Page 85 of Riding the Curve

“You still alright, baby?” Em’s voice is full of concern as his hand cups my cheek. “You’re safe, Hen, I promise. This is all about you right now, so if you’re not comfortable, we can stop.”

I swallow down the anxiety and cling to his words. Emerson would never hurt me. He’s not like any of the other men I’ve ever met. I let his words wash over me, once more.

You’re safe, Hen.

“Don’t stop,” I whisper.

Though I can’t see it, I swear I can feel him smiling. Like somehow the invisible energy between us is strong enough for me to feel.

He answers with a tender kiss to my lips.

Then his lips trail their way down the slope of my neck and across my collarbone. Each kiss is a delicate reminder of the care he is taking with not only my body but my heart. I feel his warm breath against my nipple, and then he sucks it into his mouth with a deep groan. My toes curl into the sheets when his tongue twirls in circles around the sensitive peeks. Not to leave out the other, he gives my other breast the same attention before his lips inch a delicate path down my stomach.

The prickle of anxiety ripples over my skin as he makes his way further down to the place that I needed attention most.

“Em,” I croak. His lips pause just above the seam of my thong. “I-I’m nervous.”

He lifts the mask off my eyes and unties my wrists. When his gaze locks on mine, I avert mine. Embarrassment claws around my throat, making it difficult to say what I needed. “It’s been a few years since I’ve had . . .”

“Sex?” he questions, his fingertips calmly brushing up and down my arm.

Embarrassed to agree out loud, I simply bob my head. “Carson always made me feel insecure. He constantly made jabs about my body, among other things. We stopped, because of me. The idea of being naked in front of him made me terrified.”

“Are you terrified of being naked in front of me?” Em asks calmly. “Like I said earlier, we can stop anytime. I want you to be comfortable.”

“That’s the thing, I am comfortable with you. I-I’m just afraid that all of this”—I gesture over all of me—“may not live up to your expectations . . . just like I couldn’t live up to his.”

A low growl vibrates from his chest, and I feel the weight of his chest over mine. “Look at me, sweetheart.”

When I do, I immediately feel ridiculous for being nervous. He looks at me with such adoration, that my heart aches.

“You’re beautiful, inside and out. I’m so sorry that you’ve been with selfish assholes that made you second-guess that. I’m including myself in that group.”

He sighs, a few strands of his hair sweeping against my nose as his head droops between us.

“I want to worship your body in every way that I possibly can. Erase every hurt, every doubt, every moment that made you feel like you were never enough.”

A tear slides slowly down my cheek, and Emerson captures it with his lips. “Let me show you how much I love you. Replace all those years of doubt with hope. Fill you up with so much light that your eyes roll back and your toes curl. Let me make you feel just as good as you make me feel. Every. Damn. Day.”

Emotion swells in my throat, and I swallow deeply to try and push it down.

He just told me that he loves me.

Three little words I have been waiting to hear for so long. And no matter how hard I try to push the words back out, they are frozen on the tip of my tongue.

“Let me show you why you will always be enough for me.”

There’s no hiding the way my breath hitches.

Delighted, his fingers skim over my inner thigh, drawing lazy circles over my skin. Unconsciously taunting me with the knowledge of exactly what those fingers could do if only a few inches higher.

“Please, baby . . . let me erase all that pain. Show you that you don’t have to shoulder it alone anymore.”

Every muscle in Emerson’s face tightens as my lips part. I can tell he’s nervous about what my next words are going to be. Wondering if I’m going to follow through with this. Em’s lips fold inwards, his eyes fluttering shut, awaiting my reply.

“Well, since you said all those pretty things and asked so politely, how could I ever turn you down?”

Even before his eyes open, I watch in awe as the tension fades from his forehead, as his mouth slowly pulls into a smirk. When they do, I’m met with the deepest shade of blue that threatens to pull me all the way under. And I’m finally ready to let him.