Page 39 of Always Right

“So, if I tell you that I want you to kiss me now...would you do it?”

He smirked. “You haven’t said it yet.”

I wanted to take the leap. I wanted to desperately fall into the abyss with him, but I was terrified. My heart beat wildly and my fear became palpable, the fight within me raged as I considered how to get the words out, how to be vulnerable. He sensed it. His gaze softened and he cupped my face in his hands, before he leaned in and whispered against my lips, “Do you want me to kiss you?”

“Yes.”

He closed the distance between us, pressing his lips against mine and making the world around us spin. His lips were soft against mine and my body molded against his, Everything about it was perfect, from the way his arms wrapped around my body and he pulled me close to him, to the way his heart beat steadily against my hand on his chest, Derek was everything I longed to feel, everything I longed to hold. He deepened the kiss, his tongue seeking entrance and I let him, my lips parting as he tasted me. I moaned softly, the sensation foreign after such a long time without feeling someone’s touch. I gasped as his lips left mine and he kissed my jaw, my neck, breathing me in as if there was no tomorrow.

And maybe for us there wouldn’t be.

“Do you want to stop?”

I should.

I should’ve ended everything then and there, but instead I shook my head. His eyes were dark with desire but he kissed me again, this time without control and he groaned against my mouth, lifting me up as my legs wrapped around his waist. He carried me to a bench, and I straddled him, watching his eyes drop to my heaving chest.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered against my neck, his kisses dropping to my shoulder as he lowered the strap of my dress. I felt the bulge in his slacks, and I smiled at the fact that I had that effect on him. His hands skimmed my legs and then under my dress, to my panties. He hummed against my skin as his hand found my lace-covered core, already wet and ready for him. My lips parted as he moved them to the side and he ran his finger down my slit, his finger sliding in with ease. My hips moved, desperate for friction and his lips found mine again. The raw hunger in his touch made me feel beautiful...wanted.

It wasn’t something I could let go.

My trembling hands found his belt, his zipper, and I made quick work of it as he continued his assault on my neck, and his fingers continued teasing me. He groaned when I took him in my hand, his length hard and desperate to be inside of me. “Do you have a condom?” I whispered.

I was on birth control but...

“I’m clean,” he replied, pulling back and his gaze meeting mine once again.

I swallowed and held on to his shoulders, shuddering as his length rubbed against my core. “Oh, god,” I moaned as he pushed inside of me slowly, stretching me out completely. His eyes remained fixed on my face, his grip around my waist strong and steady as he sank into me in full.

It was a few seconds...only a few in which neither of us moved, in which all that existed was that moment, where he filled me up completely and he took from me what I had guarded for years.

My heart.

I knew then that no one would look at me like him, no one would make me feel like him.

It was the moment I knew...I was falling for Derek Hensley and I would never, ever, get back up.

I ran. From the past, from the memory.

I ran so fast my heart was about to explode out of my chest. And then I stopped in front of Evie’s house. I went out for my run alone this time, and I was thankful. I needed to keep the memories to myself…tucked deep inside my brain…so distant that maybe they would disappear. I walked into their house, ignoring Nathan’s curious glance as I drank water.

“I’m going to use your shower.”

“Go right ahead. Derek will be here shortly.”

Groaning, I headed to their restroom while he chuckled.

I can’t keep running away from him.

Chapter 14

Hannah

The shower did little to ease the thoughts swarming in my head. I’d changed into the extra clothes I kept at Evie’s and walked downstairs, and almost immediately, met Derek’s eyes as he sat at the table. He smiled in my direction, his smoldering gaze tracing my figure without remorse…and I couldn’t say I didn’t like it.

“I’m so glad you’re both here now,” Evie said, her eyes lighting up. Lily sat in her lap while Nathan carried Noah and my girls each sat in their highchairs, playing with whatever food Nathan had given them. Evie didn’t give much time to think. “So, as you both may know, Dylan is ready to meet, and I thought that it would be best to do so somewhere else. He says he loves snow and I love snow and the kids would love snow, so I figured meeting in Colorado would be the best. What do you think?”

Woah.

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