“I’m so close, hon,” he groaned.
“Let go, I’ve got you and you’ve got me.” She peppered kisses over his chest.
As if she’d given him the key to release the passion he’d kept locked away, Dalton’s motions became more erratic, which only increased how good he was making her feel.
Her second release slammed into her, and she threw her head back and cried out his name, as Dalton pumped into her once more before tensing and shouting out her name.
He collapsed on top of her, and before she could register it, he rolled them so that she was on top of him. Their ragged breathing the only sound in the room. Steff snuggled into him, not caring that they were both sweaty.
They lay there, each holding each other, not saying anything just enjoying the aftermath of an incredible moment.
Being intimate with Dalton was the biggest step in reclaiming her life back. Nothing could stop her from living her life now. Not even the threat that the person who’d sent the box and trashed her apartment was still out there.
With Dalton by her side, she could face anything.
“Areyou sure you want to do this?” Dalton asked for the fourth time as they parked beneath her apartment building.
“Yes.” After what they’d shared that morning, and the closeness that had forged between them, Steff knew she was prepared to face the disaster that was once her home.
“Okay. If you find you can’t handle it, we’ll turn around and go back to my place.”
Dalton hadn’t been too happy when she told him she wanted to go clean up her home. To go see if there was anything that could be salvaged from the destruction.
“I know, but it’s got to be cleaned up at some stage. And as it’s all my stuff, it’s my responsibility.”
Dalton sighed. “I know.”
She leaned across the center console and kissed him. “Thank you for being concerned. Thank you for everything. I’m so lucky that you came into my life.”
Various emotions swam through Steff. The most prominent one was love. As much as she wanted to blurt out that she loved him, she held back because—was it too soon to be feeling something as strong as love?
All she knew was she didn’t want to be apart from the man in the vehicle next to her. He’d proven time and time again that he cared for her. That nothing he did was out of a sense of obligation.
The situation she currently found herself in was fraught with danger and change, things that weren’t ideal circumstances for falling in love, but here she was.
“I think I already told you I’m the lucky one. You’re special Steff, and I don’t take for granted everything you’ve given me.” This time Dalton initiated the kiss, and unlike her quick brush of lips, this one was deeper. Full of emotions that both of them were too afraid to voice out loud.
Breathless, they broke apart. Steff’s body tingled, enticing her to change her mind so they could go back to Dalton’s place and pick up where they’d left off.
“Don’t tempt me, Steffanie Price,” Dalton lightly scolded.
Steff laughed. “Can’t stop a girl for trying.”
“Well, the sooner we get up to your place, the sooner we can get back to mine.” He waggled his eyebrows as he got out of the car.
Together, they made their way to the elevator, and a rush of indecision hit her. Was this the right thing to do? Was seeing the devastation again a good thing for her, or would it send her into a PTSD attack?
There was only one way to find out, and that was to do it. She wasn’t going to shy away from the hard things now. There was no way she was cured, but she’d taken lots of forward steps. The therapy sessions were more productive this time around, and that was because she was more open to them. Of course, explaining what had gone on over the last twenty-four hours with her therapist was going to be intense, but she was ready for it.
The ride to her floor didn’t take long, and as the doors slid open, Steff took a deep breath and stepped out, aware of Dalton’s presence beside her.
How different would things have been if he hadn’t been in her life?
If they hadn’t been out to dinner, she would’ve been home when the person had come into her apartment and trashed it. The possibilities about what could’ve happened were endless, but they hadn’t, and she was with Dalton.
“Let me go in first,” Dalton said, as they approached her door.
“Okay.” Now that they were standing out the front of it, the indecision she’d thought she’d conquered, returned. Steff closed her eyes and took a couple of deep, cleansing breaths.
