Page 207 of Haunt Me

“You looked gorgeous before,” I say into her hair once she reaches me, “but you aretranscendentnow.”

She laughs and the whole room sparkles. “And you said you weren’t a poet.”

“Not a poet.” I can’t get enough air in my lungs. “Just honest.” My hand drops to her wrist and I lift our joined arms to twirl her around gently. To admire her. “Seeing you in heels for the first time,” I whisper, “in public… Are you trying to kill me?”

She laughs even more. I don’t think I have ever seen her smile or laugh for so long. This is going to be one hell of a night.

We sit down and I raise my glass to her.

“Here is to getting out of this date alive,” I say, and swallow the contents in one gulp.

Eden is staring at me, glass midair. At first, she looks confused, but then that brilliant smile comes back on her face.

“Scared?” she asks.

I chuckle, and for once, I am the one who feels awkward.

I’ve never seen her like this, so free and playful. So powerful in her own beauty. Soherself. I am left speechless at woman she is becoming. She has this air about her, as the French would say. Being in town on her own, independent, investing in her writing… She is more confident than I have never seen her. New York is working all sorts of magic on her.

As if I could fall any more in love with her.

“Terrified,” I reply.

We eat and talk, and we lose track of the time. On the way home, I pull her onto my lap, and my lips just find their way to her neck on their own.

I trail kisses all the way up her cheek, savoring her taste, her smell, the sound of her sighs. Her tongue meets mine, and I can taste the sweetness of her mouth mingled with the saltiness of her skin. I don’t even stop kissing her to breathe; she matches me sigh for sigh, moan for moan, and I just want to climb out of my skin.

“You’re making me crazy, baby,” I gasp.

My hands dance all over her skin, exploring every curve and dip, leaving goosebumps in their wave. Her fingers tangle in my hair as she pushes herself up to me, our bodies intertwined, her skin soft and warm against mine.

“It hurts, Isaiah,” she murmurs into my lips, and I almost fall apart into her hands right there and then. I shudder from head to toe, fighting for control. “It hurts so much.”

“What does, baby?” I moan, feeling like I’m losing my mind. Our mouths open and close in desperate kisses, hungry for more. More. More. “Tell me what hurts. Let me make it feel good for you.”

“It’s already good,” she sighs, her voice fading as she melts under my touch.

I, on the other hand, am burning. My skin is scorching hot, my brain on fire. My body is wired so tightly I feel like I’m going to burst with need.

My arms grab her waist tightly, bringing her body up to me, so I can taste her better. I pull off her coat, and my fingers find the neckline of that delicious dress. The small, contained space inside the limo feels too tight, too small to contain our frantic sighs, our breaths coming short and desperate.

“If you think it’s good now, just wait,” I pant. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

She nods against me, and for a second, I almost freeze, my hand at her zipper.

She trusts me.

Our bodies are pressed so close together I don’t know where I end and she begins. Every touch sends electrifying sensations through both of us. I can’t get enough of her soft skin, and her hands are eagerly roaming over my body. I have hoped, waited and wished for this moment for literal years.

I have hoped against hope that she would want me, and that we would be in a place where she could trust me again. And now, here it is.

She can feel my hand hotly slipping beneath the dress to cup her knee, and she lets me. She trembles sunder my touch, pleasure sending ripples of shivers all over her slender body as I’m holding her tightly, but she doesn’t stop me.

She wants me to continue.

“Isaiah…” she whispers, her voice a breathy prayer. Just that. My name.

It completely undoes me. With a moan that comes all the way from my chest, I pull myself away from her. I am this close to ripping her dress down to its seams and devouring her. I mean it. I don’t know how I am able to stop myself from doing this, but I know the zipper just won’t do it anymore.

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