Page 76 of Burden to Bear

Her hands drifted down my neck and over my shoulders until they came to a stop on my chest. “Am I really the woman of your dreams?”

My lips twitched. “I knew it the day you came over to introduce yourself to me.”

Her lips parted, and her eyes widened in shock. “Really?”

“Yes.”

“And you love me?”

I dipped my chin. “More than I thought was possible to love a woman.”

Mia’s fingertips pressed in firmly against my chest, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as her eyes danced. “I think I’ve fallen in love with you, too.”

I didn’t think there was anything that could have made this day any better. Sure, there was a part of me that hoped I’d share my feelings with her tonight and that she’d at least feel some level of attraction to me. I never expected I’d hear that four-letter word in return. At least, not yet.

“God, you’re beautiful,” I said.

Her head dropped down, her eyes and one hand landing on her stomach. “I’m not exactly in prime physical shape.”

“You are exquisite, Mia. I saw you days ago on your deck wearing nothing but that bikini when your family was visiting, and I couldn’t remember ever feeling so turned on. I can’t tell you the number of fantasies that have played out in my head involving you.”

“Really?”

I covered her hand with mine. “Yes. You are breathtaking.”

A flush crept over her cheeks as she licked her lips. There was a hint of timidness lingering in her expression, but a moment later, she pushed past it and said, “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it would be like to be with you.”

Jesus.

Was this for real?

“You don’t have to wonder anymore,” I told her. “I can think of nothing I’d love more than to give that to you.”

There was a moment of hesitation before Mia took a step back, reached her hand out to mine, and led me toward the stairs. I kicked off my sneakers on the way there.

The next thing I knew, I was in Mia’s bedroom for the first time since I’d carried her to it when she’d fallen asleep while we were watching movies together. And this time, I wasn’t going to have to leave her alone while I went home.

For a few seconds, I simply stood there, trying to take it all in. Nothing compared to this, to her.

And after months of wanting her just like this, I didn’t know how I managed to hold myself back.

Eventually, desperation and longing took over. I needed her, wanted her. So, I stepped close and slid one hand into her hair, where it settled at the base of her skull. My other hand came to rest on her hip as I angled her head back and kissed her again.

It had only been a few minutes since I’d last kissed her downstairs, and it already felt as though too much time had passed. I needed more. I wanted to take everything I could get from her while giving her what she, too, had indicated she’d been thinking about lately.

As we kissed and Mia moaned, the grip I had on her hair grew tighter, and my hand that had been at her hip drifted up her side. Mia’s hands came to my waist, where she didn’t hesitate to slip her fingers beneath the hem of my shirt.

Her fingertips were soft, her touch tender. In that instant, all I wanted was for the two of us to strip down to nothing. Mia seemed interested in the same, because her hands didn’t remain on the skin just beneath my shirt.

They explored.

Mia’s hands floated over nearly every inch of my torso, drifting higher and higher, until I had no choice but to tear my mouth and hands away from her to help pull the shirt over my head.

“Wow,” she whispered, her eyes roaming. “You’re perfect.”

“So are you.”

With a slight shake of her head, she said, “Brock, I’m?—”

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