Page 68 of Dare to Fall

All the thoughts, emotions, and memories he hid away in his paintings…I wanted to know them.

I followed his gaze out the window to his left where my world was silently burning away everything I had built for the past five years. But as I thought about everything I’d lost, I no longer felt sad.

I felt…free.

A freedom that only came from shedding all the remnants of the past and keeping hope for what the future might hold.

As I looked back at Garth, my heart swelled with hope. If even just for a little while, I wanted him to be mine. I wanted to bask in the light that he shined on everyone around him. I wanted to get lost in the comfort of his protection, knowing that he would support me as I grew into the person I was meant to be.

I stood from the sofa, letting the blanket fall into a smooth puddle at my feet. With each step I took toward him, the desire to feel his skin against mine grew more and more. Heat pooled in my core as his hand dropped to his side, the muscles in his shoulders tensing with my approach. He could sense me just as I could sense the desire he felt for me radiate off him every time he looked at me. Such restraint made me wonder if I was just imagining his emotions at first. But the more time we spent together, I knew that he wanted me just as desperately as I wanted him.

I’d never wanted something so badly in my life as much as I wanted the man in front of me. Maybe it was wrong to crave someone else after just ending a relationship with another man, but I didn’t care anymore about what was right in everyone else’s eyes.

I wanted Garth. And damnit if I wouldn’t let myself have him.

The air pulsed between us as I took another step forward, leaving only inches between our bodies. His shoulders rose and fell in rapid succession as he breathed heavily, matching the beats of my heart.

Slowly, I reached my hands toward his bare skin. My breath hitched as my fingertips hovered an inch away before I finally extended past the line we had both drawn. The sharpness of his next breath was the only sound I heard, both a warning and an invitation for what was to come next.

The fiery warmth of his skin set me ablaze as I trailed my fingertips along the edges of his lower ribcage.

He reached up and caught both my hands in his before turning to face me. He brought my hands up to his chest and placed them firmly against his skin where I could feel his heart thudding beneath. The hazel eyes I’d come to love with their ever-changing nature swirled with flecks of yellow and a deep forest green. I was lost in those eyes as they flicked down to my parted lips.

A silent question lingered between us. One that needed answering.

“Kiss me,” I breathed.

His nostrils flared as a low growl rumbled from his throat. “Eva, are you sure you’re ready?” His husky voice trailed over every inch of me, ending with light throbs at the apex of my thighs.

And in that moment, I knew I was ready to take the step toward the edge. I was ready to get lost in all the possibilities of Garth Walker. I was ready to fall.

Never taking my eyes off his, I tilted my head down in a slight nod, granting him the permission I knew he needed.

A feral rumble burst from his chest as he snaked his arm around the small of my back, pressing me into the firmness of his body. His other hand cupped the side of my face just as his lips melded to mine.

And down I fell, crashing into the passion I’d longed for from the moment I set my eyes on him. It was fire and ice. The way he slid his tongue gently over mine, in lulling motions that left me breathless and desperate for more. Every nerve in my body was set ablaze as he deepened the kiss, pulling me as close to him as my clothed body would allow.

He was everywhere at once, dulling my senses to the outside world, all the while igniting my awareness of him. Garth Walker was the only thing I wanted. The only thing I needed.

Garth

My body shook as Eva trailed her fingertips down my back, our tongues gliding over one another in an effortless dance of desire. The taste of her was so sweet, like a fully blossomed honeysuckle, opening just for me. The curve of her plush lips melded perfectly into mine as if she were made for me.

She wrapped her arms around the back of my neck and weaved her fingers through my hair, pulling me closer. Our lips parted for a moment as she looked up at me with heavy-lidded eyes that sparkled in the light of the setting sun through the window. My gaze dipped down where her full pink lips were slightly swollen from our contact. The raw beauty of her was breathtaking. Unbound from everything that had held her down before. The woman standing before me was a force of nature, and my chest swelled with pride at watching her bloom.

Eva rose onto her tip toes, barely meeting me face to face. As she planted featherlight kisses along my jaw and the edges of my mouth, her arms dipped low, her hands finding the brim of my pants. My length pulsed at the feel of her so close, but I paused, cupping the side of her face and searching her eyes for any hint of hesitation.

“Are you sure?” I breathed.

Her brown eyes shimmered as she said, “Yes, Garth. I want you. I wantallof you.”

Her breathless words were all I needed to hear as I gathered her hands in mine and brought them up to my lips. Unfolding her hands, I brought the tip of each one of her fingers to my lips and placed a gentle kiss on each.

She quivered as I reached down, letting our hands part, and pulled the hem of her shirt up over her head. Delicate black lack covered the beautiful curvature of her breasts. Blood pulsed through my veins at the sight of her bare skin as I lowered the silky traps from her shoulders. Following the line of her bra with my fingers, I reached around her back and unclasped the lingerie. Her breath hitched as it fell to the floor, revealing the peaks of her arousal.

I claimed her mouth with mine as I palmed both of her breasts. The heat of her skin seared through me in a crashing wave of need. It was too much and not enough all at the same time. My pulsing length pushed against the confines of my jeans, desperate for contact. I needed more. So much more.

I slid my hands down her arching back and wrapped them around the curve of her ass. I chuckled as she squealed against my lips as I picked her up, wrapping her thighs around my torso. The brightest smile I’d ever seen played across her lips. Tendrils of her auburn hair fell over the front of her shoulders, swaying over the peaks of her breasts.

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