“And now?” Where this bravado was coming from, Steff had no idea, especially as a few days ago, she was jumping at her own shadow.
Dalton shuffled a little closer and rested a hand on her waist. The warmth from his touch seared through the thin silky fabric of her robe. “Now, I’m very happy where I am, and who I’m with, and I very much want to explore where it’s headed.”
He may have said it to her before, but this time he spoke with much more feeling, and a surprising sliver of desire pooled low in her belly.
“I want that too,” she whispered.
In the deepest, darkest moments of her most recent past, she never thought she’d ever feel comfortable having a man touch her. Or touching a man herself. With Dalton, though, everything seemed easier, as if it was meant to be.
Their gazes connected, and beneath her fingertips, the steady rhythm of his heart beating was reassuring.
Nerves flared to life when the reality of what she wanted hit her—she wanted to kiss him. Wanted to feel his mouth on hers.
What was it about this man that had all her fears subsiding?
“Steff.” He breathed her name as if it was a mantra.
“Jag.” His nickname slipped off her tongue, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“I want to kiss you, but I know it’s not easy for you.”
Again, he was showing his consideration for her past. How many other men would’ve been as understanding as Dalton was being?
How many would take the time with her like he was doing?
She suspected that all the men at Alliez would be as patient with her as Dalton. It came from what they’d done in the past, and what they were still doing. They’d seen the cruel side of the world. But none of them were the man in front of her. There was something in his soul that called to her wounded parts and calmed them.
With anyone else, she believed she wouldn’t be as comfortable as she was with Dalton, regardless of whether they understood her predicament or not.
“I want that too, and with you, it is easy.”
Dalton pulled her tighter to him, not doing anything but allowing her to feel comfortable with their bodies touching.
A brief flash of fear had her tensing, but it passed as quickly as it came because of whose arms she was in.
“Are you sure?” He ran the back of his fingers down her cheek.
“Very.” And she was.
She caught a glimpse of his smile before his lips lightly touched hers once. Then again, before settling fully over hers.
The kiss was gentle. An exploration of two people getting to know each other. Dalton wasn’t tentative, but he didn’t devour her either. Her body relaxed against his, her hands still pressed against his chest beneath them.
She never felt more cherished than she did in that moment. Steff was infinitely glad her first kiss after her ordeal was with this man.
He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “You good?”
“Yes.”
She wrapped her arms around him, her eyes closing as contentment filled her.
The kiss was another first step on her journey to reclaiming her life back. She almost believed she could return to who she’d once been. Not the same, but hopefully a better version.
Chapter Fourteen
Jag carriedSteff’s box into the conference room. Steff was right beside him. He’d been worried that their kiss might have been triggering for her, even though she said she wanted it.
The mind was a powerful tool and weapon, and while she may have thought she’d be okay with it, there had always been the risk that deep in her subconscious, it would rebel against the closeness.
