Page 82 of Before I Loved You

Her eyes meet mine. “You think so?”

“I know so.” The tips of my fingers trail down her spine. “You’re smart, ambitious, talented, beautiful… I can keep going if you want.”

She suppresses a smile, nuzzling her head against my chest.

We lie in silence for a moment, and I’m pretty sure she’s fallen asleep until she says, “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

She leans up, slowly gliding her lips over mine.

“Tell me what you want, Sarah, and I’ll make it happen.”

“I want…” She pauses as my hand slides down her back. “You to distract me.”

I hesitate. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Make me forget,” she breathes. “I know I’m an emotional mess right now, and I just laid out some pretty heavy shit, but all I want to do is spend the next five minutes in a bubble with you.” She bites her bottom lip. “Distract me, Paul. Please.”

I lean toward her, brushing my lips against the shell of her ear. “I’ll do anything for you. But I’m going to need a lot more than five minutes.” Her eyes sparkle as an understanding passes between us. “Now sit on my face, and I’ll make sure my tongue is the only thing you’re thinking about.”

She lets out a nervous laugh. “You’re joking, right?” When I don’t say anything, she widens her eyes in horror. “You’ll suffocate.”

I smirk. “If I die with my head between your thighs, I’ll die the happiest man alive, baby girl.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but I’m too fast for her. I lift her hips so she’s straddling my chest. My fingers trail over the tattoos on her thigh, running my index finger up the inside of her leg. “Have I ever told you how sexy these look on you?”

She clears her throat. “You might have mentioned it before.”

I smirk, remembering our first night together and how I spent a lot of time memorizing every image imprinted on her skin with my lips and tongue.

She hasn’t moved, and I’m becoming impatient for a taste.

“A little further up, baby girl.” I squeeze her thighs and wink as she looks down at me, but she’s frozen. “Sarah?”

“Mm-hmm?”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. Totally fine.” She slides her fingers through her hair and then fans herself. “Is it hot in here?”

“Are you nervous?”

“Nervous? What? No.” She adamantly shakes her head. “Sex with you doesn’t make me nervous.”

“But what we’re about to do isn’t technically sex, so—”

“No one has ever done this to me before,” she admits, staring up at the ceiling.

I’ll be her first.

“Sarah, look at me.”

Her beautiful green eyes lock on mine.

“Do you trust me?” I ask.

“With my life.”

---