Page 67 of Under My Skin

I had no idea what that meant, other than that the word “sueños” sounded a lot like the word “sueñes” from that phrase she’d told me meant “sleep with the little angels.” I guessed it meant something to do with sleeping or maybe dreaming.

But before I could ask, the lyrics of the song that was playing on the speaker interrupted my train of thought, and what I heard stopped me dead in my tracks. Because literally every single word sounded like it was written specifically for us. All I could do was crash my lips to hers as I listened to the lyrics about a love that was weird, beautiful, and felt impossible, equating it to watching snow on the beach.

That was what this felt like. The fact that this woman still wanted me, even after everything we’d been through, was impossible. A dream. And also the most beautiful reality in the world.

Dani turned in my arms so she was facing me as she slid her arms around my neck and stood on her toes to kiss me again. I quickly lifted her to the counter, and she immediately wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me closer as our lips and tongues dipped and swirled around each other. One of my hands gripped her leg as I fisted the other in her hair, tilting her head to the side so I could trail kisses down her neck while I pressed my painfully hard cock against her warm center, cursing the layers of fabric between us.

“Fuck, sweetheart,” I groaned as I trailed my tongue up to her earlobe, grazing my teeth against it. “You don’t know how much I want you right now.”

“I…oh, God…” she mumbled while I continued to pepper kisses along her jaw and neck. “Braden, I…”

I lifted my mouth from her flawless bronze skin, pulling back to look into her eyes.

“Too fast?” I asked. “You can say no, beautiful. You canalwayssay no.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. I want this. I wantyou.” As if trying to convince me, she leaned forward and gave me a soft, tender kiss. “But I just… I’ve never…”

Fuck. Me.

My brain almost couldn’t compute what she was trying to tell me. This woman wassodamn beautiful. And sweet. And smart. And just…fucking awe-inspiring. There was no possible way she didn’t have men lined up around the block for her.

I had no idea what my face looked like, but whatever she saw there, it made her cast her eyes downward like she was embarrassed.

“I…um, I’m demisexual,” she mumbled. “I need an emotional connection before I can feel physical attraction. I get it if you?—”

I immediately put my hand under her chin and claimed her lips in a searing kiss, cutting her off from finishing that thought. Making sure she knew this didn’t change a damn thing for me…other than the fact that I wasn’t going to fuck her on the kitchen counter now. She deserved a first time that was as amazing and special as she was.

Reaching over to the stove, I turned off the burner where what looked like black beans were simmering, then put the slow cooker on the “keep warm” setting. Once I checked everything else, making sure we weren’t going to burn the place down, I picked her up, making her squeal and giggle as she hooked her ankles behind my back, and started to head for her bedroom.

“Wait, wait,” she said quickly. “The monitor.”

Right. There was a baby sleeping in the nursery. One I’d helped create.

I stopped at the table, letting her lean down and grab it before I kissed her again. I’d thought I couldn’t love her any more than I already did, but seeing her prioritize our little boy even in the midst of this monumental moment made me fall just a little bit harder.

Quickly crossing the apartment, I carried her to her bed and knelt down on the mattress as I deposited her beneath me, my lips crashing to hers as I skimmed my hand up her side, slowly pushing her shirt up as I went.

“Do you know how much I love you?” I whispered against her lips. “How fucking incredible you are?”

Dani chuckled and turned bright pink. “You don’t have to sweet-talk me, B. I’m already a sure thing.”

Why I loved hearing her call me by my nickname so much, I had no idea. But I did. Probably because it meant she was comfortable enough with metocall me by my nickname. And after the events of the past week and a half, that was nothing short of a miracle.

I laughed and kissed her. “It’s not sweet-talking if it’s true, sweetheart. You’re kind. Smart. Fucking breathtaking. An amazing mother to that beautiful little boy in the next room. And for some reason I don’t understand, you feel close enough to me to actually want this as much as I do.”

I didn’t know a lot about the asexual spectrum. It wasn’t something I’d ever had to learn about because I’d never known anyone who identified that way until now. But from what I understood, for a demisexual person, finding that kind of connection with someone was rare. Sometimes it was even a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

And she felt that with me.Thatwas the real gift she was giving me tonight. Not the gift of being the first – and, if I had my way, only – man she’d been with, but the gift of the trust and emotion that came with that decision for her.

“Porque te amo,” she murmured. “Porque eres increíble también.”

“Keep speaking Spanish to me and this is going to be over way faster than either of us wants,” I teased, making her giggle again.

Fuck, I wanted to record that sound and play it on a loop forever.

Grinning, I nudged my nose against hers before feathering a kiss over her lips and pulling her up just enough to tug her shirtoff. As she settled back on the mattress, I just took several long beats to gaze down at her. To appreciate the utter perfection that was Daniela Ramos.

“Beautiful,” I breathed, leaning down to kiss her again as I slid my arms behind her back and unclasped her bra. “Fucking perfect.”

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