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Chapter Thirty-Five
Jackson
Lena slowly shook her head, a tear escaping from one of her eyes, and I stepped toward her, brushing it away with my thumb. My fingers held her cheek as her gaze fell to the floor. “Jackson, I …”
I pulled her close against me and tilted her chin up, giving me access to her lips. “I’m sorry, Lena. I’m so very sorry he hurt you. I’m not him. I won’t hurt you. I promise. I will never hurt you.”
Her lips parted as I said all those words, our mouths mere centimeters apart, and she sighed into me, surrendering to me as if those words held some magic potion in them. I held her close until there was no space between us, as though I couldn’t get close enough. She opened her mouth and allowed me in. The tip of my tongue brushed softly against hers, and I let her reach out for mine. I didn’t want to hurt her or take what she didn’t want to give. I wanted to be careful with her, more careful than I’d ever been with a woman in my entire life. I’d never cared or thought about what I took before. A kiss had always been a kiss, never meaning much. This time, I cared because Lena deserved it. She deserved to be kissed the way a woman should be kissed, with tenderness and respect, but I couldn’t keep the heat out.
We continued the kiss. I didn’t want to stop, ever, but I knew if we didn’t, we’d soon be doing more than just kissing. Well, at least that’s what I would have wanted. Lena, on the other hand, wasn’t ready. I knew this. After what seemed like too little time, as far as I was concerned, she slowly pulled away.
We stood there in the kitchen for several silent seconds, and I waited for her to say something. But instead of talking about what just happened, she walked out, grabbed her keys, and left, slowly shutting the door. I listened to the quickness of her steps as she ran up the stairs to the cottage.
I didn’t know what to do. She’d been through so much with that monster jerk she’d married. She’d been wronged beyond comprehension in the worse possible way, and she needed time, healing time, before I thought she’d be ready for me. And she needed space. I knew that and I’d give it to her, but damn it, it was painful to do.
