I swipe my clammy hands down my shirt before pulling the door open. “Aubrey.”
Her big, beautiful doe eyes fall on me as she releases her thumb. “Hi, Shane. Can I come in?”
“Um…”
Aubrey would never do this.Where is all this courage coming from?Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than thrilled that she’s here. But I can’t help but wonder if alcohol might be behind all this bravado.
“Yes, of course.” I step aside, giving her room to pass. “Come in.”
She strides in, not turning back until she’s halfway through the room. I close the door, locking it, and just as I turn to face her once more, she does the same. I open my mouth to ask her why she came up here, but she beats me to it.
“Why haven’t you kissed me, Shane?”
My eyes widen for a moment, her question stunning me. I was planning on doing it again soon, feeling like she had enough time to process everything. But I hadn’t realized it was bothering her this much, to the point that she felt the need to step out of her comfort zone and confront me about it.
“I’ve been trying to come up with a reason why you would kiss me once, but then not do it again. I’ve talked to the girls, and they all have a different opinion, which only makes it more confusing. Because that’s what I am, Shane. I’m confused and I don’t understand any of this.”
She gestures at us both. “I’ve never had this, whatever is going on here. I don’t know how these things work and if you don’t tell me or guide me, then I have no idea what to do next.” She then wraps her hands around herself in a vulnerable way.
“Were you… were you just doing it because I said I had never been kissed? Was I… was I bad at it? Is that why you won’t kiss me again?” Her voice is so small right now it breaks my freaking heart.
I take quick steps in her direction, cupping both her cheeks and catching her by surprise. “No, Angel, absolutely not. You can’t imagine how hard it’s been for me not to kiss you again—it’s all I’ve wanted to do. Every moment spent with you, Aubrey, I find myself dreaming about tasting you again. It’sallI can think about.” Her eyes water at the same time as she blushes slightly. “That kiss felt like magic to me, and no, I didn’t do it because you told me about it. I did it because I was tired of waiting, of going home and cursing myself for not taking the chance.”
“Then why didn’t you?” she whispers.
“Because I was afraid if I did, it may be too fast for you. I wanted to give you time to adjust to what’s developing between us before I did it again. I never meant to make you doubt yourself, Angel. I should have known better, and for that I’m sorry. But know that I want you, Aubrey. I want you in every sense of the word.”
“Then have me.”
The words have barely left her lips as I claim them for the second time, my fingers sliding through her hair, holding the back of her head while my other hand leaves her face. Slowly, I glide it down her neck, over her shoulder, down her arm before wrapping it around her waist. A desperate need to have her as close to me as possible fuels my veins as her arms come up and circle around my neck, pulling me down to her as she tries to deepen our kiss.
Her tongue tentatively peeks past her lips, demanding access into mine and I quickly give it to her. She moans when I brush my tongue against hers, and it takes everything in me not topush this any further. But then she tightens her hold around my neck, pushing up onto the tips of her toes and moans my name.
“Shane…”
I nearly burst in my pants at how beautiful that sounds coming from her lips, my cock straining against my boxer briefs and begging for attention. She begins to walk us backwards until the back of my legs hit the bedframe, and I fall back into a seated position on the edge of the bed.
She untwines her arms from my neck, never breaking the kiss as she lifts the skirt of her dress slightly and climbs above me, the slit in her dress making it easy for her to straddle my lap. I’ve never seen this side of Aubrey—this isn’t my blushing beauty, which means she must have had more to drink than I thought.
“Wait, Angel, baby, wait.” Her lips leave mine as they travel over my jaw, down to my neck, where she peppers me with soft kisses. “Aubrey, how much have you had to drink?”
She pulls back, looking straight into my eyes. “Umm, three glasses of champagne. Two during the reception and one before coming up here.” She blushes now. “I needed a bit of liquid courage.”
I know three glasses isn’t a lot when you calculate all the time we spent at the reception. But I don’t know how much Aubrey usually drinks; I don’t know if three is a lot for her, and taking this any further would feel wrong knowing she’s had more than one. I hate myself for doing this, but I don’t have a choice. If I let this go any further and she woke up tomorrow regretting it, I would hate myself.
“Angel, I think we should stop this here. You’ve been drinking and I don’t want to do anything you don’t really want.” I pass my fingers through her hair as my thumb on her hip rubs little circles.
She frowns. “But I do want this, Shane,” she whispers softly. “I’ve never felt this before, never wanted this in the past. Everytime boys would ask me out or suggest intimate things, I’d get this little voice in my head telling me not to do it, not to go. But it doesn’t happen with you; I never hear her telling me to stop. I find myself craving and wanting things I didn’t know I could, imagining things I’ve never thought of with you.” Her blush turns a deep shade of red at her last comment.
“And I’m more than happy to hear that, sweetheart, because I want you just as badly. But we can wait, I’m fine with waiting until you’re really ready. Until we’re both completely sober and thinking clearly.” I cup her cheek, pecking her lips delicately.
“But I’m not drunk, Shane, and I am thinking clearly. I know what I want.” She bites her lip as she looks down between us. “Ronnie asked me a while back why I was still a virgin, and I told her I had this feeling I had to wait. I didn’t know why or for what, but I just knew it was what I had to do.”
Her eyes come back up to mine, clarity burning in them. “But now I know.” Her hands come to my cheeks as she whispers the words I’ve longed to hear, “I was waiting for you,” before pressing her soft lips to mine.
“Angel.” It’s all I can say, because this woman has my heart. She has every part of me. She always has.
Aubrey suddenly slides off my legs, smiling at me as she takes a step back and her hands fall from my face. I’m about to question where she’s going when I notice the slight tremble in her hands as she brings them up behind her back, the faint sound of a zipper being pulled down echoing loudly through my ears.
