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“I don’t want this to end. Not yet,” she whispered.
He pulled her against his chest tightly as if trying to erase the hurt from her past. “I’ll admit, I don’t know what this is between us. I’ve never felt anything this . . . strong before. And I know I have a reputation. But I want you to know I’ve never done for another woman the things that I have for you. And I never expect anything from you that you are not ready to give.”
His deep voice was like a tattoo on her soul, branding her with promises that glowed of hope and possibilities.
“I haven’t actually been with a woman since before my diagnosis, more than eighteen months ago.”
His confession floored her. After all the rumors, she’d thought for sure . . .
“Why not?” she asked.
He sighed. “No one caught my interest until you. You sparked something in me, shocked me back to life.”
She craned her neck and kissed him, infusing her admiration and awe for this man into every brush of her lips and tangle of their tongues. He held her gently as she rubbed the tip of her nose against his and kissed his cheek.
“I trust you, Bently. And that doesn’t come easily for me.”
“I know, Angel.”
Awareness spun around her. She was nearly bursting at the seams, overrun with emotion, falling so fast. Could she ever enter into a partnership with a man like him? Could she feel safe enough to be vulnerable and share her body again? Could she rely on Bently when things got hard? Only time would tell.
“I better go start a fire to keep you warm,” Bently said kissing her forehead before he unwrapped himself from her.
“Do you need help?”
“Nah, I got this. You feel free to relax. You can go for a walk to the edge of the lake, but don’t go too far. There are bears around here. Shouldn’t bother you, but just to be safe, don’t wander off without me.”
She had no intention of setting foot outside the door alone. But the concern he voiced for her brought a surge of intensity inside as another piece of her broken heart locked into place.
At least for now, he was her protector.
Chapter 30
Bently
“S’mores?” Belle asked excitedly.
“Of course.” Bently smiled, handing her a stick with a marshmallow on the other end. They sat side by side facing the crackling fireplace.
He placed his marshmallow into the flame, gently browning the outside. She eagerly followed his example.
Flames lit up around her confection. “Oh no!”
He reached out, enveloping her hand in his, guiding the marshmallow out of the fire before he blew on it.
She laughed. “Is that supposed to happen?”
He shrugged. “You gotta keep it moving not too close to the flames or else it will burn. But some people like the charcoal taste.”
He held the cracker and chocolate out to make her s’more before preparing his own. “Ready to taste?”
She nodded, and he bit into the crunchy, gooey, chocolatey goodness as she did the same.
Sweetness and richness exploded on his taste buds. She smiled and licked the sticky treat from her lips, sending a bolt of lust through his system. Want and need throbbed within him. “Is it as good as you’d hoped?”
She grinned. “Better.”
He brushed his thumb across her chin, wiping away a string of marshmallow. He sucked it off. “Delicious.”
