Wild Card by Ashley Munoz

Chapter Twenty-One

Mallory was carefully removingthe sheets from around our waists, going slow and cautious. I knew she was trying not to wake me, but I’d been awake for a while, watching her sleep, trying to get my hard-on under control without touching her. It was an act of God that she didn’t wake up while I struggled in silence behind her. She’d fallen asleep hugging the far side of the mattress, as far away from me as possible, which was fine. As soon as she began softly snoring, I had pulled her back against my chest, put my face in the crook of her neck, and fallen asleep too.

Something had shifted between us when I saw her climb into Elias’s truck. Seeing that smirk on his face while Mallory climbed in, looking like fucking sin…it did something to me. I knew the irony of the situation was ridiculous, but just the same—he was using her, and it didn’t sit well with me. The conversation with Mallory after she came home wasn’t sitting well either, but I’d had all morning to think that over too. Taylor was work…she was the job, as Scotty put it. Mallory was home. Every minute she lay curled into my side this morning just re-established that she was mine. I’d finish the job with Taylor, without sleeping with her…I had made the decision this morning while holding Mallory that I could never touch Taylor like that. Not even a kiss.

Which royally fucked my entire plan.

The warmth from Mallory’s body shifted as she moved her hips to the side, trying to get free of my hold and the blankets. I wouldn’t be assisting with any of that. I wanted her to squirm and realize we’d fallen asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. Her ass moved again, but this time it went in the wrong direction. She backtracked, and suddenly she was plastered to my chest, her ass aligned perfectly with my cock.

I had put so much work into calming down, but now I was already hard again. I considered warning her. The gentlemanly thing would have been to warn her, but I’d already warned her I wasn’t one of those…so instead I challenged her.

Moving my hand down and over her hip, I splayed my palm flat against her stomach, over her ribs. Her skin was so soft, and I just wanted to run my fingers over every inch of her then follow the route with my tongue. I could feel her breathing change, growing shallower as I continued to pretend to sleep behind her with soft snores.

We stayed like that for a few minutes until she wiggled her ass against me, and fuck if she didn’t do it on purpose, like she was challenging me right back.

I moved my hand up, covering her right breast and pinching the nipple between my forefinger and thumb. I heard a little gasp leave her while her ass continued moving against me in an obvious assault. She knew what she was doing just as much as I did.

My other hand came up and around her hip, and I dipped my finger under the waistband of her cotton underwear. They felt stretchy and comfortable, and for whatever reason there was something about the fact that she wore sensible clothing to sleep in that settled inside me. Like we weren’t trying to impress each other or be people we weren’t…it was just us. I wanted moments like this with her, moments where I saw her wash her face and brush her teeth, moments where I read a book while she dressed in her pajamas and crawled into bed with me. Something real…lasting.

Her huff of breath pulled me from my thoughts as she pushed against my erection, and my fingers trailed lower, over her smooth entrance.

“Decker.”

I didn’t respond, just pushed two fingers into her and began to slowly rub them in a circle.

“This pussy…Jesus. You don’t even know, do you?” I kissed her shoulder, whispering in her ear, right next to her tattoo, the one I knew wasn’t just a coincidence. This girl I was falling for had a fucking way out of the storm inked into her skin. She is meant for me.

“I can’t do this.” Her labored breaths pushed her tits against the soft fabric of her shirt, making me withhold a groan.

“This?” I moved my fingers in and out of her wetness with forceful strokes, letting her know how much I wanted this.

She rocked her hips in rhythm with my touch. “No…we can’t do this,” she said breathlessly while continuing to rock into my touch.

I couldn’t help myself. I pulled my fingers from her core, bringing them to my lips, which were right next to her ear, and sucked the taste of her into my mouth.

“You taste delicious, Mallory. Fucking delightful.”

“Decker, we can’t…” She pulled away from me, and this time I let her go. I wasn’t about to force her into something she didn’t want, but the way she’d writhed against me told me something different. Sitting up, she tried to climb over me, but since her bed was shoved against the wall, there was no escape. I grabbed her right as her left knee straddled my hip.

“Decker,” she warned, stabilizing herself with her hands on my chest.

She was extended over me, her soft pink cotton panties resting right against my boxer briefs. Thank fuck I’d had the foresight to shed my jeans sometime during the night.

“Taylor could walk in on us any second, then this whole plan of yours goes to shit.”

I smiled, not caring at all about her concerns, because sometime in the middle of the night when I was staring at the way her hair brushed against her forehead, it had hit me in the chest, nearly as painful and terrifying as that baseball had the year before. I wouldn’t risk losing her. I couldn’t. I would fix this, all of it, but first…

I began moving my thumb over the moist spot in her underwear, right over her entrance, thinking back to the fantasy I’d had of her in that bookstore.

“You’re wet for me, Mallory Shaw. I plan to tend to that this morning, and I don’t care who the fuck comes in and sees.”

Her eyes blazed with lust, with need, and probably with hate. I knew she was confused, angry at me, and hurt. I was going to explain it all, everything…but I needed this.

“Close your eyes.”

She bit her bottom lip, dragging it between her teeth as indecision warred along the planes of her beautiful face.

“Just trust me…please.” I rocked my hips into hers while rubbing my thumb up and down her slit.

She let out a soft moan while her hips rolled forward, and then those gorgeous green eyes closed. Dark lashes splayed against her freckled, tan skin. The way she looked on top of me in a black tank, her legs on display, her hair mussed from sleep…my chest felt like it was opening up, making room for this foreign feeling to invade, fill up, consume. She made somewhere deep inside burn in a way that took away my breath.

“I need to see you. Take your tank top off,” I commanded, voice a little raspy. I cleared my throat and pushed the material up from her stomach.

Her fingers brushed against mine as she pulled the rest of the material free, allowing the fullness of her breasts to show.

I groaned, watching her palm the left one, rolling the nub between her fingers.

I drew the material of her panties to the side, tempted just to rip the things right off her hips. Her core rested against my erection, still clothed by my boxer briefs. With her eyes closed, she had no idea that I was staring at her with something akin to worship. Her breasts were full, her stomach trim, flaring into perfectly round hips and thick thighs…she was the most perfect thing I’d ever seen, all woman, and I wanted her. Today, tomorrow, the next day…there was no end to how many times I wanted this view.

I slowly pulled my aching cock out, a small pebble of clear liquid already weeping from the tip as I gripped the root and allowed the heat of her body to pulse against it. I wasn’t ashamed in the slightest that I was going to remember this moment and jerk off to it until I was old and in need of Viagra. With her eyes still closed, I made sure to watch her for permission as I said, “I haven’t been with anyone in over a year…I’m clean.”

Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks, but she didn’t open her eyes, just nodded her agreement, meaning she was too. Otherwise she would have put a stop to this a long time ago.

Pulling her hips forward, I gripped my throbbing hard-on and rubbed it up and down the length of her soaked slit. I groaned at how good it felt to have her heat against my dick. I wanted to pull her until she was sinking down onto it, but I knew we weren’t ready to go all the way. I had some explaining to do first. This was just meant to make her feel good, let her know how much she affected me.

Up and down, I rubbed her pussy while she rocked against me, slowly getting herself off. Her hands stayed up, cradling her breasts as her core moved against me. Her arousal soaked the base of my cock, teasing me to just flip us and push inside of her.

“More, I need more, Decker…” she muttered breathily.

I did too, but if I kept playing with her, I was going to do something we weren’t ready for, so I pulled on her hips, indicating that I wanted her to move.

“Reach forward with your left hand and grab the headboard, then do the same with your right, and move your ass until you’re straddling my face.” I pressed my fingers into the globes of her ass to encourage her.

She paused, her fingers digging into my chest. “I’ve never…done this specific thing with anyone.”

I smiled, loving that her eyes were still closed but her eyebrows had caved and those white teeth pinned her lips in place.

“Good.” I laughed, pressing my fingers deeper into her skin, hoping it would leave a mark. I wanted to look tomorrow and see how desperate I had been to have her sit on my face.

Licking her lips, she did as I instructed, gripping the headboard and moving up my chest.

“Come here.” I breathed out as the feel of her singed every nerve ending in my head. With my hands around her ass, I drew the material of her underwear that covered her cheeks toward the center of her crack, using it as a way to move her closer.

A gasp left her as I tugged her by the bundled material, forcing her reluctant posture to falter until she was directly over my face. I used my hold to apply more pressure, pulling up on the panties until they were tight against her entrance, then I gently ran my tongue along the constricted cotton.

She hissed while rocking into it.

“You like that pressure, baby?” I asked, repeating what I’d done, carefully licking her only along the wet material of her underwear, just barely tasting her wet cunt. I knew it would drive her crazy.

“Pull it tighter,” she demanded from above me.

Fuck.My dick was still weeping with precum, begging me to just hurry this along as I did as she asked. I pulled the material even tighter against her pussy, bunching it in the back, then leaned up, licking and biting against that wet spot. My free hand flew, smacking her ass, and fuck, I wished there were a mirror in here so I could see my handprint there.

I had never been rough with a woman before, because I was still young and, well, if it went wrong or she freaked out, it could go all sorts of backwards real fast. I had never found anyone I trusted enough to let myself go with like that, but with Mallory…I didn’t even have to think twice. Her luscious ass begged and begged for that sort of attention.

I wanted so many more moments with her, moments where I rocked into her from behind, getting a view of that backside. Me on top of her, fucking her with abandon, sinking my dick so far into her that we didn’t know where she ended and I began. Her riding me while we sat on the couch…the list was endless.

“You’ve completely soaked these.” I loosened my hold on the briefs and snapped them against her skin. “Look at this…you’re a mess.” Moving the cotton entirely to the side, I ran my finger in and out of her entrance. “Do you hear that?” I moved my fingers in and out of her. “You sound like you want me to fuck you, Mallory.”

Fucking her with my fingers, I watched as she rocked and shuddered above me.

“We aren’t ready for that though, so what should we do?” I continued to tease her, bringing my fingers out enough that she could hear the sound of me pushing them back in. “Do you want this, Mal?” I lifted my gaze, seeing her heavy tits move as she ground against my fingers, her arms slightly bent now that the headboard was within reach. She looked down at me, and some of her hair slipped over her shoulder.

“Yes.” She moaned, begging with her body.

“You want my tongue inside this pussy?” I massaged her clit with my finger, taking the slickness and rubbing it up along her crack. I knew she liked me to play with her there from that first night. “You want me to suck on this clit and make you scream?”

“Yes…please, Decker.” Her voice was still shuddery and quiet, but she didn’t have to ask a third time. I pulled her forward until her core was pressed against my mouth and my tongue was licking through her folds. “Oh god.” Mallory shuddered, trying to keep her voice down.

“Roll those hips, baby. Hold on to this headboard and fuck my face. Don’t hold back.” I leaned back to stare up at her, those eyes wide open and full of lust. She nodded, and then those hips rolled, my tongue delving deeper into her and causing us both to nearly lose it.

Her tits bounced as she picked up momentum, treating me like a goddamn horse. If she was like this with my mouth, I could only imagine how fucking good it would be when she bounced on my dick. I groaned into her entrance as I felt her reach back with one of her hands and grip my shaft. Up and down, she rolled the precum on the tip of my erection around and down my length. Hard, swift, and unrelenting. I met the intensity with my tongue, feeling a tightening build at the base of my back.

“Decker…oh my god…holy—” she yelled, tossing her head back and pushing down furiously against my mouth. I was about to blow my entire fucking load as I watched those tits and that hair. When she was finally coming apart against my tongue, I moved.

“There’s nothing holy about me, baby. You better remember that.” I growled right before I sucked her nipple into my mouth and bit down.

She fell backward on the bed, letting out a cry—whether of pain or ecstasy, I had no clue at this point. She clutched the sheets while she rocked her hips against the air, still chasing her climax. I pushed three fingers into her pussy, milking her orgasm and giving her the pressure she needed as I climbed over her.

Fisting myself, I was about to pump my cock and come all over her tits, but she sat up and pushed at my chest, crawling on her hands and knees until she was grabbing for me and pulling my dick into her mouth.

She licked from the base to the tip twice before those bewitching eyes locked on mine and pulled me out of her mouth. Rubbing her hand up and down my shaft, she kept her gaze tied with mine while she said, “There isn’t anything holy about me either.” Then she moved forward and choked on my length.

I was sure I’d died. She literally took my breath away with her mouth on me, sucking and savoring every inch of me, all while she watched me with hooded eyes. My release was clawing along my spine, begging to be let free.

I made a pained sound, pulling at her to disconnect, but she gripped my ass, still covered by my boxers, and kept me there, sucking furiously on my cock—begging for me to spill down her throat.

So, I did.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuckkkkkk, baby.” I rolled my hips, gripped her hair, and finished the best goddamn orgasm of my entire life. She moved her left hand to fist my dick, holding it in place while she sucked every last drop of my release down her throat.

I was in so much trouble, because after this, there wouldn’t ever be a limit we’d reach where we’d had enough. I saw it in her eyes. Mallory Shaw wanted me, as often, as intensely, and as roughly as I wanted her.

* * *

“Something tellsme this isn’t exactly legal,” Mallory said, looking over her shoulder.

I smirked as she brought her hood up to cover her head.

“Are you afraid?” I peered down at her while tugging her closer to my side.

“I’m just surprised you’re okay with this…I mean, he’s only sixteen.”

The loud sound of a modified exhaust barreled into us as my Uncle Scotty started the Hellcat my brother would be driving; the bar we were standing behind vibrated from the noise. We stood on a small patch of concrete with a wobbly, rusted bar raised as a handrail, separating us from the crowd. The entire overpass was deserted for the time being as a massive construction project was planned in the coming months, so all four lanes were vacant. It allowed the less law-abiding citizens ample opportunity to take advantage. There were about fifty people on either side of the road, huddled in clumps of fandom as my brother’s team fussed over his car. The idiot challenging him hadn’t arrived yet.

“He may be sixteen, but he’s been driving since he was eleven, and before that he was watching these races his entire life.” My hand dipped into the back pocket of Mallory’s jeans, and the feeling of her pressed into my side while we watched my little brother get ready for the race just hit me in the fucking chest. This couldn’t be real.

“I thought you brought me here to talk and explain yourself.” She tilted her head back, smiling. “You know, without the sheets between us.”

I laughed at the gleam in her eye. Thinking back to that morning, I remembered how, after we’d both come down from our high, she’d tried to pull those damn sweats on again, and I nearly tackled her. I kissed her until she agreed to get breakfast with me, and I failed to mention we’d be picking it up on our way to Pinehurst. Once she realized, she laughed and mentioned that she’d started packing overnight things in her purse after our night in the storm.

On the drive over, we ate and listened to music, quizzing each other on genres and band names. Mallory also explained her spatial anxiety in case we got ourselves into a situation where there was a big crowd. I was grateful for the information considering we were headed toward a crowd. Still, it seemed neither of us were ready to burst the bubble we were in by talking about everything I had to explain…until now, I guess.

“You’d risk missing this?” I gestured to my brother, who was taking a selfie with some blonde girl. She seemed a little too overly enthusiastic for the girls he usually liked to date. Kyle liked broody girls, the ones nearly impossible to get, but he also liked attention—my little bro was more messed up than even me. That was my observation, at least. He’d never talked about anyone he liked, or anyone he didn’t like, for that matter. I looked around, trying to see if his best friend was here since she was usually the reason the other girls didn’t brave getting too close to Kyle on race days. She was also the reason my brother had been driving since he was eleven.

“Does he know you’re here?” Mallory asked, bringing my eyes back to her.

“Yeah, I texted him earlier that we’d be here.”

“We?”

The newer Mustang rolled in next to the Hellcat my brother would be racing on behalf of my Uncle Scotty. The brand-new car was gunmetal grey with a single black stripe down the side, and it was entirely too much car for Kyle.

Fuck.

Scotty was supposed to keep my brother alive. I knew, even beyond what came stock on that car, it was too much power for my sixteen-year-old brother. He was still too eager to make a name for himself in these street races. He was one hell of a driver, but my stomach still tilted as I saw him tip his head back, looking for me. He gave me a single nod, delivered a smirk to Mallory, and then ducked his head, getting into the car.

I swallowed my nerves and remembered what she had asked.

“Yeah, my little brother likes you. Gave me hell for leaving that morning without saying goodbye…he wanted to have breakfast with us, get to know you.”

She melted into my side, her left arm darting out around my waist. We watched as the crowd simmered, and music began playing from the small speakers set up on the other side of the road.

“This is quite the setup,” Mallory quipped, bringing the cord of her hoodie up to her mouth and beginning to chew on it.

“Getting an itch to write a story about it?” I joked, keeping my eyes on my brother. The man challenging him was clearly in his twenties, possibly even older than me. It wouldn’t really matter, but he had more years under him in knowing how to race and handle cars.

“No, this one I’m just going to enjoy for myself.”

Kyle buckled the harness in his bucket seat, and I waited to make sure he would grab for the helmet Scotty insisted both racers wear when they did these things. It had been a while since I last attended one, so I wasn’t sure if he was keeping up on it or not. Kyle spun his hat backward but didn’t reach for a helmet.

Fuck.

I began to move, but Mallory tugged me back.

“He’s okay…look at him.” The twinkle in her green eyes had some kind of calming effect on me. I knew she understood why I was particular about his safety, so I gave her a nod and watched as my brother warmed his tires and crawled up to the starting line.

“Talk me through what he has to do.” Mallory rubbed my back in easy strokes.

Had my breathing become more restricted?

I swallowed thickly. “He has to drive down to those water barrels, drift around it without hitting the flag right there”—I pointed with my finger toward the yellow barrels and orange flags—“then they race back here, and whoever crosses first wins.”

“Are there other racers who will challenge the winner?”

I watched as the makeshift board, one of those usually used in gyms, beeped loudly, indicating the startup. With the click of a button, the numbers began to climb right as someone waved a flag. The cars punched into first gear and darted from their starting positions with a roar and squeal of the tires.

I tried to breathe correctly as I trailed after my brother with my eyes. I felt Mallory’s hand warm my back with gentle caresses, bringing her question back to mind.

“Yeah, there are a few challengers, I think.” I tracked my brother’s black car as it sailed down the asphalt, the orange Mustang neck and neck with him.

“Breathe.” Mallory kept rubbing soothing strokes along my back, and for the first time in my life, I felt like I wasn’t alone. It felt like I finally had someone to help me bear some of the burdens that usually pinned me to the ground, like worrying about my kid brother participating in illegal street races, the fact that he was involved in about a million other illegal activities, or my mom potentially losing her house.

My hand found Mallory’s, and I tugged it up, pressing her knuckles to my lips.

Kyle cranked his wheel hard to the left as his car circled the barrels, the tail of his gleaming muscle car gracefully flaring out just enough to clear the flag. It was a perfect drift, and pride inflated my chest as I watched his competitor hit his flag with his taillight.

“Oh my god, he’s going to win.” Mallory slapped her palm against the bar in front of us.

A grin split my face as I slid her in front of me and brought my hands around her, settling them on her waist. Her head fit under my chin perfectly as she clapped and cheered for my brother. The nose of his car sailed over the finish line with more than a few paces between him and the Mustang trailing him.

His car was surrounded within minutes by girls and a few guys ready to congratulate him. He saw us from where we were, giving us a nod and a massive smile. I noticed his eyes kept darting around like he was looking for someone. The furrow in his brow told me it was the one girl who’d been at all his races but was suddenly missing.

I looked down at the girl in front of me and spun her in my arms.

“I’m glad you’re here. I like having you with me.” I leaned in, pressing my mouth to hers. The kiss released a tightness in my chest that seemed to build when I didn’t touch or have my mouth on her.

“You still need to explain.” She breathed the words as she tilted her head, deepening our kiss.

“I know.” I brought my hand up her back, sliding my tongue against hers, groaning into her mouth.

“We can’t keep doing this every time we need to have a conversation…” She broke away long enough to grab the collar of my t-shirt, drawing me closer. “We need to talk.”

I nodded, keeping my hands tucked into her back pockets, pulling her against my growing erection.

“Holy shit, get a room, bro.” Kyle stepped up, slapping me on the back.

We broke away, and Mallory ducked her head, laughing.

We stayed, watching every race my younger brother competed in until there wasn’t anyone left to race. Our afternoon was spent treating Kyle to lunch and dessert, and our mom came and joined us once her shift ended. She and Mallory started talking about gardening, which somehow transitioned to their love of some crime show they both seemed to watch obsessively.

That’s when Kyle pulled me aside and stuck a wad of cash in my hand. “Today’s earnings.”

I looked down at the massive roll of green and quickly lifted my eyes to my little brother.

“Since when do these races pay this kind of cash?”

Kyle winced, which told me enough.

“If you’re doing anything to skim off the top, Scotty will kill you. Family or not, he won’t hesitate,” I warned, feeling a fresh wave of panic settle in my stomach.

“I’m not. I swear.” He put his hands up. “Look, I may have started working for him a little more than I led you to believe. He’s also letting me do work on the cars that rotate in, as a part-time mechanic.”

“In addition to the jobs you’re pulling and the races?” I asked, my eyes darting around the restaurant to see if anyone was listening.

“Yeah. That’s enough to pay for the mortgage for the next three months.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Why the fuck do you think I’ve been doing so much work, D?”

I slammed my molars together, narrowing my eyes. “You failed to mention the part where you were still attending school full time.”

Yeah, did he honestly think I wasn’t keeping tabs on that shit?

His eye roll nearly made me slap him in the back of the head.

“I have it handled. Right now, this is more important.” He waved me off.

“And what about you? What if you get caught?”

“We both know that’s not going to happen.”

“Just because your best friend’s dad is the police chief in Pinehurst doesn’t mean he’ll keep you safe, Kyle. This shit is big…especially with this much money coming in.”

“Just don’t stress, okay? Between the two of us, she won’t have to sell the house—that’s all that matters.” He patted my back and walked around me, leaving the cash in my hand.

Mallory and I ended up staying the night in my room again. This time it was a little more domesticated. She’d brought an overnight bag, brushing her teeth and washing her face in my childhood bathroom. She thought she was being funny by bringing along a certain pair of sweats to wear to bed.

“I bet you think you’re funny,” I said, watching as she swung her hips while wearing a small tank top, one that made her tits look fantastic.

She smirked at me, pulling down the covers. “I get cold at night, and these are so comfortable.”

I was in just a pair of black boxers. Even my feet were bare, and this girl was going to try to sleep next to me fully clothed. Hilarious.

“Mallory, I’m not kidding. If you wear those sweats to bed, I will shred them, then I will fuck you for good measure.”

Her bright smile melted away my defenses, leaving me with a stupid smile. She wiggled under the covers then tossed the sweats at my face a second later.

I slowly lifted the comforter to see what she was wearing. Her tan legs stretched out on my dark sheets, her white tank top rose to show her midriff, and there across her hips was a dark green color…

My god.My mouth went dry as I threw the covers off her.

She wore a dark green thong, just like in my fucking fantasy.

“Well, you’re fucked,” I muttered, about to run my hand over the fabric just to make sure it was real, but she stopped me.

Grabbing the covers once again, she chided me. “You owe me a conversation…or two.”

I groaned, letting my face fall to the covers.

“I saw a picture last night with you two…it looked real, and I guess I’m just trying not to be that sucker.” She plowed past my obvious reluctance to have this discussion.

I rested my head on my elbow so I could watch her while I explained. “Taylor barely talked to me after you left. She mentioned knowing Elias was a bad guy and said you shouldn’t be out with him. I sat on the couch, agreeing with her, and all of a sudden she perked up and said she knew something that might get you home sooner.” My hand itched to reach over and grab hers. “As soon as she took it, she jumped off the couch and told me I should wait for you in your room. Then she went to bed.”

“Wait…what?” Mallory sat up, shaking her head a bit. “That doesn’t make any sense. She…”

I knew she was likely coming to the same conclusion I had: Taylor knew Mallory and I were into each other.

“So, that’s it…you’re not after her anymore, and you magically don’t need your revenge?”

I considered it. Knowing what I did, things even Mallory didn’t know, I realized in comparison to potentially losing her, messing with Elias’s chances at a fat payday…it wasn’t worth it. I also knew there wasn’t anything I could really say that would explain my change of heart or make her believe I’d changed direction.

I smashed my lips together…then let out a heavy sigh.

“I’m falling for you. When I look at you, you’re not just some girl I like. You look like you’re already mine. My heart knows it, my dick was on board from the first time we met, I just…I had my reasons for why I wanted revenge, but if it means I might lose you, I can’t.”

She lifted her hand, cupping my jaw and rubbing her thumb along my lips.

“Don’t hurt me, Decker. I may seem tough, but my heart is made of glass, the beautiful kind someone worked hard to create with the sand and memories of the most painful moments of my life. It will shatter if you don’t handle it right.”

I leaned into her touch, staring into her green gaze. I felt a little pinch in my chest at the things I was still holding back from her, but we had to take all this in stages, one step at a time.

If I told her what I was hiding from her all at once, she wouldn’t even give me a shot. No, I needed to convince her I’d keep her safe, her and her heart. I might not have been perfect, but I’d be consistent.

Instead of replying with words, I leaned down and carefully pressed my lips to hers. I wouldn’t hurt her, not when doing so would kill me in the process.