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“Irelynn.” My voice is full of warning and pain. I want to kiss her so damned badly. Not only because she’s beautiful and desirable as hell. I want to kiss her because she makes me feel something I haven’t felt in… well, I’ve never felt what she makes me feel. I’ve been closed off, not wanting to let anyone in, untilher. She isn’t just chipping through my walls; she’s taking a damn sledgehammer to them. And I can only stand back and watch them fall around me.
She’s such a dichotomy. Bringing me comfort and peace while causing a fire to blaze through my veins, setting me on fire. I’ve only been existing since the tragedy that killed my family and nearly ended my life.
But after two days with her, I feel like I’m finallyliving.
Her finger moves to my lips. “Don’t talk. Just let me get this out.” Her face flushes while her finger on my lips trembles from her nervousness. “I know this is going to sound crazy. I barely know you, but since you intervened in that… terrible situation, you’ve brought me immeasurable comfort. Feelings of safety and security that I didn’t think were possible for me to feel with…him… coming back into my world. Despite my occasional bouts of embarrassment and awkwardness, I feel so comfortable with you. You bring out a side of me that has been closed off for a long time.” She pauses, removing her finger from my lips, which haven’t stopped tingling from her touch and her heartfelt words.
She swallows hard, her eye contact never wavering from mine. “I just… really want you to kiss me right now.”
My gaze lowers to her full, red lips and my teeth sink into my bottom lip, a slight groan rumbling from deep within my chest. Her lips part, soft breaths caressing my skin as her cheeks flush pink from desire, and she exhales the breath she’d been holding. Her breathing increases, as we stand there, suspended in this moment, longing to kiss, yet relishing in the anticipation of it.
My hands slowly move from her waist to her face, cupping it gently. Sparks ignite inside my chest as I lean in close, my lips brushing her pillowy soft lips, tentatively, for the first time. The smell of her apple cinnamon scent is dizzying, causing butterflies to dance in my stomach. As her lips move against mine, warmth consumes my body.
My mind swirls with the knowledge that I’m finally kissing her. The woman who has made me realize how empty and lonely my life is. I caress her mouth in a slow, lingering kiss, not wanting this to end.
She lets out a gentle sigh against my lips, yielding to me, her warm breaths tickling my skin. Still cupping her face, I change the angle, increasing the pressure of my lips against hers, deepening the kiss. Irelynn releases a soft moan.
I’ve never kissed anyone so tenderly, yet so passionately. Winding my fingers through her hair, our mouths move together feverishly. She wraps her arms tighter around me, clinging to me, and I hold her against me possessively.
This kiss transcends the barriers I’ve erected around my heart. She broke through the fortress while I handed her the keys to the kingdom.
As our lips slowly break apart, my eyes flutter open. I lean my forehead against hers, shuddering breaths coming from my lips.
“Wow.” Her hand fists the back of my shirt, as though her knees are weak and she’s gripping onto me to keep them from buckling.
My smile is wide as my breath heaves out of my lungs. “Yeah, wow, for sure.”
Irelynn pulls back, blushing, studying my face. “Um, I hope you don’t feel like I rushed you. I didn’t mean to come on so stron—”
My finger is against her soft lips, electricity lighting up every nerve inside my body, my heart jumping inside me like it’s being shocked with a defibrillator, bringing me back to life. “You didn’t. At all. Irelynn, I’ve been wanting to kiss you practically all day.”
“You have?” She lets out a shaky laugh, sagging against my body.
My arms grip her, holding her tight. “I have.” Pulling my head back slightly, I bask in her soft expression and the radiance lighting up her porcelain skin, brilliantly beaming through the darkest recesses of me. Her glow fills all my cracks and crevices, making me whole for the first time since the tragedy that nearly stole my life.
Cupping her face gently, my nerve endings tingle, engrossed in her. “That was the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced in my life.” Leaning my forehead into hers, I’m content just to breathe her in, not giving a damn if we stay in my closet all night, lost in each other.
Her lips part and she exhales a sharp breath, chocolate eyes shining at me like stars twinkling in the night sky. “No one has ever kissed me like you just did. That was certainly the most amazing kiss I’ve ever experienced.”
Lifting my forehead from hers, I slide my nose against hers, making her giggle. Desire burns from her eyes as she tilts her head up, pressing her lush lips softly against mine. My eyes close as I pull her in closer, claiming her mouth again.
Who am I to turn down another kiss from her... or a hundred more?
Pulling back, I watch her eyes flutter open, completely unguarded. As I stare into the windows of her soul, it hits me that I have an enormous responsibility to her.
The need to protect her, keep her safe from William, seeps into my mind, like a slow poison at first, but then rapidly gains speed and strength, taking over everything.
I had forgotten about everything, losing myself in her. But I need to regain control so I can protect her—fromhimand…me.
She has an obsessive stalker and I… still have my wretched past, clinging to me like a nefarious odor.
Taking a step back, I run my fingers through my hair, my thoughts spiraling into a sea of murky water. Dropping my guard so easily could hurt us both.
My tone is chilly as I erect the armor around me that she so easily stripped away. “I should let you get changed.”
She winces, biting her lip, noticing my chilly demeanor toward her. Her voice is small as she steps back, folding her arms across her stomach. Putting distance between us. “Yeah, I should. Then we can watch that movie.”
Irelynn tries to minimize the hurt that clings to her. But I see the flash of pain, like a bolt of lightning, before her eyes skip away, roving over the clothing inside my closet. When her gaze jumps back to mine, I see the gates slamming shut, reminding me of the drawbridge to a castle, raising and closing off access to it. She’s locking her heart behind her iron bars protectively, keeping me out.
