidelong look and knowing smirk that made my stomach flip. It was almost like we were teenagers again, and as eager as I was to take our relationship to the next level—the memory of his husky voice whispering “but soon” in my ear gave me goosebumps all over—I wasn’t against enjoying the extended tease. I’d missed out on this when I was growing up. Flirting with boys without any intention of going all the way. There’d been a stretch of time when “no” hadn’t been part of my vocabulary, and all the “yesses” made every encounter less special. I’d given up on ever feeling butterflies again after the one and only time I believed in them. That was when the guy made me feel worthy, then told everyone how quick I’d been to give it up for him.

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