Page 46 of Two Minutes for Holding

“I’m glad you did. I’ve been wanting to talk to you as well. First, I want to say I am sorry for panicking yesterday.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t blame you. I wasn’t exactly calm myself.”

“It’s understandable,” he said, placing his hand on my upper thigh and squeezing.

I looked down at his hand, then met his eyes, placing my hand on top of his.

“You really want to be a part of this?” I questioned.

He nodded, his eyes on mine, before they fell to my lips. “I do,” he whispered, leaning forward, his lips grazing mine. “I don’t want to miss a thing.”

A wave of warmth filled me as I leaned forward, meeting his lips. I closed my eyes as he ran his hand through my hair. I shifted on the couch, kneeling on the couch as he sat back a bit, tapping my hip.

I straddled his lap, just like I’d done the first night, resting my hands on his shoulders, and leaned forward, kissing him as his hands travelled down my back, until they were resting on my ass. He gripped my cheeks as he kissed me deeper.

I could have gotten lost in his kiss, but all I could wonder was how he was going to be a part of everything when I was goingback to Vermont in a couple of days. I placed my hands on his chest and broke the kiss.

“What is it?” he asked, knowing something was on my mind.

“This is how we got into this mess.” I giggled.

“Uh-huh, I know.”

His eyes met mine, studying them. “What else?”

“Clay, how is that going to work, though? You’re here…and I’ll be back in Vermont in a couple of days.”

“You mentioned something about you moving here.”

“Yes, but—”

“No buts. Until then, I’ll be there when I can. Most of it for now will have to be via text or video chat, at least until the season is over. I’ll try to be available whenever you need me to be, minus game time and practice, of course, but once you are back…”

“Once I’m back, what? Once I’m back, I’m sure my mother will have told my brother and I’ll be under lock and key. You’ll never get near me.”

He smiled. “Peyton, I’m not afraid of your mother. She actually likes me, and I’m sure it will be a relief for her to know that it isn’t Tor’s, and as for your brother, he’s going to have to face the fact that you aren’t a kid, and that shit happens between two consenting adults.”

“Try telling him that.”

“I plan on it. I’ll take his beating, I’ll take his words, but he’s the one who is going to have to face the fact that I…”

Clay stopped speaking and swallowed hard as he looked at me.

“That what?” I questioned, watching him as he now averted his eyes.

When he said nothing, I placed my hand on his cheek and turned his head toward me.

“Clay…what is it?”

He swallowed hard, then licked his lips before raising his eyes to mine.

“Peyton, you need to know that I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind. Ever since the first night we were together. What you told me should really have scared the hell out of me, but once you left last night, I realized it was more a leg jerk reaction than truthfully being scared.”

“Really?”

He nodded and smiled softly.

“Once I realized it, all I wanted to do was hold you and have you here by my side. I felt like an absolute piece of shit knowing you were at your brother’s, alone and scared.”

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