AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Gemma—”
“Tell me, Bentley! I know what Cal and I did was wrong. I know we should’ve come clean that night. Instead, we let you take the blame for something that wasn’t your fault. Do you think so little of me that you’d deliberately stay away from me all these years?”
Bentley closes his eyes briefly. “I think that kiss proves what I think of you, Gemstone. I wish you could see what I see when I look at you.”
His words take me by surprise. “What do you see?”
I told him I trusted him to draw me, but he hasn’t shown me any sketches, so I’m curious to know how he perceives me and how I translate on paper. And maybe, just maybe, my greedy heart is hoping for more.
Bentley's gaze finds mine. “What I see?”
“When you draw me. What do you see?” I whisper.
For a moment, I don’t think he’s going to answer. His eyes trace over me, and finally, he says, “I see the golden highlights in your hair and the flecks of green in your eyes. I see the soft sweep of your cheek, the full curve of your lips, and the sensuous arch of your neck. I see sunshine in your smile and longing in your eyes.I see your generous spirit, gentle heart, and the passion you hide beneath the uncertainty. You’re beautiful in a way that’s so much more than skin deep.”
His words bring tears to my eyes. How he describes me—it’s how I’ve always wanted to be seen. How no one else has ever seen me. No one but Bentley.
But he still hasn’t answered my question. “Then why did you freeze me out?”
His reaction is unexpected. He surges to his feet, jostling the easel and scattering pencils as he stalks toward me. He places his hands on the arms of the chair, caging me in as he gets up in my face. “Because I wasn’t worthy of you. You deserved better than the broken boy I was from the shitty family I grew up in. You deserved someone whole who could give you the life you deserved and the family you deserved. And that wasn’t me.”
I lift my chin, upset that he made those choices for me. “You talk about it like it’s for you to decide. What I deserve, Bentley, is to be happy. What I deserve is to be asked for my thoughts and my opinions. You never gave us a shot, Bentley. You underestimated me and my feelings for you.” Disappointment roils in my stomach. “You’re just another person who disregarded my desires because you thought you knew what was best for me. But you couldn’t see thatyouwere what was best for me.”
Frustration flares in Bentley’s eyes. “Fuck. My words never seem to come out right when I’m with you. What is it you want, Gemma? What would make you happy?”
I don’t hesitate. “You.”
His mouth tightens at that one word. His gaze roams over me, hot and needy, making my nipples pebble beneath the sheet. I’mno siren, but that heated gaze makes me feel like one. My hair is rumpled, and I’m sure I have chocolate around my mouth, but I don’t care. All I care about is having Bentley’s mouth on mine again, and the rest of the world be damned.
“I’m done denying this, Gemstone. I’m fucking done fighting it. But know this: once we step over that line, there’s no going back. You’ll be mine, and I’ll never let you go.”
My heart batters my ribcage, but I hold his gaze and whisper, “Good.”
Chapter 8
Bentley
Gem’shazel eyes burn into mine, and it’s like standing in the sun after being out in the cold for so long.
With a growl, I hoist her from the chair and stride toward the bed.
“Holy crap,” she squeals. “Are you trying to give yourself a hernia?”
I lay her down among the crushed rose petals. “I could bench press you with my pinkie, sweetheart.”
She pats my arm. “Sure you could, big guy.” She pauses, pursing her lips. “But now I’m thinking about where you’d have to insert your pinky to achieve that feat of epic strength.”
I laugh, a full, rich sound alien to my ears. She’s always been able to do that—make me laugh at the most unexpected moments. “God, you’re so fucking beautiful,” I murmur, drinking in her soft curves bathed in the light from the candles.
Gem cups my face and pulls me in for her kiss, and I don’t hesitate, sliding my mouth over hers slowly and hungrily. I fistmy hands in her hair, holding her still for my tongue as I take what Gem offers, giving me what I need.
When I break away, she’s softly moaning.
And I’m about to explode with desire.
I gaze at her, her face inches from mine, her eyes hazy and hot. I lower my body to hers, settling my hips between her thighs so she can feel me, and she arches her back like a purring kitten.
I take her mouth again, demanding and possessive, hungry and deep. Gem kisses me like a woman who wants more—who wants everything, clinging to me and trembling.
