Page 88 of Hidden But Not Safe

“I convinced myself it would be easier, but I was really scared to talk to you. I was scared to tell you how much I wanted you.”

Meg liked sex. He should offer her his fingers. His fingers would stay hard inside her.

Only he was still frozen, unable to move at all.

“Ignacio, look at me.”

His eyelids twitched, lifting over burning eyes. Meg’s beautiful face was blurry behind the film that had gathered over his vision.

“Sor-ry,” Naz choked out.

“What? No!” Meg’s grip on his face grew harder. “Fuck that. You’ve done nothing wrong. I’m the piece of shit.”

He tried to shake his head, but she held it firmly.

“I love you, Ignacio. I love you so, so much.” She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his but not moving them. It was a brief stab of sensation, there and gone. “I was being selfish,” she whispered, her eyes meeting his, her hands gentling on him, her fingers brushing moisture away from his cheeks.

He was so pathetic, he was crying. He tried to blink it away, but that just let more tears leak out.

“Love isn’t something I’ve had before. I’ve never…” She swallowed, searching his eyes as she continued to capture his pathetic tears. “I’m the one who’s a mess, Ignacio. I’ve been fucking people since I was eleven, but I’ve never been in love with anyone. I’ve barely even liked the guys I fucked, and some I’ve hated. I just learned to get my own, to satisfy a craving. It’s never been about love.”

Her fingers drifted along his skin, the warmth from them starting to sink inside.

“With you, it’s different. I want to because I love you. It’d be making love.” Her smile spread, though not the small, genuine one. No, it was wide and joyful. “I want that experience so much.”

Meg deserved everything she wanted.

If he was going to lose her—he knew he was going to lose her—he didn’t want to lie to her. He didn’t want to give her false hope. “Not e-nough,” Naz forced out.

“What?” Meg’s eyebrows pulled together. “What’s not enough? How much I want you?”

“Me.”

Her hands firmed on his face, and she shook him. “Stop that. You are the only person I could ever feel this for. You’re enough. It has to be you. You’re the one I love, Ignacio. No one else.”

The words slid deep, thawing him.

“The question is, do you still love me?” Meg asked. Her lips trembled. “Even after I’ve been awful?”

“Meg.” He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her face into his neck where it belonged.

She acted like his love was a choice. Loving her wasn’t a choice. It was more like breathing.

“Love you,” Naz told her.

Meg relaxed against him, nuzzling his neck. “You’re too sweet. If you forgive me too easily, I’ll just try it again. I have no shame.” Her lips brushed against his skin, making him shiver. “But I can wait. We will make love. Whenever you’re ready, no matter how long that takes.”

The idea of it not being sex or being fucked, but a different way to love her, drained the rest of the tension from his body.

She laughed into his damp skin, making him tingle. “You may need to stop and listen before entering rooms from now on. Just the thought of being with you makes me horny as hell. I’ll need to take the edge off and plan on touching myself while thinking about you as often as I want. I told you, I’m selfish as hell.”

Meg liked when he touched her. Naz liked touching her.

His arms found her shoulders, pushing her away from him so he could see her. “Touch you?”

Her eyes widened. “You’re so good to me.” She lunged for his face, kissing him, her tongue sliding over his bottom lip and sending sensation straight to his dick. “You should make me suffer, but you want to make me come instead.”

His hands found her breasts. Her nipples had smoothed, but a few brushes of his thumbs had them hardening again.

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